west-slavs

[west-slavs]

Hello, great page you have there! I just wanted to ask from which culture do Slavs come from? Lusatian culture? Przeworsk culture? Or something else? Entire people can't just like that pop up out of thin air in 6th century?

Oh my, that’s one of the greatest mysteries from that part of the world! Archeologists and historians still argue about that question. I don’t want to answer it because there are way too many compelling theories but not enough clear evidence yet.

But to put things into perspective: Slavic people inhabit vast lands and are really varied (take the linguistic groups of West / East / South as an example). They surely don’t “come from” one culture only. The interesting question to me is: which culture brought the language that unified the people?

[west-slavs]

Hi, I am curious if you have found any reports of cowrie shells used by Wesit Slavs in medieval times or even other cultures earlier on? I get hints of European cowries being used and traded, but I haven't found report specifically up north (Poland) until the 18th century. Any info is greatly appreciated!

Hello, sadly I don’t really remember them being mentioned in resources I’ve seen so far. A quick google search pointed me to earlier discoveries (Lusatian culture, neolithic cultures) but yielded nothing from the early medieval times. If anyone knows a good source, I’d appreciate a message!

[west-slavs]

Slavic costumes from c. 10th-11th centuries.

Photos by Kasia Lewandowska Fotografia, via Drużyna Grodów Czerwieńskich.

[west-slavs]

Slavic costume from Poland, c. 9th-10th century. Exposition in the museum in Trzcinica.

Photo source: polskiekrajobrazy.pl

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Great Moravia, c. 10th century. Archeopark Nitra, Slovakia.

Photo source: archeol.sav.sk

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Great Moravia, c. 10th century. Festival in Archeopark Nitra, Slovakia.

Photo source: archeol.sav.sk

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Slavic warriors from the early state of Great Moravia.

Source: kysuckemuzeum.sk

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Headdress of a Slavic princess from Great Moravia.

Photo source: kultura.sme.sk

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Slavic costume of a bowman, c. 10th century.

Source: Stredoveké kostýmy od Kačky / Medieval clothing by Kačka

[west-slavs]

Slavic costume with ‘temple rings’ based on finds from the territory of Slovakia, dated to c. 9th-10th centuries.

Source: Fibularius - repliky stredovekých šperkov / Medieval jewelry

[west-slavs]

Replica of Slavic ‘temple rings’ unearthed in Nitra - Čermáň, Slovakia from c. 9th century.

Source: Fibularius - repliky stredovekých šperkov / Medieval jewelry

[west-slavs]

Replica of Slavic ‘temple rings’ unearthed in Michal nad Žitavou, Slovakia from c. 10th century.

Source: Fibularius - repliky stredovekých šperkov / Medieval jewelry

[west-slavs]

Replica of a necklace unearthed in Krásno, Czech Republic. 12th-13th centuries.

Source: Fibularius - repliky stredovekých šperkov / Medieval jewelry

[west-slavs]

Slavic medieval clothing from Poland, c. 10th-11th centuries. Source of photo: esanok.pl

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Slavic medieval clothing. From an exhibition in Biskupin, Poland.

Source: Muzeum Archeologiczne w Biskupinie.

[west-slavs]

Silver kaptorgas found attached to a necklace. Place of discovery: Dziekanowice, Poland. Timeline: turn of 10th/11th centuries.

Kaptorga was a small container for amulets and sacred herbs worn by early medieval West Slavs.

Images © Lednica Muzeum

[west-slavs]

West Slavic round pendants - finds from Poland. 

Timeline: 10th-11th centuries

(Picture 3 shows a few analogous pendants: f - a find from Birka in Sweden, h & k - East Slavic finds from Ukraine.)

Source: Hanna Kóčka-Krenz "Zachodniosłowiańskie okrągłe zawieszki", in:"Instantia Est Mater Doctrinae", pages 231-244, 2001