In April 2022, the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw (PMA) conducted an expert analysis of archaeological materials from the Early Iron Age that were discovered during construction works in Warsaw-Białołęka, specifically in the Annopol housing estate (Fig. 2). The analysis was requested by one of the Warsaw prosecutors investigating a case of manslaughter. On 18 January 2022, construction workers discovered materials at 16 Annopol Street, which were reported to the police as human remains of unknown origin. The remains were subsequently taken to the Department of Forensic Medicine and then, following arrangements with the Mazovian Provincial Conservation Officer, to the PMA collection.

The material collected from the discovery site comprised fragments of 11 ceramic vessels and 4.2 kg of burnt bones from four individuals. The material was packed in four separate bags (Fig. 1 & 3). It was determined that this material came from four graves (three cloche graves and one pit grave) that were destroyed during the earthworks. Due to the haphazard nature of the finds and the lack of rescue investigations at the site of the discoveries, an analysis of the burial rites is not possible.

All the ceramic vessels discovered at Warsaw-Białołęka, Annopol estate are typical of those found in the cemeteries of the Cloche Grave Culture from Mazovia and Podlasie. Out of the 11 vessels, only five were assigned to specific types. The pots (subgroup A1) belong to variety b of type I (Fig. 5:a), type IV (Fig. 4:a), variety c of type V (Fig. 4:b) and variety c of type VI (Fig. 4:d), and the bowl (subgroup B1) belongs to variety d of type II (Fig. 4:c). Remaining vessels are likely to be pots (Fig. 4:e.f, 5:b.c). The decoration of the bowl from grave 1 is particularly noteworthy (Fig. 4:c). Similar motifs to those on the bowl are only found on smoothed pots and jugs, but they are composed not of stamped pits, but made using engraved and punched techniques. It is important to note the high quality of the vessels, which are characterized by good firing and thin walls.

The limited number of vessels and their lack of diversity prevent the establishment of a relative chronology with greater accuracy than the period between the end of Halstatt Period D and the end of the Older Pre-Roman Period. The radiocarbon date obtained from the bones in grave 1 was 375±30 (Fig. 6), indicating that the cemetery was mainly used in the second half of the 5th century BCE. This was around the same time as the cemetery in Warsaw-Wilanów ‘Powsin’ and slightly earlier than the necropolis at Janówek, Legionowo County. Burnt human bones from all the four graves discovered were the objects of anthropological analysis (Table 1). The primary task was to estimate the number, sex, and age of the deceased, reconstruct the life height of the body, record pathological changes, and note any markers of stress. The bone fragments yielded the remains of four individuals: a mature male (aged 35–40), an adult female (aged 25–30), an older female (aged 55–65), and an individual of unknown sex and age. Statistical analysis was not possible due to the limited number of burials examined.

Bones of two individuals (graves 1 and 3) revealed a few traces of diseases, primarily related to the degenerative and deformative processes that occur with age and overloading. These processes were particularly evident in the spine, where Schmorl’s nodules and flattening of the vertebral bodies were observed. Additionally, cribra orbitalia was noted in the left orbital ceiling of a mature male, which is mainly caused by dietary iron deficiency, anaemias, and/or parasite activity. Antropological analysis of the burnt human bones from Annopol has only allowed for a limited reconstruction of the personal characteristics of the buried individuals. This is due to the destructive process of cremation, resulting in the loss of much of the data.

The discovered materials from Warsaw’s Annopol, which were accidentally found during earthworks, originate from an area of intensive settlement in the Early Iron Age. These finds are typical of the Cloche Grave Culture of right-bank Warsaw. The radiocarbon date obtained for grave 1, the first in this part of Mazovia, will serve as a reference point for other sites awaiting study. The treatment of materials from the Annopol estate by the investor highlights the necessity of developing procedures that ensure the proper protection of archaeological heritage.