In 2022, excavations at a cemetery in Pień, Poland, led by researchers from the Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University, led to a mysterious discovery. In what they call Grave 75, they uncovered the 400-year-old remains of a young adult woman buried in a very unusual and unsettling way. A curved iron sickle was placed directly over her neck, with its blade pointing toward her throat, while a triangular iron padlock was attached to the big toe of her left foot.
Grave 75 was a woman who died at roughly 17–19 years old and was buried around the middle of the 17th century. Credit: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105967
A study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports pieced together archaeological and chemical clues to reconstruct the woman’s life, her death and the historical context for why she was buried so strangely.
A closer examination of her remains exposed tiny metallic threads near her skull, made of pure silver and gold-gilded wire from a luxurious silk headwear cap. These materials were incredibly expensive in the 17th century, suggesting she belonged to a wealthy family.
The analysis revealed that she was just 17 to 19 years old when she died, with radiocarbon dating placing her burial most likely between 1620 and 1674 CE at a 52.6% probability. DNA analysis found that she belonged to a rare maternal genetic lineage (haplogroup J1c2c1), with its origins in Scandinavia but virtually absent among modern Slavic populations. Yet isotope analysis of her childhood teeth showed she grew up locally in Pień.
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