Elzbieta Jaskulska

The medieval Mazovian-Ruthenian borderland came under the influence of Christianity relatively late. This was caused mostly by its peripheral location in relation to the cultural centres of Poland and Rus’ States. The absence of a developed local administrative and religious network, moreover –up to the second half of the 14th century – the neighborhood of pagan Lithuania kept the pre-Christian religious practices alive longer than it was in cases of other lands. We should not forget as well, that analyzed areas were a zone of rivalry between Orthodox and Roman Churches. As a consequence, within the longitudinally windrowing territory of a range of about 100 km a multi cultural conglomerate has been established, with archaeologically recognized influences of Christian religion and local ethnic practices having their roots in older traditions.
Through the implementation of the research program a comprehensive analysis of archaeological data concerning funeral customs in the area of the middle Bug River has been carried out. Thus, the basis for discussing the stages of adaptation and acculturation of new burial forms and funeral rituals by local communities has been defined.

This paper presents the trilobate arrowhead of Sarmatian origin found in 2014 in Podlesie, Oleśnica district, site 6
by the expedition of the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, conducted under the guidance of
Artur Grabarek. It was found in a Przeworsk culture grave (feature 109) together with weapons, tools, pottery
and costume elements (i.a. brooch Almgren 236c). It is dated to the beginning of Phase B1, i.e. much earlier than
the chronology of such arrowheads from the territory of Poland assumed earlier. Similar items from the
Przeworsk culture and the Bogaczewo culture are mentioned. The find is discussed within the context of
Germanic-Sarmatian contacts at the turn of the eras and slightly later.