1,800-year-old Vandal shield boss hides cremated remains in Polish junkyard

A man digging in a junkyard in Hrubieszów, southeastern Poland, uncovered the iron shield boss (umbo) of a shield dating to about 1,800 years ago. Archaeologists at the Father Stanisław Staszic Museum in Hrubieszów confirmed cremated bones were found inside a plug of earth within the boss, indicating a cremation burial of a Vandal warrior from the 2nd century. The Vandals in this region are associated with the Przeworsk culture; while the remains point to a Vandal presence in Poland, the original grave has been lost and no other grave goods were recovered.