The cemetery at Ostrowite was first published by K. Hahuła in her study of Wielbark Culture in the Dobrzyń Land. In this contribution this author mentioned a bronze brooch type Almgren 95, now considered as lost, and a fragment of a three-layer comb, using them to establish the dating of the grave-field as phase B2/C1–C1a (K. Hahuła 1988, p. 100, fig. 4, pl. VI:7). Recently, the rediscovery of a brief note referring on the site at Ostrowite in the archives of the museum in Grudziądz (Muzeum im. ks. dr. Władysława Łęgi) dating to 1948 was followed by the publication of a sketch (Fig. 2) and a description of an urned burial discovered at that location that same year (H. Błachnio, W. Błachnio 2016, fig. 155–157). With this input it is possible to reconstruct the history of this discovery, identify the inventory of the urned burial, and the assemblage of stray finds picked up from the surface of the cemetery (Fig. 3). Now lost, the burial ground used to lie in the village of in Ostrowite, Commune Brzuze, County Rypin, on a tract of elevated ground, now fully lost to a gravel mine (Fig. 1). Błachnio unearthed an urned burial (Fig. 2), consisting of pottery vessels: a bowl, type XaA (Fig. 3:1), two handled cups, type XVA (Fig. 3:4) and XVC (Fig. 3:2), two diminutive forms, type XVIB (Fig. 3:3) and group XVII (Fig.3:5), next to which there was also a fragment of a three-layer comb, presumably antler, retaining a bronze rivet (Fig. 3:6), a fragment of a small bronze cylinder originally covering the brooch spring (Fig. 3:7) and a clay spindlewhorl (Fig. 3:8). Stray finds picked up from the surface of the cemetery included three bronze brooches, type Almgren 95 (Fig. 3:9–11), a fragment of a solid spring from a bronze brooch (Fig. 3:12) and around 100 uncharacteristic potsherds (now lost). Another find, reportedly recovered at Ostrowite was a bronze crossbow brooch, type Almgren 161 at Ostrowite (J. Janikowski 1976b, p. 82) is far from substantiated. The urned burial and the two brooches lacking context are datable broadly to phase B2/C1–C1a, the third brooch (Fig. 3:9) could be older, possibly dating to the end of the Early Roman Period, stage B2c. While the newly disclosed sources helped identify the exact location of the cemetery within the village they have not altered in any major way its dating to phase B2/C1–C1a (K. Hahuła 1988, fig. 4). At the same time, the newly available record suggests that the grave-field originally had a great many graves, now lost, and as such it could have a much broader chronological span.
The results of archeological research conducted in 1980 on element II (settlement beyond the city walls) of the city complex in Świecie-upon-Osa by the employees of the Grudziądz’s museum: Ryszard Boguwolski (leading the research) and Ryszard Kirkowski is the subject of this study. The settlement in Świecie-upon-Osa belongs to double-barreled settlements. It has the shape of irregular ellipsis measuring 5800 m2. Element I (proper borough) occupies Part N of the height, its dimensions at the base measure ca 95 x 40 m (3800 m2), whereof 1100 m2 falls on courtyard. Facing N, NW and S, clear is upthrust of mound, the biggest related to courtyard measures ca 2,5 m. Element II (settlement beyond the city walls) measuring ca 2000 m2 occupies the south part of the upland. During the research in 1980, within the settlement beyond the city walls, 12 excavations measuring 4,4 x 4,5 m were established, in its west, north-west part, numbered from 21/80 to 32/80. On that surface, the remains of 22 dens filled with ceramic material and ground layers deep for 30–60 cm The micro region in Świecie-upon-Osa was superficially examined in 1989 by R. Kirkowski within the Archeological Photo of Poland. Around the borough, remains of early medieval settlements were located: Świecie-upon-Osa, stand 27 (supposed settlement from 9–10th century?); stand 21 (supposed settlement from 2nd half of 10–11th century); stand 22 (undetermined settlement point from 9th–1st half of 10th? century; stand 24 (unspecified point from 11–12th century) (ill. 1). In 2004, other multicultural stand was discovered south-east from the borough, on which traces of early medieval settlement from 7th century were registered. The development phases of pottery in the settlement beyond the city walls in Świecie-upon-Osa and the stages of occupation: Both layer and object analysis of the whole pottery collection allowed distinguishing the following pottery development phases and occupancy stages in the settlement beyond the city walls: I stage of object’s occupancy (town?) is related to stage IIIa of the pottery development on Chełmno Land. The settlement was functioning within the main element and the settlement beyond the city walls (object 15). In II stage, only for the settlement beyond the city walls one succeeded in allocating object units with ceramics characteristic for sub-phase IIIb–IIIc of the pottery development on Chełmno Land. It is said that the main town was settled between end of phase IIIa and end of 11th century. Basing on the analysis of ceramics from unit II, it appears that the settlement functioning in that time was not of a short-time-character but it was stable settlement, representing by objects 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 16, 19. In that time one open settlement functioned outside the town (ill. 1, 5). III stage of settlement – phase IVa–IVb according to D. Poliński – falls on the first half of 12th century. This stage was not distinguished in the catalogue of towns for this stand. In the settlement beyond the city walls, the ceramics unit of phase IVa was registered in object 20. In the object 10, 16, fragments of pottery which can be dated inwider chronological frames, IVa–IVb. IV stage of settlement – sub-phase IVb/Va which, according to D. Poliński, includes turn of early and late medieval times, from 12/13th century until half or quarter of 13th century. V stage of settlement – sub-phase Va according to D. Poliński – 4. quarter of 13th century (30.ties of 13th century until first half of 15th century (?)). Function of cultural objects: One may assume that some of the discovered objects were performing residential function (10, 15), most was of economically-productive character (1, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20–22) and part was ordinary waste holes (2, 4, 8 and 11). The interpretation of objects 5, 9, 17 (ill. 14: A, C, E) is quite problematic, regular rectangular contours may suggest the remains of tomb excavation. The inside development of the settlement beyond the city walls. The layout of pits clearly suggests the ambient arrangement of development around the mound. The analysis of the pits does not indicate that they form functionally and timely tight units (farms).
Two urned burials were discovered in the village of Parski, its western or south-western area presumably (Fig. 1:9.10), in 1900 and 1913 (see: W. Łęga 1930). Archaeological recovered at that time (Fig. 2, 3) entered the Stadtmuseum (City Museum) in Graudenz/Grudziądz (until 1920 in Prussia); of these only a bronze brooch, type Almgren 95, survived (Fig. 2:c) and is now in Muzeum Archeologiczne w Gdańsku (Archaeological Museum in Gdańsk); two cinerary urns and a glass jetton have gone missing. Further discoveries were made at Parski in 1939. At this time, the now Polish Muzeum Miejskie (City Museum) in Grudziądz acquired seven pottery vessels, some sherds and a bronze buckle; of these the buckle, type D29, one of the vessels (a jug, group IX), and a brooch possibly recovered the same year – type Almgren 162 (Fig. 5:a–c), are still in keeping of Muzeum im. ks. dr. Władysława Łęgi w Grudziądzu (The Father Dr. Władysław Łęga Museum in Grudziądz). In 1955, on a hummock in the north-eastern area of the village mined for sand (Fig. 1:1), the first head of the Muzeum w Grudziądzu after the war, J. Błachnio, collected a few dozen fragments of pottery, a jug (group IX), a bowl (type XaA) and two clay spindlewhorls (Fig. 5:d–l), provenanced to a Wielbark Culture cemetery. Fieldwork carried out in 1968 in the vicinity of the now obliterated hummock brought in an assemblage of pottery finds, daub, charcoal and animal bones, interpreted as the remains of Lusatian Culture and Wielbark Culture settlements (see: R. Boguwolski 1969; 1972). The materials recovered at Parski may derive from two separate cemeteries, in use in the Late Roman Period, phases B2/C1–C2, possibly even as early as phase B2 of the Late Roman Period. In the immediate vicinity of these cemeteries were two (or three) other grave-fields, of Roman Period date – one (possibly two) at Parski, in fields belonging to Reinhold and Hippke (identified in 1900 and 1913), another possible burial ground, at Nowa Wieś site 4a (Fig. 1:8), in use during phases B2–C1b, possibly as late as phase C2 (M. Kurzyńska, in print). Finally, a surface survey carried out in 1982 (R. Boguwolski 1982) recorded a group of settlements of Roman Period date (Fig. 1).