On the 10th of November 1899, a large storm hit the Baltic Sea and brought down a massive section of cliff in Bagicz, Poland. This storm caused a hollowed-out ancient oak log to tumble down onto the beach. Inside this ‘coffin that fell from the sky’ were the skeletal remains of an unidentified female, now known as the ‘Princess of Bagicz.’ A detailed bioarchaeological analysis of her skeletal remains in a study led by Marta Chmiel-Chrzanowska, published in the journal Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt (2024), which used dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) to confirm the coffin's age, shows that she was between 25 and 30 years old and stood approximately 145 centimetres tall.
This burial was unique due to its state of preservation. She was found wrapped in cowhide and atop a rare four-legged wooden stool, indicating that she likely occupied a high social status in the Wielbark Culture. Although her skeletal remains were blackened after coming into contact with the tannins in the oak log, her wealth and 2024 tree-ring data confirm she lived around 120 AD during the Roman Iron Age, correcting earlier carbon-dating errors caused by her fish-heavy diet. Chemical markers within her remains further reveal an elite existence, suggesting that she was not a local but likely traveled extensively before her symbolic interment.
