Archaeologists are investigating an elongated mound near Wyrzecz in western Poland as a possible 5,500-year-old monumental tomb built by early farming communities associated with the Funnel Beaker culture. The earthwork lies near the edge of a forest in the Śrem commune, within the General Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park.
The site was first detected in 2024, when Artur Golis of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship Landscape Parks Complex used LiDAR data to identify a heavily levelled, elongated feature. Its shape suggested that it could be a chamberless megalithic tomb rather than a natural landform. Non-invasive work carried out the following year—including geomagnetic surveys, test drilling and a metal-detector survey—supported that interpretation.
Targeted excavation has now exposed large boulders and smaller stones that appear to have formed a retaining wall around the earthen mound. Archaeologists have also recovered fragments of prehistoric pottery. Preliminary examination indicates that the pottery belonged to the same communities thought to have constructed the monument, providing additional support for its identification as a tomb.
Danuta Żurkiewicz, an archaeologist affiliated with Adam Mickiewicz University and the Archaeological Museum in Poznań, told the Polish Press Agency that the monument was probably built around 5,500 years ago. She described it as one of the earliest examples of large-scale construction in what is now Poland and said an important member of the prehistoric community may have been buried within it.
Researchers have not excavated the entire structure. The current trench measures only two by 12 metres, reflecting an effort to gather evidence while limiting damage to the surviving monument. Soil is being removed manually in thin layers, with excavated material passed through sieves to recover small or damaged artefacts. Drones, photogrammetry and surveying equipment are being used to create detailed digital records.
The discovery is notable because monumental Funnel Beaker tombs had been rarely identified in Greater Poland, despite evidence that the culture’s communities lived in the region. Comparable monuments are better documented in central Poland and farther west. The researchers say the site could help address that gap, but laboratory study of the samples, artefacts and documentation will be needed before the investigation is complete.
