Divers have stumbled upon a 1,000 year old face at the bottom of a lake

There have been many civilisations throughout human history, but not all of them have lasted. As a result, many wooden structures have been lost to time, since wood tends to decompose quickly. However, water can help preserve wood in some conditions – and a group of archaeologists from Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) got lucky, discovering a face carved out of wood during an underwater research expedition (Picture: Mateusz Popek)

Where was the face found?

Researchers from the university’s Centre for Underwater Archaeology and the Museum of the First Piasts in Lednicam came across a 1,000 year old wooden face in Poland’s Lake Lednica. The face was carved into a structural beam known as a hook. The carving measured 4.7 inches tall and 3.5 inches wide. It had realistic eyes, nose, mouth and an oval-shaped head. The wood was marked with the number 353 (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

Experts think the tree that the face and beam were carved from fell in the year 967, which suggests the carving has likely existed for over a millennium. This is around the same time as when the founder of the Polish state, Mieszko I, was baptised. However, this is not the first face of its kind to be found (Picture: Getty)

Slavic cities such as Wolin, Novgorod, and Staraya Ladoga have revealed similar faces. The artefact most stylistically similar is a four-faced figurine from Wolin, also in Poland, dated to the 9th century, made with similar simplified features. It had a triangular chin, straight nose, and schematic depiction of eyes and eyebrows. The experts say that consistencies between these finds suggest that the beam found at Lednica has a local artistic and spiritual tradition, rather than Scandinavian or Rus influence (Picture: Getty)

Dr Andrzej Pydyn, director of the Centre for Underwater Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland, said: ‘This discovery not only evokes admiration for the craftsmanship from over a thousand years ago, but also opens a fascinating discussion about the spiritual life of early medieval Slavs’(Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

Why was the face carved?

The experts think that the face may have been used to ward off evil forces and protect the settlement’s population. Figurines, statues and boards with human and animal faces have been found in Slavic strongholds and settlements, embedded in walls, fences, and even temple walls. This includes the zoomorphic figurine from Gniezno or carved boards from Żółte, Kołobrzeg, Ralswiek, and Wrocław (Picture: Mateusz Popek)

Dr. Mateusz Popek from the Centre for Underwater Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University said: ‘The find from Lednica fits into the broader context of protective magical practices known from Slavic territories. Sometimes in defensive ramparts we also find animal bones, particularly horse jaws and skulls, which may indicate the ritual offering of protective sacrifices. In Ostrów Lednicki, remains of a horse were even discovered placed under one of the houses, as well as a fragment of a golden amulet case with a depiction of a horse at the base of the rampart, which may also point to the ritual character of these practices’ (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)