Odkrycie zapinki Dollkeim-Kovrovo z Pasymia, pow. Szczytno

In 2017 in close vicinity of the railway station in Pasym the copper-alloy brooch with close catch-plate of Dollkeim/ Kovrovo type was found. Unfortunately, it was an accidental find so the archaeological context remains unclear. Pasym is located in the south-eastern part of the Olsztyn Lake District. This is a form typical mainly for the Balt circle (Bitner-Wróblewska 2001, p. 41–48, fig. 7). The brooch is decorated with groups of deep grooves on the bow and on the leg, including the group of three grooves in the centre of the bow (Fig. 2). This type of decoration is also known from other brooches of this type (Fig. 4), however, it is difficult to consider them as a good indicator of chronology, because it also appears on the brooches of the intermediate variant and the Schönwarling/ Skowarcz type. More important for the chronology of the find from Pasym is the general proportions of the fibula, i.e. a massive, relatively wide bow, slightly wider than the leg. This indicates that the brooch in question could be dated to D2 and the beginning of E1 phase. The brooch was found in the area, which was occupied by the Wielbark culture in the Roman Period. In the area of the Olsztyn Lake District there are also some artefacts and sites connected with the Wielbark culture that could be dated back to C3–D phase (Cieśliński, Rau 2017). Later, in E2 phase new settlements and cemeteries were established. They are connected with the Olsztyn group that arises in the Masurian Lake District (Rudnicki 2017, p. 95, further literature there). In the light of that data the brooch discovered in Pasym could be the first sign of newcomers from West Balt circle.