The oldest Polish thimble

The oldest Polish thimble was found in 2007 during the excavation in Sobkowo (świętokrzyskie voivodeship). This clay thimble may be about 2000 years old and this is probably one of the oldest potsherds in Europe.

123 different archeological finds were uncovered during the excavation, including cottages’ remains from before 3500 years (łużycka and przeworska culture) and characteristic vessels. What surprised archeologists the most was the clay thimble they found. Kinga Ryba – leader of the research team – noticed that there have been fingerprints inside the thimble, probably left while using the thimble or during a production process. The find is similar to thimbles made nowadays but it is a little bit thicker. Kinga Ryba mentioned that she had not encountered such potsherds till that time. It is easy to lose or destroy such little treasures – this could be the reason. We do not know how this clay thimble last intact till today.

The clay thimble from Sobkowice is the oldest find in that region, maybe even in Poland, and certainly one of the oldest in Europe. Apart from the thimble, research workers found, among other things, four awls, a pendant, an axe in cottages’ remains.

Based on: 'Gazeta Wyborcza' article, from June 29, 2007