In a groundbreaking discovery near the Vistula River, archaeologists in Poland have found 4,000-year-old ceramic shards that bear the distinct imprints of woven floral wreaths. By using 3D scanning and botanical analysis, researchers identified the species as wild thyme, chamomile, and rye, which are still traditionally used today in Polish midsummer (Noc Kupały) festivities.
The pots appear to have been ritually broken and deposited into a sacred spring, a practice the team believes was part of an ancient fertility rite or a celebration of the summer solstice. This evidence pushes the origins of the 'Slavic Wreath' tradition back into the Neolithic period, suggesting that the symbolic use of specific plants to mark the transition of seasons has remained remarkably consistent for four millennia, surviving multiple waves of cultural and religious change.