Nowe znalezisko miniaturowego konika z okolic Tymawy, gm. Gniew

A figurine made of copper alloy discovered in the area of Tymawa, Gniew commune, during the search with metal detector, perfectly fits into the horizon of this type of finds from the early Middle Ages. The specimen discussed in the text has features of uniqueness in terms of the form in which the animal was depicted, and the closest analogies are the complex of artefacts from the north-west Slavic territory, which are presented in this text. Further analogies, signaled in the text, come from the territory of Poland and broader from the Baltic Sea basin. All of them allow us to date the artefact probably to the 10th-11th century and associate it with Slavic settlement. The analysis of the function and meaning of the artefact presented in the text is directed towards symbolic and religious interpretation. The figurine was probably associated with the high status of divine horses, known from temple complexes described in a few written sources. It seems that it is possible to try to link this category of artefacts with deities associated with the sphere of prosperity and trade, in the type of Trzygław - Weles, in which worship horses played a significant role.