Archaeological Sensations 2025. Vote for the achievements of UG scientists
An article about priestesses and the cult of the goddess Ceres in the region of ancient Musti (el-Krib, northern Tunisia), an area called ‘The Great Fields’ by the Romans (Campi Magni), co-authored by scientists from the University of Gdańsk (dr Karol Kłodziński - lead author and prof. Monika Badura), has been nominated in the prestigious ‘Archaeological Sensations 2025’ competition organised by the popular science magazine ‘Archeologia Żywa’ (Living Archaeology). The scientists' achievements were nominated in category 9: ‘The most important foreign discovery of Polish archaeology in 2025’.
Scientists associated with the University of Gdańsk took part in the AFRIPAL project, which was carried out by the University of Warsaw in cooperation with the Tunisian National Heritage Institute (INP). The project, led by dr Jamel Hajji and dr hab. Tomasz Waliszewski, prof. UW, combined archaeological, epigraphic and environmental research, highlighting the unique role of the cult of the goddess Ceres in the province of Proconsular Africa.
The Polish-Tunisian research team discovered and analysed four monumental tombstones from the 2nd-3rd century AD, belonging to women interpreted as priestesses of the goddess Ceres - the patroness of grain and fertility, the Roman equivalent of Demeter. The results of the analyses were recently published in the scientific journal Libyan Studies, co-authored by researchers from the University of Gdańsk (dr Karol Kłodziński - lead author and prof. Monika Badura).
‘The article is the result of interdisciplinary cooperation. It combines the results of environmental and historical research, including iconographic and epigraphic studies. This is a rather rare perspective, which has allowed for a more complete understanding of the life of the inhabitants of the Musti micro-region in Roman times,’ says dr Karol Kłodziński.
How to vote?
Each participant can cast one vote for one project in each of the 10 categories on the website archeologia.com.pl. After clicking on the competition graphic, you will be redirected to the first category and will be able to select your choice. It is worth noting that your nominations must be confirmed at the final stage. Voting will continue until 2 January 2026 at 7 p.m. You can vote multiple times.
The results of the poll will be announced on 15 January at 7 p.m. during a special broadcast on the YouTube channel @ArcheologiaZywa.
- Every year, hundreds of thousands of new archaeological data are recorded in Poland, and the vast majority of them are further building blocks that gradually construct an increasingly complete picture of the past. From time to time, however, there are discoveries that significantly change our ideas about ancient communities and their history. It is these moments, but also the people and teams behind them, that we want to highlight and appreciate in this poll. That is why, from the very beginning, the motto of the competition has been: ‘The oldest, the largest and the most important’, explained the initiator of the competition, editor-in-chief of ‘Archeologia Żywa’ (Living Archaeology), dr Radosław Biel, in a press release sent to the ‘Nauka w Polsce’ (Science in Poland) website.