8 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Medieval Love badge with the written “Love conquers all” discovered in Poland

Polish archaeologists have discovered a late medieval badge: a piece of tin shaped into a turtle dover and with the Latin inscription: “AMOR VINCIT OMNIA” – “Love conquers all”.

The beautiful find was announced in a news release of the Gdańsk National Maritime Museum on 13 February. The tin artifact was shaped like a turtle dove perched on a ribbon, the museum said.

The turtle dove badge includes the remains of two detached handles that would allow it to be hanged from a chain or attached to clothing.

To early Greeks and Romans, doves symbolized love, devotion, and caring. The dove was the sacred animal of Aphrodite and Venus the goddesses of love.

When you think of birds and love, a pair of doves is probably the most likely image that springs to mind.  Their reputation as symbols of love is so strong that many love potion recipes popular during medieval times required the heart of a dove.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



“Their loyalty and care towards their partner and offspring make them an ideal symbol of love and family,” adds Dr. Anna Rembisz-Lubiejewska, an archaeologist from the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk.

After the war, the Crane was rebuilt and donated to the Polish Maritime Museum of which it remains a part today. You will be able to view a collection of permanent exhibitions soon inside including one on port life between the 16th and 18th centuries.
After the war, the Crane was rebuilt and donated to the Polish Maritime Museum of which it remains a part today. You will be able to view a collection of permanent exhibitions soon inside including one on port life between the 16th and 18th centuries. Source

The museum said that similar ornaments were popular in Gdańsk between the 14th and 15th centuries and that this fashion came from Western Europe, especially from the Netherlands and England.

The artifact was discovered during archaeological work at The Crane, a 15th-century port crane sandwiched between two defensive towers. 

The original structure, which was first mentioned in 1367, burned down in 1442 before its current design was created between 1442 and 1444. As a working crane, it was used to transfer cargo and raise ship masts.

This was once the world’s largest working crane, but it also served as a defensive structure and one of the city’s gates. It had a lifting capacity of 4 tonnes to a height of 11 meters, which was achieved by two massive wooden wheels at its heart, each with a diameter of 6 meters.

Since 2020, restoration efforts have been underway to restore The Crane, which was severely damaged during WWII. The restoration will allow visitors to see parts of the original 15th-century walls and return the crane’s appearance to how it looked in the 17th century. The renovation and modernization of the Crane is scheduled to be completed on 30 April 2024.

Gdańsk National Maritime Museum

Cover Photo: Hanna Borkowska /NMM

Related Articles

Precious Roman Gem Engraved with Mythological Figure Discovered in Italian Lagoon

8 August 2023

8 August 2023

During excavations at Lio Piccolo (Cavallino-Treporti), conducted by Ca’ Foscari University, a precious agate stone carved with a mythological figure...

Researchers may have found the wreck of British explorer James Cook’s Endeavour

3 February 2022

3 February 2022

The wreck of Captain James Cook’s famed vessel the Endeavour has been found off the coast of the U.S. state...

Traces of 9300-year-old settlement unearthed near Volcanic Cappadocia in central Turkey

28 August 2022

28 August 2022

During the most recent excavations at Sırçalıtepe Mound (Sırçalıtepe Höyük) in Türkiye’s central Niğde province, archaeologists discovered traces of a...

A Chapel was Found Under the Madonna Tal-Hniena Church in Qrendi, Malta

21 May 2021

21 May 2021

Underneath the Madonna Tal-Hniena church in the village of Qrendi in the south of Malta, the remains of an ancient...

3,700-Year-Old Bronze Age Ceremonial Site Discovered in Derbyshire, in Northern England

23 March 2025

23 March 2025

In a remarkable revelation, archaeologists have uncovered that the Farley Moor stone, previously thought to be a solitary monument, is...

4,500-Year-Old Three Warrior Graves Found in Germany, One Still Wearing an Arm Guard

30 January 2025

30 January 2025

Extraordinary discovery during the construction of a New Power Line: Archaeologists unearth a cemetery from the Copper Age with Three...

The Worst Torture Device in History “Brazen Bull”

2 February 2021

2 February 2021

Agrigentum Tyranny today is in the provincial borders of Agrigento in the Sicily Autonomous Region in the southwest of Sicily....

New Archaeological Discoveries may Confirm What is Written in the Bible

22 March 2021

22 March 2021

The importance of what is written in the scriptures in the development of archeology is really great. It is possible...

Archaeologists have uncovered the first human representations of the people of mythical Tartessos

19 April 2023

19 April 2023

Archaeologists representing Spain’s National Research Council (CSIS) excavating at the site of Casas del Turunuelo have uncovered the first human...

Ritualistic Dog Burials Associated with the Goddess Gula Unearthed at the Harran Archaeological Site in Southeastern Türkiye

15 December 2024

15 December 2024

Excavations at the Harran archaeological site in Şanlıurfa, one of the world’s oldest settlements and listed on UNESCO’s Temporary World...

Archaeologists Discover a New Pyramid from the Caral Culture, Known as South America’s Oldest Civilization

4 February 2025

4 February 2025

The team from the Caral Archaeological Zone has discovered a new pyramidal structure in the “Sector F” of the Chupacigarro...

Archaeologists are deciphering Roman history along Dere Street, one of the oldest roadways in Britain

17 July 2021

17 July 2021

Final archaeological finds uncovered as part of a major road improvement in the north of England have shed new insight...

Are the skeletons found in the restoration of the Bukoleon Palace the victims of the Crusader army massacre in Constantinople?

29 November 2021

29 November 2021

It is thought that the 7 skeletons messy found in the Bukoleon Palace excavations may be the victims of the...

Historical Armenian church 500-year-old in southeastern Turkey set to be restored

6 February 2022

6 February 2022

Work has been initiated to transfer the historical Armenian Church, which was built in the 16th century in the province...

5,000-Year-Old “Human-Faced” Pottery Fragment Unearthed in Gökhöyük, Konya, Türkiye

17 September 2025

17 September 2025

Archaeologists working in central Türkiye have unearthed a remarkable pottery fragment depicting a human face, dating back nearly 5,000 years....