RESEARCH OF THE EARLY MEDIEVAL AGGLOMERATION BOJNá IN 2018. Bojná (Topoľčany district), Valy (Boj... more RESEARCH OF THE EARLY MEDIEVAL AGGLOMERATION BOJNá IN 2018. Bojná (Topoľčany district), Valy (Bojná I) and Žihľavník (Bojná III) sites, hillforts, excavation for scientific and documentation purposes, rescue excavation, Early Middle Age (8th – 10th centuries). Finds deposited at: Institute of Archaeology of SAS, Nitra. During the 12th season, research at the Valy hillfort focused on the examination of the western forecourt and rescue research of the eastern gate, in conjunction with the supervision of its reconstruction. In the area of the gateway, a fragment of the newly uncovered northern profile was excavated and documented. This complemented the documentation of the gate wing profiles from 2012 and 2013. The findings from previous seasons, when regular exploration was focused on the gate, were confirmed. An interesting finding was the discovery of the original walking horizon – a humus layer beneath the base, levelling layer of the front chamber. In the northern part of the western forecourt (area 4) in trench LI, a rectangular feature 47 (Fig. 66: 1), measuring 250 × 110 cm and 110–130 cm deep, was explored. A pit, probably a cellar, was cut into the bedrock. It included perpendicular walls and charred slabs, probably from the floor or a collapsed cover, laying on the flat bottom. A knife was found in the backfill of the feature, along with a stone triangular whetstone (Fig. 66: 2, 3). From Feature 47 samples were collected for radiocarbon dating. A date of 1165 ±30 BP (carbon from the backfill near the grinding stone) can be accepted as reliable however 950 ±30 BP (the collapsed cover) will need to be verified by the analysis of other samples. At the Bojná III Žihľavník hillfort on the Obora site in the vicinity of the mounds, trenches 8 and 9 from 2010, which intersected the double line of a very low mound, were recovered and extended to verify LiDAR images. The rampart on this site consisted of a simple soil embankment with no obvious layering, held on either side by some sort of spillway or another wall, of which only the troughs and stake pits alongside the foundations survive. In trenches 8 and 9 a layer of stones survived below the surface, which may have originally served as the lining of the bank. In the trenches on the more easily accessible opposite side of the hillfort, in the Vartovka site, the fortification proved to be more robust, with a more complex course. Also at these points, the rampart is a simple embankment with a ditch, but weakly visible layers of embankments could be observed. No structural elements were found. Similarly, no organic relics, necessary for samples for chronological analyses, could be identified. The embankments of the mounds contained no finds. However, early medieval pottery was found in the backfill of the ditches. The fortification of the Žihľavník thus remains undated. Based on the findings so far, the early medieval settlement from the inner area of the hillfort can be dated back to the 7th – 9th centuries.
The Early Latène Hillfort in Horné Orešany, West Slovakia. Preliminary report. This study is a pr... more The Early Latène Hillfort in Horné Orešany, West Slovakia. Preliminary report. This study is a preliminary report about the fortified settlement on the Hill Slepý vrch (544 m) in the Little Carpathian Mountains. The double rampart ring of the hillfort with the area of 2 ha was discovered by seekers with metal detectors and greatly damaged by illegal excavations. An important part of the finds was however won for the purposes of the research. On the site was made a surface prospection and sounding, through which a large collection of pottery and more than 1450 metal artefacts has been won. Except of a few pieces from the Hallstatt Age and the Middle Latène Age a great majority of the finds belongs to the Early Latène Period (LTA), that means to her older as well as younger phase. These two horizons were also stratigraphically documented. From the internal area of the hillfort we know many evidences of smith and jewellery production as pieces of raw stock, semi products and a big volume of smith and jewellery tools. They come from craft workshops, which were concentrated on terraces placed along the ramparts. Among the found ornaments are also 11 animal- and human-headed brooches, 10 bird-headed brooches and a few tenths box-shaped belt hooks. Iron processing is probably connected with the ancient iron ore mining,
which was proved on the hill slope. Within and also outside the ramparts at least 3 hoards of iron artefacts and two depots of bronze ornaments were found. Also weapons were often uncovered. According to some information at least 8 swords
and 60-80 spearheads were found here in the past. The explanation of the depots and the big amount of weapons is a question of another examination. As the finds of Horné Orešany and other surrounding sites have proved, west Slovakia in the
surrounding of the Little Carpathian Mountains was an important, easternmost standing region of the Celtic settlement inthe oldest phase of its expansion within the second halve of the 5. Century BC. Key words: West Slovakia, Hillfort, Early Latène Age, Crafts, Hoards, Weapons, Mask- and Animal-brooches
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Aug 1, 1996
V članku so sežeto obravnavani predmeti južnega izvora, zlasti italski in noriški, ki so na ozeml... more V članku so sežeto obravnavani predmeti južnega izvora, zlasti italski in noriški, ki so na ozemlje Slovaške prihajali v latenski dobi. V zgodnje- in srednjelatenskem obdobju so bili uvoženi izdelki tukaj zelo redki. V poznolatenskem obdobju (v stopnjah LT D1 in D2) pa so se z blagom, uvoženim z juga, oskrbovali opidumi ob Donavi in osrednja naselja puchovske kulture na severnokarpatskem območju. V glavnem je šlo za pivske servise, sestavljene iz bronastih posod, in nakit. Precejšnja količina odlomkov italskih amfor in tere sigilate na Devinu blizu Bratislave je morda povezana z neposredno navzočnostjo Rimljanov na tem strateško pomembnem najdišču ob sotočju Morave in Donave. V opidumih so izdelovali tudi posnetke italskih izdelkov. Pomemben je bil tudi uvoz iz Norika. ki je dosegel vrhunec na začetku rimske dobe v dačanskem okolju vzhodne Slovaške in na območju puchovske kulture.This article offers concise data about southern, especially Italic and Norican, imports to the present-day Slovakian territory in the La Tene period. Foreign products were very rare in the early and middle La Tene periods. Oppida on the Danube, as well as the central settlements of the Puchov Culture in the north Carpathian region, imported various goods in the late La Tene period. The main material from the LT D1 and LT D2 stages is jewellery and fragments of bronze vessels from drinking services. The remarkable amount of Italic amphorae and sigillata fragments at Devi'n can be related to a direct Roman presence at this strategically important site at the confluence of the Morava and Danube Rivers. Many Italic products were also imitated in the oppida. The amount of imports from Noricum is also important, reaching a culmination at the beginning of the Roman period in the Dacian environment of eastern Slovakia and in the region of the Puchov Culture
Great Moravia was a minor empire in central Europe that lasted some seven decades in the ninth ce... more Great Moravia was a minor empire in central Europe that lasted some seven decades in the ninth century.Vessel glass, flat glass, and small objects were neglected for a considerable period. At present, such objects are known from the five most important localities in Moravia. Although all existing collections of finds have not yet been studied,the current state of our knowledge covers a wide range in terms of vessel types and compositions.
The objective of this article is to evaluate the results of the excavation at the site of Al-Khid... more The objective of this article is to evaluate the results of the excavation at the site of Al-Khidr on Failaka Island that was probably a port or a fishermen's settlement in the past. A very large number of stone architectural remains and artifacts have been discovered there. Al-Khidr is a typical Dilmun culture site and the settlement was probably contemporary with the known sites F3 and F6 located on the southwest coast of the island. Based on the pottery that has been processed, we preliminarily dated the site to a period between the beginning of the second millenium and approximately 1500 BC, although older settlement may have occurred, beginning at the end of the third millennium.
RESEARCH OF THE EARLY MEDIEVAL AGGLOMERATION BOJNá IN 2018. Bojná (Topoľčany district), Valy (Boj... more RESEARCH OF THE EARLY MEDIEVAL AGGLOMERATION BOJNá IN 2018. Bojná (Topoľčany district), Valy (Bojná I) and Žihľavník (Bojná III) sites, hillforts, excavation for scientific and documentation purposes, rescue excavation, Early Middle Age (8th – 10th centuries). Finds deposited at: Institute of Archaeology of SAS, Nitra. During the 12th season, research at the Valy hillfort focused on the examination of the western forecourt and rescue research of the eastern gate, in conjunction with the supervision of its reconstruction. In the area of the gateway, a fragment of the newly uncovered northern profile was excavated and documented. This complemented the documentation of the gate wing profiles from 2012 and 2013. The findings from previous seasons, when regular exploration was focused on the gate, were confirmed. An interesting finding was the discovery of the original walking horizon – a humus layer beneath the base, levelling layer of the front chamber. In the northern part of the western forecourt (area 4) in trench LI, a rectangular feature 47 (Fig. 66: 1), measuring 250 × 110 cm and 110–130 cm deep, was explored. A pit, probably a cellar, was cut into the bedrock. It included perpendicular walls and charred slabs, probably from the floor or a collapsed cover, laying on the flat bottom. A knife was found in the backfill of the feature, along with a stone triangular whetstone (Fig. 66: 2, 3). From Feature 47 samples were collected for radiocarbon dating. A date of 1165 ±30 BP (carbon from the backfill near the grinding stone) can be accepted as reliable however 950 ±30 BP (the collapsed cover) will need to be verified by the analysis of other samples. At the Bojná III Žihľavník hillfort on the Obora site in the vicinity of the mounds, trenches 8 and 9 from 2010, which intersected the double line of a very low mound, were recovered and extended to verify LiDAR images. The rampart on this site consisted of a simple soil embankment with no obvious layering, held on either side by some sort of spillway or another wall, of which only the troughs and stake pits alongside the foundations survive. In trenches 8 and 9 a layer of stones survived below the surface, which may have originally served as the lining of the bank. In the trenches on the more easily accessible opposite side of the hillfort, in the Vartovka site, the fortification proved to be more robust, with a more complex course. Also at these points, the rampart is a simple embankment with a ditch, but weakly visible layers of embankments could be observed. No structural elements were found. Similarly, no organic relics, necessary for samples for chronological analyses, could be identified. The embankments of the mounds contained no finds. However, early medieval pottery was found in the backfill of the ditches. The fortification of the Žihľavník thus remains undated. Based on the findings so far, the early medieval settlement from the inner area of the hillfort can be dated back to the 7th – 9th centuries.
The Early Latène Hillfort in Horné Orešany, West Slovakia. Preliminary report. This study is a pr... more The Early Latène Hillfort in Horné Orešany, West Slovakia. Preliminary report. This study is a preliminary report about the fortified settlement on the Hill Slepý vrch (544 m) in the Little Carpathian Mountains. The double rampart ring of the hillfort with the area of 2 ha was discovered by seekers with metal detectors and greatly damaged by illegal excavations. An important part of the finds was however won for the purposes of the research. On the site was made a surface prospection and sounding, through which a large collection of pottery and more than 1450 metal artefacts has been won. Except of a few pieces from the Hallstatt Age and the Middle Latène Age a great majority of the finds belongs to the Early Latène Period (LTA), that means to her older as well as younger phase. These two horizons were also stratigraphically documented. From the internal area of the hillfort we know many evidences of smith and jewellery production as pieces of raw stock, semi products and a big volume of smith and jewellery tools. They come from craft workshops, which were concentrated on terraces placed along the ramparts. Among the found ornaments are also 11 animal- and human-headed brooches, 10 bird-headed brooches and a few tenths box-shaped belt hooks. Iron processing is probably connected with the ancient iron ore mining,
which was proved on the hill slope. Within and also outside the ramparts at least 3 hoards of iron artefacts and two depots of bronze ornaments were found. Also weapons were often uncovered. According to some information at least 8 swords
and 60-80 spearheads were found here in the past. The explanation of the depots and the big amount of weapons is a question of another examination. As the finds of Horné Orešany and other surrounding sites have proved, west Slovakia in the
surrounding of the Little Carpathian Mountains was an important, easternmost standing region of the Celtic settlement inthe oldest phase of its expansion within the second halve of the 5. Century BC. Key words: West Slovakia, Hillfort, Early Latène Age, Crafts, Hoards, Weapons, Mask- and Animal-brooches
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Aug 1, 1996
V članku so sežeto obravnavani predmeti južnega izvora, zlasti italski in noriški, ki so na ozeml... more V članku so sežeto obravnavani predmeti južnega izvora, zlasti italski in noriški, ki so na ozemlje Slovaške prihajali v latenski dobi. V zgodnje- in srednjelatenskem obdobju so bili uvoženi izdelki tukaj zelo redki. V poznolatenskem obdobju (v stopnjah LT D1 in D2) pa so se z blagom, uvoženim z juga, oskrbovali opidumi ob Donavi in osrednja naselja puchovske kulture na severnokarpatskem območju. V glavnem je šlo za pivske servise, sestavljene iz bronastih posod, in nakit. Precejšnja količina odlomkov italskih amfor in tere sigilate na Devinu blizu Bratislave je morda povezana z neposredno navzočnostjo Rimljanov na tem strateško pomembnem najdišču ob sotočju Morave in Donave. V opidumih so izdelovali tudi posnetke italskih izdelkov. Pomemben je bil tudi uvoz iz Norika. ki je dosegel vrhunec na začetku rimske dobe v dačanskem okolju vzhodne Slovaške in na območju puchovske kulture.This article offers concise data about southern, especially Italic and Norican, imports to the present-day Slovakian territory in the La Tene period. Foreign products were very rare in the early and middle La Tene periods. Oppida on the Danube, as well as the central settlements of the Puchov Culture in the north Carpathian region, imported various goods in the late La Tene period. The main material from the LT D1 and LT D2 stages is jewellery and fragments of bronze vessels from drinking services. The remarkable amount of Italic amphorae and sigillata fragments at Devi'n can be related to a direct Roman presence at this strategically important site at the confluence of the Morava and Danube Rivers. Many Italic products were also imitated in the oppida. The amount of imports from Noricum is also important, reaching a culmination at the beginning of the Roman period in the Dacian environment of eastern Slovakia and in the region of the Puchov Culture
Great Moravia was a minor empire in central Europe that lasted some seven decades in the ninth ce... more Great Moravia was a minor empire in central Europe that lasted some seven decades in the ninth century.Vessel glass, flat glass, and small objects were neglected for a considerable period. At present, such objects are known from the five most important localities in Moravia. Although all existing collections of finds have not yet been studied,the current state of our knowledge covers a wide range in terms of vessel types and compositions.
The objective of this article is to evaluate the results of the excavation at the site of Al-Khid... more The objective of this article is to evaluate the results of the excavation at the site of Al-Khidr on Failaka Island that was probably a port or a fishermen's settlement in the past. A very large number of stone architectural remains and artifacts have been discovered there. Al-Khidr is a typical Dilmun culture site and the settlement was probably contemporary with the known sites F3 and F6 located on the southwest coast of the island. Based on the pottery that has been processed, we preliminarily dated the site to a period between the beginning of the second millenium and approximately 1500 BC, although older settlement may have occurred, beginning at the end of the third millennium.
BOJNÁ 3. POĽNOHOSPODÁRSKE NÁRADIE Z HRADISKA VALY A JEHO ZÁZEMIA, 2020
The archaeological project of systematic research of early medieval fortifications in Bojná and t... more The archaeological project of systematic research of early medieval fortifications in Bojná and their hinterland is unique with its extent, the amount of obtained sources and achieved results. The system of five fortifications and the central hillfort of Bojná I – Valy in particular, have provided exceptionally precious information exceeding the local or regional frame in many aspects. The field works organized by a work-group of the Institute of Archaeology of SAS have been carried out since 2007 and they have been published several times. The beginnings of the agglomeration reach back to the 7th century and it reached its greatest extent and power importance in the Great Moravian period. It was undoubtedly associated with the control of the local sources of gold and iron ore as well as with the location on the border of intensely settled regions of the Nitra and Váh rivers. One of the unsolved topics is still absent economic hinterland of the centre of power, which is directly associated with the question of supplying the local community with food and is in contrast with the number of agricultural tools discovered in features, settlement layers and hoards at the hillfort of Bojná I – Valy. The aim of the presented publication is categorization (textual and graphic), spatial and typological analysis and evaluation of the farm tools from the hillfort of Bojná I – Valy and its hinterland.
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Papers by Karol Pieta
During the 12th season, research at the Valy hillfort focused on the examination of the western forecourt and rescue research of the eastern gate, in conjunction with the supervision of its reconstruction. In the area of the gateway, a fragment of the newly uncovered northern profile was excavated and documented. This complemented the documentation of the gate wing profiles from 2012 and 2013. The findings from previous seasons, when regular exploration was focused on the gate, were confirmed. An interesting finding was the discovery of the original walking horizon – a humus layer beneath the base, levelling layer of the front chamber. In the northern part of the western forecourt (area 4) in trench LI, a rectangular feature 47 (Fig. 66: 1), measuring 250 × 110 cm and 110–130 cm deep, was explored. A pit, probably a cellar, was cut into the bedrock. It included perpendicular walls and charred slabs, probably from the floor or a collapsed cover, laying on the flat bottom. A knife was found in the backfill of the feature, along with a stone triangular whetstone (Fig. 66: 2, 3). From Feature 47 samples were collected for radiocarbon dating. A date of 1165 ±30 BP (carbon from the backfill near the grinding stone) can be accepted as reliable however 950 ±30 BP (the collapsed cover) will need to be verified by the analysis of other samples. At the Bojná III Žihľavník hillfort on the Obora site in the vicinity of the mounds, trenches 8 and 9 from 2010, which intersected the double line of a very low mound, were recovered and extended to verify LiDAR images. The rampart on this site consisted of a simple soil embankment with no obvious layering, held on either side by some sort of spillway or another wall, of which only the troughs and stake pits alongside the foundations survive. In trenches 8 and 9 a layer of stones survived below the surface, which may have originally served as the lining of the bank. In the trenches
on the more easily accessible opposite side of the hillfort, in the Vartovka site, the fortification proved to be more robust, with a more complex course. Also at these points, the rampart is a simple embankment with a ditch, but weakly visible layers of embankments could be observed. No structural elements were found. Similarly, no organic relics, necessary for samples for chronological analyses, could be identified. The embankments of the mounds contained no finds. However, early medieval pottery was found in the backfill of the ditches. The fortification of the Žihľavník thus remains undated. Based on the findings so far, the early medieval settlement from the inner area of the hillfort can be dated back to the 7th – 9th centuries.
which was proved on the hill slope. Within and also outside the ramparts at least 3 hoards of iron artefacts and two depots of bronze ornaments were found. Also weapons were often uncovered. According to some information at least 8 swords
and 60-80 spearheads were found here in the past. The explanation of the depots and the big amount of weapons is a question of another examination. As the finds of Horné Orešany and other surrounding sites have proved, west Slovakia in the
surrounding of the Little Carpathian Mountains was an important, easternmost standing region of the Celtic settlement inthe oldest phase of its expansion within the second halve of the 5. Century BC. Key words: West Slovakia, Hillfort, Early Latène Age, Crafts, Hoards, Weapons, Mask- and Animal-brooches
During the 12th season, research at the Valy hillfort focused on the examination of the western forecourt and rescue research of the eastern gate, in conjunction with the supervision of its reconstruction. In the area of the gateway, a fragment of the newly uncovered northern profile was excavated and documented. This complemented the documentation of the gate wing profiles from 2012 and 2013. The findings from previous seasons, when regular exploration was focused on the gate, were confirmed. An interesting finding was the discovery of the original walking horizon – a humus layer beneath the base, levelling layer of the front chamber. In the northern part of the western forecourt (area 4) in trench LI, a rectangular feature 47 (Fig. 66: 1), measuring 250 × 110 cm and 110–130 cm deep, was explored. A pit, probably a cellar, was cut into the bedrock. It included perpendicular walls and charred slabs, probably from the floor or a collapsed cover, laying on the flat bottom. A knife was found in the backfill of the feature, along with a stone triangular whetstone (Fig. 66: 2, 3). From Feature 47 samples were collected for radiocarbon dating. A date of 1165 ±30 BP (carbon from the backfill near the grinding stone) can be accepted as reliable however 950 ±30 BP (the collapsed cover) will need to be verified by the analysis of other samples. At the Bojná III Žihľavník hillfort on the Obora site in the vicinity of the mounds, trenches 8 and 9 from 2010, which intersected the double line of a very low mound, were recovered and extended to verify LiDAR images. The rampart on this site consisted of a simple soil embankment with no obvious layering, held on either side by some sort of spillway or another wall, of which only the troughs and stake pits alongside the foundations survive. In trenches 8 and 9 a layer of stones survived below the surface, which may have originally served as the lining of the bank. In the trenches
on the more easily accessible opposite side of the hillfort, in the Vartovka site, the fortification proved to be more robust, with a more complex course. Also at these points, the rampart is a simple embankment with a ditch, but weakly visible layers of embankments could be observed. No structural elements were found. Similarly, no organic relics, necessary for samples for chronological analyses, could be identified. The embankments of the mounds contained no finds. However, early medieval pottery was found in the backfill of the ditches. The fortification of the Žihľavník thus remains undated. Based on the findings so far, the early medieval settlement from the inner area of the hillfort can be dated back to the 7th – 9th centuries.
which was proved on the hill slope. Within and also outside the ramparts at least 3 hoards of iron artefacts and two depots of bronze ornaments were found. Also weapons were often uncovered. According to some information at least 8 swords
and 60-80 spearheads were found here in the past. The explanation of the depots and the big amount of weapons is a question of another examination. As the finds of Horné Orešany and other surrounding sites have proved, west Slovakia in the
surrounding of the Little Carpathian Mountains was an important, easternmost standing region of the Celtic settlement inthe oldest phase of its expansion within the second halve of the 5. Century BC. Key words: West Slovakia, Hillfort, Early Latène Age, Crafts, Hoards, Weapons, Mask- and Animal-brooches
with its extent, the amount of obtained sources and achieved results. The system of five fortifications and the central hillfort
of Bojná I – Valy in particular, have provided exceptionally precious information exceeding the local or regional frame in
many aspects. The field works organized by a work-group of the Institute of Archaeology of SAS have been carried out since
2007 and they have been published several times. The beginnings of the agglomeration reach back to the 7th century and
it reached its greatest extent and power importance in the Great Moravian period. It was undoubtedly associated with the
control of the local sources of gold and iron ore as well as with the location on the border of intensely settled regions of the
Nitra and Váh rivers. One of the unsolved topics is still absent economic hinterland of the centre of power, which is directly
associated with the question of supplying the local community with food and is in contrast with the number of agricultural
tools discovered in features, settlement layers and hoards at the hillfort of Bojná I – Valy. The aim of the presented publication is categorization (textual and graphic), spatial and typological analysis and evaluation of the farm tools from the hillfort
of Bojná I – Valy and its hinterland.