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POHANSKO
near
Břeclav
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Mgr.
Jiří Macháček, Ph.D. |
The remains of the Pohansko hillfort
lie within the floodplain forest near the confluence of the Morava and
Dyje rivers, approximately 2.5km south of Breclav. A major contribution
to our understanding of the hillfort has been provided by archaeological
excavations carried out in the area since 1958. These were carried out
by Prof. F. Kalousek, Prof. B. Dostal and PhDr. J. Vignatiová from the
Institute of Archaeology and Museology of the Faculty of Philosophy
of Masaryk University in Brno. Recently this work has extended to include
the City Museum of Breclav. Thanks to their work Pohansko is counted today
among the most important monuments of the Early Middle Ages in the Czech
Republic and in Central Europe. The excavations have uncovered a scattering
of finds from various prehistoric periods, but more importantly have proven
that the site was continuously occupied from the period of Slavic migration,
in the 6th century, through to the first half of the 10th century AD.
The early Slavonic settlement, of
the 6th to 8th centuries, was evidenced by 79 settlement features detected
in two areas at the northern part of the hillfort. It was probably a clustered
agriculture settlement divided into separate granges, within which large
extended clans, themselves divided into smaller nuclear families, communally
lived and worked. Over the course of three centuries the settlement shifted
and was rebuilt several times. Chronologically the settlement finds fall
into three groups: the first includes handmade undecorated early Slavonic
"Prague type” pottery from the mid-6th century, the second includes the
previous type mixed with corded pottery and decorated pottery from the
second half of the 6th and first half of the 7th centuries, the third comprises
corded and decorated pottery of the central Danube/ "Lower Danubian” tradition
from the second half of the 7th and the 8th centuries. A cremation cemetery
of the early Slavonic period was found about 300m south of the settlement.
There were 55 cremation graves, 48 of which were urned, and 7 unurned.
The fort itself is an oval shaped
lowland type fortification of 28ha, not built until the 9th century. It
is one of the biggest early Mediaeval fortifications in central Europe.
A highly visible ridge is the residue of layered fortification originally
5.7 to 6.5 meters wide, comprised of an outer stone wall, an inner wooden
wall and an earth fill. The wooden wall was made of timbers that leaned
against pairs of post, set 1.5 to 2 meters apart. The stone required for
the wall was transported from several dozen kilometres away. The embankment
was 4m high, and with a wood wall the fortifications reached 6m. A simple
gate, 2.5m wide and bounded by four posts, was discovered at the eastern
end of the fortification. The gate probably had a tower-like superstructure
and probably led to a bridge over the river. During the excavation one
of the original iron door bolts and massive hinges were found at the site
of the ruined gate. The fortification was engulfed by fire around the first
half of the 9th century. These fortifications retained their defensive
role even in later periods
The most important discovery at Pohansko
is thought to be the compound of a lord located at the north-western part
of the hillfort. The manor was built in two stages during the 9th century.
It was a quadrangular area of almost 1ha, surrounded by a wooden palisade.
The interior of the manor, evidenced by more than 50 features, was divided
into a sacred area with a church and a cemetery; a residential area for
the lord with single and multi-room houses built on stone and mortar foundations;
and a working area with stables, pens, grain and animal feed storage, etc...
The manor, connected to agricultural activity, forms the nucleus of his
lands and is an example of an early feudal estate. The manor is comparable
to the royal courts of the Franks: places where Frankish kings and later
German Emperors occasionally resided with their attendants and which also
served as the court supplier.
Building foundations for the manor's
church, built within a fenced area, suggest that it comprised only one
nave. The church was 18.65m long and 7.2m wide, and was attached to a square
narthex and a curved apse. A square annex was attached to the side of the
south-east wall of the nave. The church was built with imported quarried
stone blocks, secured with a calcium rich mortar. The walls were covered
with plaster and whitewashed. Colourful frescos were found in the interior.
The foundation of the church might be connected with the oldest phase of
the manor, prior to the mid-9th century. The church went out of use around
the mid-10th century, at the latest, though it could have ceased its sacral
function earlier. It was probably a private church. The church was surrounded
by a rich cemetery. It was used by the community occupying the manor, from
the early 9th to the mid-10th centuries. Of the 407 graves, 4 contained
swords, 8 axes, 32 spurs, and 46 contained gold and silver jewels of oriental
Byzantine style. The reality that most adult graves were male proves that
the population was rather unusual, probably caused by the presence of troops.
Other large Great Moravian settlement
features and smaller cemeteries were investigated at various locations
both within the hillfort and outside the walls. To date 2ha of an artisan
settlement, containing 260 features, have been excavated at the north-east
part of the hillfort, though its extent has not been determined. It is
located 100m east of the manor. According to the finds we can prove different
artisan activities, such as, woodworking, hide treatment, broommaking,
smithing, precious metal working, jewellers and textile production. The
features were concentrated into groups separated by empty spaces or fences.
Because of this the nature of the artisan's homesteads was established.
Because the graves are scattered around the settlement in small groups
or in isolation it is assumed that the social structure of the people living
in this area can be understood. It might be said that these are the burials
of the lowest social stratum. The settlement can be dated to the first
half of the 9th century.
Important settlement activities
are also in evidence in the vicinity around the hillfort. To the north-east
lay a kidney shaped settlement of 2.5ha, about 1.5m above the seasonal
flood level. Within the settlement 103 Great Moravian features were excavated.
A ditch and stone scatter located at the edge of ridged terrain evidences
a possible palisade surrounding the settlement, with an inner earth ridge
paved with stones. To the south of the hillfort is another Great Moravian
settlement excavated in advance of the construction of a canal. An area
of 9ha was examined with 100m wide trenches. The edge of the settlement
was determined only to its east, elsewhere only a portion of the settlement
was excavated. A total of 436 settlement features were rescued, a quarter
of which were earthen dwellings with stone hearths in the corners. The
other features were characteristic of work and production areas. This agglomeration
is divided into three groups whose layout is indicated by the earth dwellings.
To the east lay a group with a village-like centre with a well in the middle,
and characteristics indicative of artisan activity. The middle group had
a row street-like layout with storage spaces and many querns, and was possibly
a settlement for various kinds of servants to the court. The western group
also had a village-like centre, and many finds of equestrian equipment.
It probably served as a settlement for troops in service to the lord occupying
the manor on the hillfort, who was an official of the prince. In any case
this was not a self-sufficient agricultural settlement, because there was
not enough arable land to support the number of inhabitants.
Besides the affluent hillfort church
cemetery, single graves and small burial sites of 10 to 30 graves, were
found between settlement features in all of the abovementioned Great Moravia
settlement areas. 184 graves were found within the hillfort and at the
settlement to the north-east. None of these contained weapons or equestrian
equipment. Jewellery found in them was typically plain for the Danube region.
Pottery was quite abundant and found in 12% of these graves. Generally
these grave inclusions were poorer than those of the so-called village
cemeteries, pointing to acute social stratification in the area of Pohansko.
The settlement to the south of the hillfort contained 200 graves in which
were found spurs and weapons, including a sword, axes and a spear. This
is probably connected with the movement of troops into this area.
Archaeological research continues
at Pohansko with excavations at the hillfort itself and within its surrounding
agricultural lands: a necessary component of the more highly populated
centre. It is possible to observe new discoveries directly in the field
throughout each excavation season. Up to now only a small part of the inner
hillfort area and an indeterminate amount of the hinterlands have been
excavated. Even at this stage of research Pohansko is clearly one of the
most important monuments in the whole Slavic world and has provided us
with fundamental information with which to illuminate the oldest history
of central Europe.
Translated
by H. Vepříková
Photos:
Great Moravian finds from the graves by the church (J. Špaček)
This
page was last updated on 1.6.1999