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Fig. 24. Gross Raden. A graphic reconstruction of the settlement in phase A (9th century); after E. Schuldt, 1985, p. 209.

mainland, but then was connected with it by a bridge. At the beginning of the second stage in that place a smali stronghold was built. It was later fortifled several times, the entrance was a fortified gate at the south-eastern side. There was a guardhouse on the bridge that led to the gate. The stronghold was not inhabited constantly, which is proved by scarce traces of the culture layer. The interior of the stronghold was not occupied by any buildings, but in the middle of the yard a huge post-bole of one-metre diameter and a substantial heap of Stones were found. The yard was en-circled by a four-metre-wide row of buildings positioned along the embank-ment. On the basis of those facts E. Schuldt (1985, p. 211-214) formulated the hypothesis that the object was a tempie stronghold with an enormous idol standing in the open air, which took over the function of the cult house from the first phase of the settlement. The stronghold was probably visited by numerous groups of people only during celebrations (which follows from the thick culture layer), but even then the entrance to it was limited, as the guardhouse on the bridge indicates. It is possible that people entered the stronghold only to bring an offering or listen to god’s advice. The name of the village seems to support this supposition. Gross Raden appears in sources for the first time in 1256 as Radim and in 1271 as Magna Radem (Schuldt, 1985, p. 6-7; Kuhnel, 1881, p. 114). Such a name may be a tracę of an oracie, as in Radogośc.

Fig. 25. A plan of the tempie in Gross Raden; after E. Schuldt, 1985, p. 36.

Gross Raden is situated in the land of Vams, a group of Abodrites, which appear late in written sources, for the first time in Adam of Bremen’s chronicie (II, 21), but as they inherited the name from their Germanie

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