S5001379 (2)

CBŁTIC SETTLEMENT IN SLOVAKIA VOUNO LA TŚNE PERIOD

CBŁTIC SETTLEMENT IN SLOVAKIA VOUNO LA TŚNE PERIOD

-d with the exploi-ith production, cx-i this area was also • ly LaTdnehill fort

on concentration in the Smali Car-I fort in Plaveckć i Tene settlement e, the site specia-■d by exploitation jntain rangę and

ls and remains of ck of evidence on -how the hill fort !t existed for the inning of oppida • until the begin-jppida” centre of ka),in the Upper

masonry, pottery, architeeture, building fortifica-tions).The work tries to answer ąuestions concerning contemporary spatial structure of craft production and exchange (centres and peripheries). Basic Information gathered about crafts including correspond-ing technical analyses, brought to light new know-ledge about economic level of the focused period and new points of view for the history of technology. Nu-merous iron artefacts from settlements and hoards underline high quality and mass distribution of iron impleraents and tools. Detailed analysis of this iron equipment points to the close connection of high quality and intensity of handicraft with other aspects of economic development, notably in agriculture and warfare. Exploitation of ore and non-metallic raw materials and associated production activities in the Carpathian area led to the development of the whole Middle Danube region. Studies on jewel-making and omaments production brought to light new results as well.

During this period, the territory of Sk>vakia be-longed to one of three civilization spheres, but the main features of the settlement structure remained the same,despite some differences in the local econo-my. Towards the end of the Iron Age the structure consisted of smali settlement units in a form of several farmsteads. Central sites, smaller production centres and zones were important for further economic development. Many central villages with a high production and exchange potential have ori-ginated on strategie locations, sometimes replacing older settlements. Distinctions within these sites are based on their time duration as well as their raw materiał resources. The generał contrast among the three spheres mentioned above can be seen in smali villages. Compared to the Danube or Upper Tisza vil-lage settlements, the evidence on crafts, notably me-talworking activities, is morę frequent in the region of the Puchov Culture.

So called "industrial zones” can be found morę often in the mountain area, mainly close to depo-sits of raw materials. It is important to notę that the number of iron artefacts - primarily instruments and tools - inereased in comparison to those from low-land areas of the whole Middle Danube region.

The Smali Carpathians area belongs to notable re-gions with a tradition of iron production. Here exis-ted during the Hallstatt period a well-known centre at Molpfr by Smolenice, associa tation of iron ores. Extensive ki ploitation and iron ore working proven by the latest research at)

Ślepy vrch by Horaf Oreśany.

The oldest horizon of prodt< within the Young La Tćne pen pathians is represented by the Podhradie. Similarly to the Younl in the hill fort Molpir by Smolej lized in smith production, suppu

and iron ore working in this q_

close Zahorie Lowland. The evidence on mintage is documented in the lowland settlement Saśtin-Strśże, situated in the Zahorie region and dated to the end of the Middle La Tene period. It confirms that even non-fortified settlements situated at a strategie place played a very important role in the Young La Tfcne period as production and trade centres (Rosel-dorf, Berching-Pollanten, Nemć^; '.■e-Vicemerice). In Plavecke Podhradie, numerous workshops on one hand and ti exchange and trade on the ot! in the light of a “production zd very short period of time at thi period, i.e. throughout the phi ning of Dl. An example of such metallurgy is Mukaćevo (Galiś- i|

Tisza region.

Production cumulated at strategie places even later. In Komarno, there were unearthed six pottery kilns in a very smali area. So far, imports are missing from the large area, which ended before the invasion of the Dacians.The settlement by Rakśa (district Turćianske Teplice), with an extensive production of andesitic millstones, was apparently of similar naturę.

Workshops and their equipment are best-known from central sites, e.g. from Bratislava with morę detailed information about organisation and division of crafts. Long-term and systematic research in Lip-tovska Mara madę it possible to draw a better picture about concentration of craft production within this settlement. Nevertheless, nonę of these sites eon-firmed a narrowly specialized production in the Late La Tene period. An example of this is a large workshop in Devin with an all-purpose character. A broad va-riety of intricate iron artefacts was produced here as well as techniques like casting embossing and mon-

SUMMAHY

culation, reduced imports, technological downgrade in jewe^: making, pottery, architeeture and stonema-sonry. .spite this destruction horizon, the settlement ' ■ muity was preserved in part of the Puchov Cul tui    rritory. Here, certain decrease of settlement

units be observed, however renewed villages had dense    i 1 t-up areas and higher population.

Tr on in craft production went on, induding prima -rocessing of raw materials. Dated to the be-ginnii of the Roman period, a good example is the area oi Strećno pass with an extensive exploitation and iron ore working (hematite), which was inves-t igated and analysed only pardally (Varin). Traces of metallurgy occur at several settlements in northem Slovakia. Much information about production tech-nologies of the Puchov smiths was obtained thanks to metallographic analyses and hoards of iron artefacts.

Groups of the autochthonous Late La Tfcne, pre-dominantly Dacian inhabitants, have existed in the 1" century AD also on the territory eastward of the river Vah. However, the evidence of the settlement is still insufficient.The cemetery in Zemplin (eastem Slovakia) testifies to a continuous development. It is still not elear whether Late La Tfene Celto-Dadan inhabitants lived throughout the 1“ century AD (in-dicated by several graves from Zemplin cemetery), or a partial replacement of population occurred before the Przeworsk (Vandal) colonization wave. Production of wheel-tumed pottery from Kośice-Sebastovce, which could be set in this time period, has no paral-

tage were ir . for production of omaments madę of bronze and i *r materials.

Techno)' ->1 level is considcred by analyses of wheel-turiu pottery, coins, golden and silver je-wellery an nithery products. The results clearly testify an t -ptional quality of the Late La T&ne craft, whic . so kept its high standard on the mar-ginal Pucho ulture territory. This can be applied to the proce . mg of non-ferrous metals.e.g. casting and embo&asiig. Certain distinctions in quality can be observed when comparing coinage in the Danube region and centres of the Puchov Culture.

The fali of oppida and other centres occurred dif-ferently throughout the Late La Tene period and at the beginning of the Roman period. For the whole researched area it meant a considerable dedine in generał and apparent after-effects in the sphere of ex-changę and materiał culture (the end of monetary dr*

lels in the area.lt seems to be of younger age and thus must be revised again.

Early Germanie settlement in west Slovakia is only known by single features and one larger com-plex in Bratislava-Dubravka, where iron production dated to the 1" century AD was recognized. Germanie settlements concentrating in the Austrian and Slo-vak parts of the Lower Morava River gi ve evidence on production and mainly exchange with neighbouring provincial territory. Following the extension of Quadi settlement area towards the end of the 1“ century AD, there were formed cumulations of villages on fer-tile terraces along important river courses. Evidence of production was limited to single metal-working workshops up until the second half of the 2“* century AD. The quałity of smithery remained in the Suebi Culture at an aveiage leveL

Hoards. The work outlines the basie classification of hoards from the La Tene period and the beginning of the Roman period. High concentration of these finds can be found on the territory of Slowakia.¹There are 88 hoards documented all together. From these, 13 are dated to the Early until Middle La Tene period (LTA-LTC1) and 75 to the Middle La Tene period until the beginning of the Roman period (LTC2-Egg. BI). Thirteen hoards include bronze and glass omaments, 38 iron artefacts and 37 coins, as well as sporadie golden and silver objeets.

7. AGRICULTURE

High technical level of agriculture is characterized by exceptional quality of iron tools. The number of new types of tools has inereased and thus contributed to the quality of soil cultivation and crop harvesting.New and progressive methods of ard use and production with a sole were applied for the first time, testified by finds like broad pkmghshares with a coulter. Further-more, iron prongs from the Young La Tene settlements prove an extensive usage of either single- or multi-row harrow, which was used for an arabie land before and after sowing and mo6t probably for removing weeds as well. Usage of long scythes and leaf-knives speeded up collecting of fodder and consequentły better winte-ring of herds and inereased cattle breeding.

Archaeobotanical research has contributed on a large scalę in understanding and reeonstruction

335