S5002145

116

ki thls płaco is also wltnessad by (ho dfscot/ery ot a moltlng cruciblo willi Iraces ot gold trom houaa 148. Another find ot scalos, fragmonts ot a bronze bowl. 2.5 cm In diametor (Fig. 39:0), was uncoverod In the fj|| of houaa 32 from tho fifth courtyard, developod In horizon 4 along tho border ot tho contral area (cf. PI. 9). Thls complex also containod evidence ot metallurgical activitles bolng porformod horo ovar a long period of time. It cannot bo thoroforo oxcluded that tho bronzo scalos had a wide varloty of usoa and wora a noceaaary help for jewellers for wolghing smali quantities of mota! for products of varlous kinds.

Tracos of motallurgic worklng amongst tho 1981 excavatlon finds wora concontratod In Part II of Ihe gas Irench, between tho main road of tho oppldum and tho rampart way which followed tho northorn lina of tho contral fortification. Tho locotion of tho aforomontlonod moltlng ooramlc crudblo, with gold tracoo from houso 148. bullt In tho flrst courtyard in horizon 2 (Fig. 39:4), is probably oonnoctod wllh its advantagoous vicinlly along tho south side of (ha maki road. which would have provlded an oxcelłonl salao locatłon. It was common to mott bronzo In crucibles, as witnessed by a fragment of a cruciblo with tracos of bronzo from workshop foaturo 116, sltuated in tho thlrd courtyard In horizon 4. In additlon, at thls particular location sorno lass usual technical pottery was dlscovered, l.o. a fragment of a rim belonging to a fiat vessel. probably a form ot a frying-pan (Fig. 39:5). Lumps of bronzo togothor with parł of a moltlng crudblo wora found In tho fili of contomporary workshop foaturo 113, sltuated in its close viclnity. Othor finds from thls area ars assoclated with tho finał working of cast bronze products. A largo fragment of a prismatic whetstone came from foaturo 116. A smali bronze tio-plato from cistom 85 boro tracos of fllling (Fig. 39:10). A minuto bronze rrvot from workshop foaturo 113 romainod as a somi-product with casting remains still bolng attached to It (Fig. 39:7). Ali of this supports our assumptlon that a smali metallurgical workshop existed as part ot tho thlrd courtyard in horizon 4. This was aiready in operation from tho preceding period, as indicated by tho find of a semi -product ot a Nauhoim brooch, thrown away on tho surfaco of tho silted gully IV, which had baon hollowed along tho border zono of tho second and thlrd courtyards. Another metaUurgic workshop was in operation ki tho fifth courtyard In tho period of horizons 2-3. A cutting from a bronze shoot (Fig. 39:9), togothor with lumps of bronzo, was found with ki houso 22 of this eartier period. Fragmonts of ceramic meltkig crucibles wers found ki houso 23, which was built in horizon 4 at tho samo location. Metal casting was also porformod sporadically at tho baUey ki horizons 2-3, as is witnessed by tho fragment of a ceramic crucble from trench 206 in tho upper part of tho bailey, just bolow tho Ino of tho central rampart. A fragment of another crudblo was also discoirered ki houso 250, situated ki tho area of tho eighth courtyard in tho middle part of tho slope (cf. PI. 9).

Blacksmiths' workshops, producing iron products, cannot bo unambiguously located at Stradonico on tho basis of tho finds from tho 1981 roscuo oxcavations. There were few finds and they mostty consisted of smali or largo slags, ki some cases even being in tho form of complote slag cakos²⁰. Slag was disporsod throughout Part II ki tho features of tho second courtyard (foatures 122,174), thlrd courtyard (features 113,114,116), and fifth courtyard (foatures 18,23, 57). It was never represented, however, In such amounts that ono might expect from a blacksmiths workshop being ki tho nearby vicłnity. On tho othor hand. slag finds Indicato that iron working was aiready present at tho sito sińce horizon 1, prlor to tho construdion of tho ramparts (foaturo 117). Daub fragmonts from hoarths reprosent a further Indication of tho presence of a blacksmith'6 workshop situated somowhere ki tho vldnity. Thoy como from tho same features which contain slag (features 23.113,

117,285) and the meltkig cruciblo (foaturo 250). The damaged iron implements, two wedges from the area of above-ground houso 23 (Fig. 36:7,10) and apunch from trench 30 (Fig. 38:8) are perhaps connected with smithing acthrities. They may be assodated with the process of dhrfding red-hot iron rods and and punching holes either in hot or cokf metal (cf. Jacobi 1974,20, Taf. 6, Nr. 57-59, 61-66; 25, Taf. 12, Nr. 254-259). We cannot therefore exdude that a blacksmith was working in the fifth courtyard during the last horizon.

Carpentry and joinery, as well as various othor wood working acthrities, musi have been also carrled out at the oppidum of Stradonlce. The construdion of houses of various types, as well as the basie furnishfng of their kiteriors, would have required such skills. Some of the aforemontioned metal objocts, such as cramps and various spikes, induding decorative examples, iron door ph/ot fittings and lock or bucket fittings would have been manufadured In conjundlon with wood working. Only one typlcal wood working tool was discoirered within the area Imrestigated In 1081, a chisel with a broad cutting edge and tetrahedral body, ended with a spike for the handle (Fig. 38:2). The cutting edge was deformed, suggestłng that the implement had probably been discarded, being unflt for use. A dired analogy for this typa of chisel corres trom Manchlng (Jacobi 1974.37,lat.7.Nr. 111).

20 Iron slag was Wody analysed by Prof R Plelner.

Ambar working appeared to be one of tho most popular sort* of jewelry presant at Slradonlce. As a resull of washing aamples of clay from the fills of severai larga features, finlshed products, as well as eeml-produda, raw materiale and productlon waste were recoyered from these conlexls. Finlshed products are represented by disc-shaped beads with slightly bevelled sides, ot yarious sizes (Fig, 35:5-7). A fragment of a smali round bead with traces of bortng (Fig. 35:8) probably represents an unsuccessful semi-product rather than a finlshed jewel which was socondarily damaged. A larga guantify of raw materia) and larga waste fragmonts (Fig. 35:9), at well as smali and minutę fragmonts, occurred in a number of cases within the same features as those containing fmished products or semi-products (features 2, 113, 116, 85, 235). Accordlng to the spadał distribution of amber finds, its working was carried out in horizon 3 within all of the śwestigated areas. Such evidence was identified from the area behind the main entrance (house 142 in the first courtyard), from the eastern border zona of the central area (cistom 91 in the thlrd courtyard. houses 2 and 199 in the sbdh courtyard), as well as from the bailey (houses 235 and 246 in the eighth courtyard). In the last horizon, productlon continued within the first courtyard (house 187), as well as in the homesteads sltuated along the eastern border of the central part of the oppidum. This is witnessed by a number of features within the second courtyard (122,171,132), the third courtyard (65.113.116) and the fifth courtyard (32,57). Larger fragments of amber raw materiał were also discovered within the fili of isolated buildńg 1. The production of amber did not appear to be taking place. however, in the last horizon at the baiey The dispersion of amber finds, i.e. beads, raw materiał and waste, suggests that during a certain period in horizon 3, forelgn trade Hourished with raw matenal being delhrered to the oppidum. The working of this raw materiał might have been shared between jewellers living dose to the centre of the oppidum and those from the bailey.

A substantial amount of craft production at the oppidum of Stradonice concentrated on the manufacture of bonę and horn artefacts. Considerable quantilies of purpose-made and decoratńre objects were identified amongst the earlier materiał recovered from the srte, i.e. yarious combs, hand-grps. płns and needles. awls, various pendants. etc. (Pić 1903, PI. XUI-XLVłll). These are mostły local products. with the exception of writing Instruments, such as stili and a bonę frame for wax labfets, which were ńtroduced to the hillfort as a result of forelgn trade. most probably as reąuisites of Italian tradesmen (Svobodovś 1985,661-662, Fig. 3:1-11. 13-23). Another category of bonę artefad that was found as a result of the 1981 excavations was a die (Fig. 35:1). This was found «the fil of wel 132, dose to the norlh side of the main road. The dle, 2.8 cm. is ofquadratic sectlon, the maximum width of its sides being 7 mm. The drdes with centraldots represented on its opposite sides have the folfowńg numbers. 3, 4 and 6. 5. Orce with an analogous arrangement of numbers are known from the oppidum of Manching. representing ewdence of local production {Maier 1961, Abb. 1:2) from Stare Hradisko (Meduna 1970.45. Taf. 10:1), and in larger quantities amongst the old finds from Stradonice IPfC 1903,83. PI. XLIV). The different lay-out of the drdes of corresponding values. either along the edges or concentrated in the middte of the dice, does not appear to support the existence of one large workshop at Stradonice. Itisprobable that smaller workshops existed, produdng various bonę artefacts. The semi-product of two dice from Dmholec, Bfedav distrid, prowdes etridance of both local production in opon settlements and of the pladng of only two drdes on one side of the dle, a value which is usually not used In this particular artefad (ĆiźmA/- Ja!Inkovi 1985.25. Fig. 2:4). The 1961 gas trench did not cut through an area where bonę and hom artefacts were produced. Only two setttement features provided some artefactual traces. One of these was the smali sunken-floor house 276 at the bailey. in the tenth courtyard, founded in horizon 2 dose to the rampart way. From the fili of the house, 11 deer antler fragments were recovered, which might have represented raw materiał prepared for working. The other feature was „Grubenhaus¹¹ II, by the neck fortificatfon, from the same horizon. A burnt hom semi-product was recovered from the surface of its hearth (feature 193).

6. Animal and human bones

The coltecfion of 1274 identifiable animal bonę fragments obtained from the 1981-84 rescue excavations represent the first stratifled assemblage recoyered from the slte, which on the basis of its compositłon of species ellows us to outNne the system of life-stock breeding adopted by the śihabitants of the oppidum.²’ Farm    represented by cattłe. pig, sheep and/or goat, horse. and dog; domestic animals by

donieś    sporadically, goose. Alłhough the assemblage is comparatiyeiy smali, being recoyered

dęta ara based upon the archaaorodoycal raport of Dr. I. Patka. arcłwe - Insntute o( Archaaology. Pragu®. no.