Publication details

Zhodnotenie stavu bádania v dobe popolnicových polí v severovýchodnej časti Bielych Karpát v kontexte krajiny a jej využívania

Title in English Research Assessment of Urnfield culture in the North-East Part of White Carpathians Mountains in Context of Landscape and Its Utilisation
Authors

GAŠPAR Adam

Year of publication 2017
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Acta musealia
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
web http://www.muzeum-zlin.cz/data/picture/img247.jpg
Keywords Middle Váh valley; East Moravia; Late Bronze Age; settlement strategy; environmental archaeology; meadow; transhumance; deforestation;
Description The objective of this contribution is to critically assess the research of the period of Urnfield culture (Late Bronze Age) in the area of the White Carpathian Mountains in the context of the landscape as it was then and its utilisation. For this reason natural conditions as they were at that time are outlined and a complex comparison was conducted of archaeological components on both the Moravian and Slovakian sides of the researched region. The number of observed sites is considerably distorted due to different research activities along both sides of the state border. While on the Slovakian side of the region in question there were more archaeologists in the past who routinely did field prospections, on the Moravian side of the region the situation is less favourable. Most of the archaeological finds were discovered by chance and the proportion of settlements and burial sites is lower than in the Slovakian part of the region. In the Moravian part of the region it is necessary to expect higher density of archaeological components compared to the current stage of the research. Equally, on the terraces in the area of alluvial plain of the river Vah, there did not necessarily to be a continuous network of settlements within the 500 years period of the existence of the Urnfield culture. The alluvial plain itself may not have been used as extensively as the adjacent foothills and the landscape surrounding the hillforts. From the Late Bronze Age we observe heightened activity in the mountains, linked to settlement activity in higher levels and formation of hillforts. This activities were associated with elimination of the original wooded areas and subsequent change of species - succession of original trees by different species. Specifically, in the White Carpathian Mountains we can for instance see linden tree (Tilie) replaced by beech (Fagus). It is also necessary to take into account and utilisation of higher location for seasonal transhumance or other extensive character of farming.
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