Publication details
Pohansko bei Břeclav - ein bedeutendes Zentrum Großmährens
| Title in English | Pohansko near Břeclav - An Important Central Place of the Great Moravian Empire |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2001 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Velká Morava mezi Východem a Západem |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Archaeology, anthropology, ethnology |
| Keywords | archaeology; Early medieval age; Pohansko; Great Moravia |
| Description | The enclosure at Břeclav-Pohansko lies in the south-easternmost corner of the Czech Republic, in an area of enchanting forests above the confluence of the rivers Morava and Dyje. The excavations carried out have identified a variety of finds from various periods in prehistory, but have however yielded information above all about settlement from the time of the Slavic expansion (6th century) to the first half of the 10th century AD. Among the most significant discoveries at Pohansko is the apparent court of a local magnate, found within the enclosure in the north-west part of the site. This was a rectangular settlement formation of around 1ha, surrounded by a wooden palisade, and built in two phases in the 9th century. The court presents one of the forms of Early Medieval residence; it is comparable to a palace (palatium) or curtis regalis in the Frankish or Ottonian Empire. It can also be judged in this manner by its similar size (e.g. to Ingelheim) or the identical structuring of its internal lay-out (e.g. to Tilleda or Grone). Not far from the court of the magnate, some 100m to the east, a contemporary settlement of craftsmen grew up within the fortified enclosure, in a manner similar to that in the German palaces (e.g. at Tilleda). |
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