In addition to providing subsistence and consumable resources, one of the most important features of water is the ability to provide transport and communication between geographically separated areas. In both uses, vehicles play a key role. While current research into boats and ships on the seas is relatively well recognised, recent results in the area of inland waterways seem to be barely taken into account in current investigations. Too foten scientist have to rely on an otdate state of research, but in fact several findings have laterl been re-edited and presented. This article provides an updated look at the subject of inland navigation in the Early and Hig Middle Ages and focuses especially on current pbuliactions or those that are difficult to obtain. Further, an overview on the state of research in neighbouring countries is offered, thereby presenting a fuller view of the subject´s potentional., Lars Kröger., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Archaeological sources provide a wide range of information to help understand the social structure of human society in the past. In this paper, the authors deal with the information potential of grave pit modifi cations and wooden structures in graves at burial sites in the central region of Great Moravia (southeast Moravia, southwest Slovakia). The goal at this point is to defi ne the basic hypotheses and describe the methodological basis along with the research methodology. The authors treat the sources holistically, which means that one of the methodological foundations is the claim that the properties of the whole are not a simple sum of its parts. This means that all recognized elements of the funeral rite and their mutual relations and functions are the center of attention of this research. The primary basis for the research is the assumption that the presence of various wooden structures or wooden burial receptacles in the graves of the Great Moravian period is a common cultural occurrence. It further tests the hypothesis that there was intent behind choosing of these different wooden structures and grave pit modifi cations and their usage, as well as a potential differentiation based on age or gender in the frequency, quality and selection of these modifi cations/arrangements and structures. The main methodological tools are statistical and GIS analysis and the results are compared with published fi ndings from the wider Central European region., Marian Mazuch, Marek Hladík., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
This article is an archaeological report on the results of the excavation carried out around the fi lled-up river branch and bridge No. 1 in Mikulčice in 2012 (excavation B 2012). The main aim of the research was to complete the fi eld works at bridge No. 1, which was discovered during the large-scale excavations performed at the defunct river channel in front of the NW gate of the bailey in 1966-1968. At the same time, the question of how the river channel developed at the site of the bridge was investigated, as well as the topic of the settlement in the wider area between the bailey and the north-western suburb. Presented along with the interpretation of the movable fi nds from the defunct river branch were two possible variants on how the settlement developed in relation to the gradual fi lling-up of the river channel. After analysing the fi nd circumstances in area B 2012, the authors inclined towards the second variant and thus revised the existing theories concerning the evolution of sedimentation in the area of the extinct riverbed. This has helped to resolve some key questions regarding the existence and demise of the power centre in Mikulčice., Marek Hladík, Lumír Poláček., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The article summarizes the current state of knowledge of bridges and river channels in the 9th century Mikulčice. It defines the basic themes of a new project, which is expected to synthesize unique large-scale excavations of filled -up river channels in Mikulčice. The excavations took place between 1966 and 1984 and yielded wooden structures and artefacts — uncommon for this region. The main focus of this article is the structural features and dating of three archaeologically documented wooden bridges. Two of the structural designs are specific to the local water features. Bridge designs include classical river structures used by Celts and Romans, as well as a design similar to lake bridges known from regions settled by north-western Slays. The most well preserved bridge (No. 1) allows dendrochronolo gical dating and detailed reconstruction. Many questions remain unanswered regarding bridges, archaeological and palaeoecological reconstructions offilled-up oxbows., Lumír Poláček., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The author presents the preliminary results of the excavation of the Mikulčice acropolis fortifi cation near Church II. Any rampart is the largest such structure built by the Mojmír dynasty. The importance of this particular fortifi cation lies in the fact that it is the rampart of the main area of one of the top Great Moravian centers of power that protected, among other things, a number of religious buildings and a district with the only properly documented stone palace of a Great Moravian ruler. Great Moravian rampart is composed of a stone face wall, clay-wood core strengthened by grates and a stone substructure ringed by stake palisades, in front of, and in some places partially under, the face wall. The substructure’s role was most likely to bear the face wall’s weight and to strengthen the artifi cial slope under it against water erosion by the nearby river. The conclusion poses the main issues and unknowns that remain to be discovered and answered about the Mikulčice fortifi cation, Marian Mazuch., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The author presents a revised interpretation of the area of the NE gateway of the acropolis of the Great Moravian power centre Mikulčice-Valy and the adjacent fortification. The work is a response to a previously published picture of the overall find situation of this area (by B. Kavánová 2003), which, according to the author, does not match the infor mation available in the original documentation. The interpretation procedures clearly presented in the aforementioned monograph cannot be substantiated due to inadequate field work methods, the extent of the documentation compiled and the way in which this documentation is selected and designed This work also provides a critique of the interpre tation of the stratigraphic situation and the dating means and methods used. According to this revised interpretation, it is not possible to concur regarding the relevance of the evidence on which B. Kaváinová bases her hypothesis that there was more than one phase to the rampart. Due to this unsubstantiated interpretation, the chronology given for other settlement structures therefore lacks credibility. The text also includes a reconstruction of the passage through the fortification when the aforementioned gate was in use., Marian Mazuch., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The Institute of Archaeology of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Brno organized in the days of 24.- 25.9.2012 in the town of Hodonín a colloquium "Usus aquarum - Water and Water Structures in the LIfe of the Early Middle Ages Societies of the Central Europe" within the conference series "Internationale Tagungen in Mikulčice". Since the deditors obtained for the planned proceedings of papers in the 10. volume of publication series "Internationale Tagungen in Mikulčice" only 5 papers, these papers were relocated into the journal Synopsis of researches and published here in the block following this introduciton. This is a brief report on the colloquium - its course, aim, programme, etc., Lumír Poláček., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The enormous importance of water for human settlement is reflected in the huge quantity of Slavic lexemes in mediaeval settlement names, referring to different kinds of bodies of water, marshland, distinct features of water and so on. Yet place names can also indicate the use of water, as will be shown for Bohemia in thes essay. In analysing these names, the essential precepts of onomastics must be observed. Firstly, rather than giving a run-of-the-mill account, names reflect a distinguishing feature particular to a certain settlement. For example, the name Mlynec indicates that a mill was the only one in its vicinity (and therefore outstanding enough to feature in the name of this settlement(. Secondly, many places names which may appear to refer to the use of water might also have other origins, such as metaphorical relations. In order to determine the impact and the use of water in early mediaeval settlement areas, it must be concluded that there are more reliable ways than counting corresponding topnyms. Analysing the complete toponomasticon of a settlement region offers a more precise picture, as is demonstrated for the region eas of the lower River Neisse/Nysa Lužycka at the end of this essay., Christian Zschieschang., and Obsahuje seznam literatury