Příspěvek je věnován opevnění mocenské aglomerace Staré Město – Uherské Hradiště, jednoho z nejvýznamnějších center raně středověkého státního útvaru, Velké Moravy. Ve studii je vyhodnocen jeden ze starších, dosud nepublikovaných terénních výzkumů, které se uskutečnily na východním okraji aglomerace v hradišťské čtvrti Rybárny. V průběhu těchto výzkumů byly objeveny zbytky mohutné fortifikace tvořené čelní kamennou zdí a dřevo-hliněnou konstrukcí táhnoucí se v délce bezmála 400 m. Průběh opevnění byl potom ověřen geofyzikálními i geologickými metodami. Následně došlo v poloze Rybárny k objevu velkomoravského pohřebiště a pravděpodobně i kostela, což kromě jiného vyvolalo nové otázky vztahující se k charakteristice, funkci a dataci nedaleké hradby. and The article is devoted to the fortification of the powerful Staré Město – Uherské Hradiště agglomeration, one of the most important centres of the Early Medieval state formation – Great Moravia. The study evaluates an earlier, hitherto unpublished, excavation that was conducted on the eastern edge of the agglomeration in the quarter Rybárny. During this excavations the remains of massive fortifications were discovered, with a stone facing and an earth and timber structure running a length of no less than 400 m. The course of the fortification was subsequently verified using geophysical and geological methods. Later, a Great Moravian cemetery and probably church were also found at Rybárny, which amongst other things raised news questions relating to the characteristics, function and dating of the nearby rampart.
In 2018, during a rescue archaeological excavation taking place in one of the gardens of Staré Město near Uherské Hradiště, 23 early medieval graves containing skeletal remains of 26 individuals were detected. The site is situated on the northern border of the well-known Great Moravian burial ground ‘Na Valách’. In a large number of the newly excavated graves, greater or lesser deviations from the usual funeral rite were recorded. While the established burial rite in Great Moravian society means the deceased lies on their back in the supine position with extended extremities and head towards the west, here we found skeletons in very different orientations, lying in a prone or crouched position, or, at least, with unusual positions of their upper or lower limbs. Additionally, some of the graves contained incomplete or no skeletons. There is also one double burial and a triple burial, and several graves in superpositions. In nine graves, objects of material culture were found, the most important of them come from the rider’s grave 20/2018. The presented study aims to interpret the burial contexts using the bioarchaeological approach, which is, however, affected by the quality of the preserved finds, especially skeletal remains.