Institute of Archaeology [Slovenian]

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Early non-agrarian settlements as focal points of idea and knowledge transfer in mediaeval Europe

The different kinds of archaeological remains offer different possibilities of understanding the past. While cemeteries are giving the records about ideology, religion, society, the settlements are giving the informations about everyday life and economy. In aim to understand the today's Europe we should reserch its mediaeval roots. For understanding the broad historical processes are of special importance the non-agrarian settlements, because they were the focal points of idea and knowledge transfer in mediaeval Europe.

The project is focussed on three case studies, two in Slovenia and one in Czech Republic:

  • Pržanj
  • Mali grad v Kamniku
  • Pohansko.

One of bigger new settlement-findspots in Slovenia is early mediaeval settlement Pržanj (northern part of Ljubljana, Slovenia). The craft properties are its main particularity.

The second important findspot is Mali grad in Kamnik (north of Ljubljana). The court of the local magnate with the church and graveyard was built in the 10th century. In the 12th century the new feudal lords were implanted there. The big amount of archaeological material enables the study of far-reaching connections.

The political entity existing in the 9th century within the territory of modern Moravia, the eastern half of the Czech Republic is the so called Great Moravia. One of the agglomerations that stand out is Pohansko near Breclav, a site exceptional both for its status and function within early mediaeval Moravia. Its administrative-political function can be linked to the so-called court of a magnate, interpreted as an emulation of the palatium, the centre of Carolingian-Ottonian pfalzes, and was very likely one of the residences of the Moravian ruler or his deputy. The central place generated many outputs (including new knowledge and information) that radically affected its surroundings. A very complex social structure developed there. Pohansko could show the role of the non-agrarian settlements in the transfer of idea and knowledge into the society of the early mediaeval East Central and Eastern Europe.

The aim

is to strengthen the knowledge about the common fundaments of todays Europe.

The expected result of the project

is to throw light upon the following research questions:

  • transfer of ideology (Christianity) from non-agrarian settlements,
  • transfer of the knowledge of craft technologies from non-agrarian settlements and between them,
  • non-agrarian settlements as redistribution points of imports and central points of long-distance trade,
  • the role of the non-agrarian settlements in the development of the complex social structures.

Project coordinator
Andrej Pleterski

Researchers

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