South Bohemian hillforts between the Early and Late Bronze Age

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985912%3A_____%2F25%3A00640121" target="_blank" >RIV/67985912:_____/25:00640121 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

South Bohemian hillforts between the Early and Late Bronze Age

Original language description

The South Bohemian region displays a unique trajectory within the Bronze Age cultural landscape of Central Europe. Despite relatively poor agricultural conditions, its strategic position between the Eastern Alpine mining areas and the prosperous northern regions, possibly complemented by access to rich gold deposits, played a key role in shaping local settlement patterns during the 2nd millennium BC. In particular, early phases of occupation show strong cultural ties to the Upper Danube region. A striking phenomenon at the turn of the Early and Middle Bronze Age is the widespread emergence of hilltop settlements in South Bohemia, many of which were demonstrably fortified. Almost 30 such sites are currently known, though ongoing investigations continually refine this picture. A recent series of targeted research excavations conducted by the author has significantly expanded our knowledge of these settlements, addressing questions of chronology, subsistence strategies, fortification architecture, and environmental context. A substantial dataset of radiocarbon dates, integrated with typological analysis of material culture, indicates two successive phases of hilltop occupation between 1800/1730–1490/1440 BC, with a transitional period around 1670–1610 BC. Fortifications display complex architectural features, while archaeobotanical and archaeozoological evidence reveal aspects of the inhabitants’ diet and resource management strategies. This hilltop settlement horizon coincides with the first major demographic peak in South Bohemia’s prehistoric development. It also aligns with the mass deposition of rib ingot hoards, supporting hypotheses about South Bohemia’s growing significance in transalpine copper exchange networks. These developments may reflect early manifestations of social hierarchization and regional structuring, contributing to broader patterns observable across Central Europe. In the developed Middle Bronze Age, however, a marked shift occurs. Hilltop sites are largely abandoned, and hoard deposition declines. The only newly established fortification from this later period is the hillfort at Hradiště u Písku (4.6 ha), the region’s largest Bronze Age fortification, notable for its advanced defensive structures, including transverse ramparts. The South Bohemian evidence offers valuable comparative insights for discussions of social complexity, fortification dynamics, and regional interconnectivity in the Upper Danube region and beyond. This contribution seeks to situate the South Bohemian data within the wider framework of hierarchization processes in the 2nd millennium BC.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60102 - Archaeology

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů