LECH'S HILL - ALLEGED MAIN SANCTUARY OF THE PAGAN LECHITEN. AN ADDENDUM TO THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES

• Authors: Hensel W.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The oldest ducal 'castrum' of the Piasts stood at the foot of Lech's Hill and not on it. There has been general agreement on this so far. Evoking the old record in conjunction with the results of archaeological research largely deflates earlier suggestions concerning the old 'castrum', which now appears to have been much more modest. Neither is it true that the boroughs were located here. The 'castrum' itself was a modest palisade-and-moat stronghold. Unfortunately, Koczy's information on the existence of a barrier in the form of extensive lengthwise mounds to the east has also gone unnoticed. The localization of these mounds should be established and the chronology potentially determined. The small fort of 'Gniezninek' in the city park and the conical stronghold Zbar on Trzemeszenska Street (the localization of which continues to be debated), where the St. Michael Church stands today, could be part of the remains of these defensive installations. In the light of the above remarks, a new vision of the oldest 'castrum' in Gniezno should be developed along with a more in-depth history of the local 'castra'. Apart from houses belonging to those charged with caring for the 'sacrum', the top of the hill contained the Sacred Grove with the idol(s) and a stone hearth for the sacred fire burning in the solar cult. Even so, the Church of St. George is not, as the author assumed (2001), the remains of a pagan temple. Thus, the first capital of the Piasts awaits a new and talented visionary researcher. No traces of the alleged archbishop's residence, the existence of which he suggested, have come to light so far. Its builder is commonly believed to be the archbishop Jarosław Bogoria Skotnicki, responsible for the Gothic cathedral in Gniezno. Considering the decoration of this cathedral, any palace erected by the same person would have had to be exceptional.

Keywords

EN

EARLY MEDIEVAL LECH'S HILL IN GNIEZNO (POLAND); PIAST DYNASTY DUCAL 'CASTRUM'

Discipline

• ARCHAEOLOGY: ARCHAEOLOGY

• Publisher: Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Archeologia Polski
• Year: 2005
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 145-157
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Hensel W.

• W. Hensel, ul.Marszalkowskia 84/92, m.109, 00-514 Warszawa, Poland.

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

06PLAAAA00711770