Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age: New Intepretations of Old Data

This article explores the finds and post-excavation reports of earlier archaeological investigations in the five Kernavė hillforts. The detailed analysis of the assembled finds, discovered features and structures made it possible to revise and improve the prieviously suggested evolution model for th...

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Main Authors: Rokas Vengalis, Gintautas Vėlius
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Vilnius University Press 2019-12-01
Series:Archaeologia Lituana
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.journals.vu.lt/archaeologia-lituana/article/view/16500
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author Rokas Vengalis
Gintautas Vėlius
author_facet Rokas Vengalis
Gintautas Vėlius
author_sort Rokas Vengalis
collection DOAJ
description This article explores the finds and post-excavation reports of earlier archaeological investigations in the five Kernavė hillforts. The detailed analysis of the assembled finds, discovered features and structures made it possible to revise and improve the prieviously suggested evolution model for the Kernavė hillforts. It reveals the evolution of the hillforts to have been much more complicated and that, over time, their function has changed rather significantly more than once. The finds recovered during earlier excavations were not classified into primary, secondary and de facto refuse. New examination of refuse – in this case, of pottery sherds, allowed for identification of single events, short-term activities and long-term settlement on the hillforts as well as distinct functional areas. The authors discuss whether the term “hillfortˮ is appropriate for use in scientific historiography. The issue of actual contemporaneity of the hilfforts in hilffort complexes is also raised.
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spelling doaj.art-8f1b880d5cf9414da41d57a5a05a2e1b2022-12-21T23:40:44ZengVilnius University PressArchaeologia Lituana2538-87381392-67482019-12-012010.15388/ArchLit.2019.20.4Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age: New Intepretations of Old DataRokas Vengalis0Gintautas Vėlius1Lithuanian Institute of HistoryVilnius University, LithuaniaThis article explores the finds and post-excavation reports of earlier archaeological investigations in the five Kernavė hillforts. The detailed analysis of the assembled finds, discovered features and structures made it possible to revise and improve the prieviously suggested evolution model for the Kernavė hillforts. It reveals the evolution of the hillforts to have been much more complicated and that, over time, their function has changed rather significantly more than once. The finds recovered during earlier excavations were not classified into primary, secondary and de facto refuse. New examination of refuse – in this case, of pottery sherds, allowed for identification of single events, short-term activities and long-term settlement on the hillforts as well as distinct functional areas. The authors discuss whether the term “hillfortˮ is appropriate for use in scientific historiography. The issue of actual contemporaneity of the hilfforts in hilffort complexes is also raised.https://www.journals.vu.lt/archaeologia-lituana/article/view/16500hillfort functionactivity areasKernavėpotteryfortifications
spellingShingle Rokas Vengalis
Gintautas Vėlius
Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age: New Intepretations of Old Data
Archaeologia Lituana
hillfort function
activity areas
Kernavė
pottery
fortifications
title Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age: New Intepretations of Old Data
title_full Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age: New Intepretations of Old Data
title_fullStr Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age: New Intepretations of Old Data
title_full_unstemmed Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age: New Intepretations of Old Data
title_short Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age: New Intepretations of Old Data
title_sort functional evolution of the kernave hillforts in the iron age new intepretations of old data
topic hillfort function
activity areas
Kernavė
pottery
fortifications
url https://www.journals.vu.lt/archaeologia-lituana/article/view/16500
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