Figure 1 - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Content may be subject to copyright.
Map of Central Europe with location of Neolithic rondel enclosures (red squares) within the Lower Silesia study area (black outline) and other known rondel enclosures in Europe (red circles) (after Kravciv 2019; figure by authors).
Source publication
During the early fifth millennium BC, Linearbandkeramik groups along the Danube in Central Europe constructed hundreds of circular enclosures, or ‘rondels’. These monumental sites signalled major social, economic and ideological change among these early farming communities. Their absence north of the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains has been taken...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... 1991;Podborský 1999;Kovárník 2008;Melichar & Neubauer 2010;Kuzma & Tirpák 2012;Valera 2012). We therefore instigated a systematic programme of aerial prospection methods in south-west Poland to assess whether further rondels could be detected in Lower Silesia, bridging the apparent gap in the distribution of these enclosures between the two recently discovered rondels at Bodzów and Wenecja and the region of Bohemia and Moravia (Figure 1). ...
Context 2
... particular point of difference to the north and south of the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains concerns rondels. With nearly 200 rondels and rondel-like features recognised along the Danube and its tributaries, these enclosures are a defining feature of the 'cultural centre' (Fig- ure 1). In contrast, their absence or rarity north of the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains appears to support the idea that this was a peripheral region, only partially engaged in the full cultural package of the Danubian core (Literski & Nebelsick 2012). ...
Context 3
... prospection Note: the numbers given in Column 1 refer to descriptions given in the caption of Figure 10. Applied open data: includes interpretation of satellite images in our mapping of the features. ...
Context 4
... visible: means that no crop marks were visible on the available open satellite imagery and this not used in the mapping process. 2018 of the rondel at Drzemlikowice demonstrate the details that can be detected under the right circumstances. Figure 5E shows an arrangement of three concentric palisades and LBK longhouses, as well as other structures, including two potential henges or tumuli dated to the Note: the numbers given in Column 1 refer to descriptions given in the caption of Figure 10. Eneolithic or Early Bronze Age, based on the available data from aerial imagery and geophysical surveys (for similar features, see Ch'ng et al. 2011). ...
Context 5
... of these sites are medium-sized, with diameters ranging from 55 to 80m (Figures 3-8), though the structures from Sieroszów (A and B) and Piotrowice Polskie (Figure 9) stand out, with diameters ranging from 115 to 135m. The rondels also demonstrate some variation in orientation and the numbers of ditches and entrances (Table 2, Figure 10). ...
Context 6
... noted above, uniquely, we have been able to detect such associated features at the Drzemlikowice complex. There, alongside the rondel, we identified an ovaloid structure with a single ditch and a double palisade located to the north-west (Figure 5B & I; Figure 10, feature 11). Another, even smaller, structure with a diameter of approximately 45m is located nearby to south-west of the rondel (Fig- ure 5C; Figure 10, feature 13). ...
Context 7
... alongside the rondel, we identified an ovaloid structure with a single ditch and a double palisade located to the north-west (Figure 5B & I; Figure 10, feature 11). Another, even smaller, structure with a diameter of approximately 45m is located nearby to south-west of the rondel (Fig- ure 5C; Figure 10, feature 13). ...
Similar publications
In the Carpathian region, there are numerous churches of different denominations built in different architectural styles, including masterpieces of wooden architecture, which are of particular interest from both a cognitive and pilgrimage perspective. The churches of wooden architecture in the Carpathian region are the subject of excursions and cog...
Citations
... This research is complimentary with recent results, where it has been proven that remote sensing enables the discovery of many Neolithic rondel sites in an area where they have not been previously documented, like Poland [33], and it represents an efficient and reliable methodology for new site detection providing better insight into cultural landscapes and enabling research on a bigger scale. Multi-rondel sites are also documented in a wider Central European context [31]. ...
The decade of research concentrating on the area of Eastern Slavonia revealed an abundance of large and complex Middle and Late Neolithic sites. It changed profoundly how we perceive Middle and Late Neolithic settlements, including space, size and organization. The vast majority of these sites were detected through aerial reconnaissance and satellite image analysis. The observation of the sites was followed by intensive field surveys, which confirmed their attribution to the Middle and Late Neolithic period by surface finds. On those confirmed sites in the vicinity of Đakovo, Croatia, a magnetic survey was conducted on five sites, and the results confirmed the presence of large-scale Middle and Late Neolithic settlements with complex spatial organization and enclosure(s). The most complex remains so far are the sites Gorjani, Kremenjača and Topole, which we present in this paper, where one or two settlements remain covering an area of 70 hectares which is currently in the process of formal protection as a cultural landscape by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. The special focus of this paper is the application of remote sensing in the detection, archaeological confirmation and protection of the site of Gorjani Topole.
... The orientation of the houses is northwest-southeast ( Figure 6) which is common for the area and time period as defined in recent research [30] Acceptance and respect of the empty space in the rondel is also suggested by the fact that it remained as such which is not the case for the other part of the site where overlapping of features is documented on numerous places ( Figure 6). This research is complimentary with recent new results where it is proven that remote sensing enable discovery of many Neolithic rondel sites in area where they were not previously documented, like Poland [31], and the remote sensing is efficient and reliable methodology for new site detection that provides better insight in cultural landscapes and enables research on bigger scale. Multi-rondel sites are also documented in wider Central-European context [29]. ...
The decade of research concentrating on the area of Easter Slavonia revealed abundance of large on complex late Neolithic sites. It changed profoundly how we perceive late Neolithic settlement and space size and organization. As s first step in particular site detection we mostly conducted aerial reconnaissance and satellite image analysis but also data from the field such as excavation. On detected potential sites we conducted intensive field surveys and confirmed the attribution to the late Neolithic by surface finds. On those confirmed sites in the vicinity of Đakovo, Croatia, magnetic survey was conducted on 5 sites so far and the results confirmed presence of large scale late Neolithic settlements with complex spatial organization and enclosure(s). Most complex remains so far is site Gorjani Kremenjača and Topole which we present in this paper where a remains of one or two settlements covers the area of 70 hectares and is currently in the process of formal protection as a cultural landscape by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. Special focus of the paper is the application of remote sensing in detection, archaeological confirmation and protection of the position Gorjani Topole.
