Back To Main GrEASE Slovakia Page
Archaeological Findings in Stropkov Area
Introduction
The purpose of this article is to correct public opinion and maybe also that
of some professionals about the absence of Stropkov groove settlement in prehistoric
and Old Age periods.
Although it is known that the Stropkov area is lacking in serious archaeological
research. It is possible that archaeological findings may prove the existence
of a settlement in the Stropkov area, including the Stropkov groove and the
Ondava River watershed before the Middle Ages, as suggested by written documents.
A lack of physical archaeological evidence is not necessarily indicative of
the absence of these proposed settlements in the light that occassional finds
were not presented to professionals, emphasising the need for further archaeological
research in this area.
Background
The Middle Age, circa 1500 BC, saw the initial development of the Ottoman
Culture, in which people of the Pilin Urnfields colonised central territories
of eastern Hungary and northern Romania.
Towards the end of the Bronze Age, circa 1800 BC, the Ottoman Culture moved
from the present day eastern Hungary and northern Romania, and colonised fruitful
territory of modern day eastern Slovakia. This river based settlements broke
northwards through Spiš and onto Poland,with the largest concentrations
of settlement lowlands of eastern Slovakia.
The basis of these settlements economic resources was established through
agricultural practices and livestock breeding, with social production, e.g.
ceramics, gold, bronze, bones and stone tools, concentratedin fortified villages
that were protected by natural defences such as rivers, bogs and ditches.
Farming villages of the Ottomans Culture were not themselves fortified, but
were often situated closed to the fortified villages. Finds of bronze and
gold jewels from the Pilin Urnfields were found in the fortified village of
Barca (near Košice), which when taken along side other finds from farming
villages are suggested as evidence of social differences between the two,
suggesting the people of these two cultural systems lived in mutual coexistance.
Unused opportunities
As mentioned above, the absence of findings with regards of our knowledge
of the upper Ondava River settlement does not mean an absence of prehistoric,
ancient or Slavic civilizations and settlements. The fact is, no systematic
archaeological research has been conducted and the fortuitous findings recovered
for centuries by local people during agricultural and construction activities
within the Stropkov area and its surroundings have not been recorded.
However, there are legends concerning existence of two grave mounds on the
left bank of the Ondava River above Šandal Bridge; and some cereal holes
and ash pots were found during earthwork construction of the "Strojno-traktorová
Stanica" - STS - Machinery and Tractor Station in Stropkov, but the location
of these findings on the STS locality were not recorded due to inconvenience
a stopping the construction process for such research. If thoroughly studied
by professionals and with the support of archaeological evidence, these findings
could potentially be proven as significant and could then be recorded in the
literature.
Two family houses of the Lehotský family situated near to the Roman-Catholic
church are standing on the on one of five bastions of Stropkov Castle. Archaeological
layers such as cellar vaults and ceramics etc uncovered during earthworks
were again not researched, due to the worry of halting the construction process
of the buildings and the financial costs this would incur - as is the sad
nature of modern archaeological discoveries.
Although these examples are the only known cases of archaeological evidence
existing in the Stropkov area. It is possible that there shall be more, which
is hoped can only be proved by further research.
It is likely that ignorance has caused many wasted opportunities for the history
of Stropkov with people concealing a more devailed and complex knowledge a
their own history as a result of disinterest, ignorance and underestimation
of its importance, done so even inventionally sometimes. This approach has
inevitably complicated the process of discovering the history of Stropkov
as each unused, withheld damaged or ignored opportunity is a big loss to understanding
Stropkov history - and so therefore changes must be made.
The newest disclosures
Two axes from later neolithic period were found near Stropkov and were described
in the Stropkov - town monograph, similarly an axe found by Daniel Hlavaj
in the village Potôcky in 1986 was also described in this book. One
of these authors, M. Vateha, evaluated the axe after Hlavaj had cared for
it since its discovery. Public knowledge regarding the origins of this axe
suggests it may belong to an "epistring complex" from Shepherd People
of Eastern Slovakia Grave Mounds.
Undoubtedly the most professional systematic archaeological field research
within the Stropkov region was undertaken by the Archaeological Institute
SAV in Nitra and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish
Academy of Science from Cracow in 1994. These prestigious national institutions
worked together for this project, calling it "The First Shepherds and
Farmers in the Carpathians".
The focus for their work was the surface research of southern pre-field of
Dukla Passage in watershed of the Upper Ondava River. This international team
was based at the MsÚ Stropkov (Town Authority) and their aim was to
locate grave moulds of Shepard People of Eastern Slovakia. In a professional
magazine by SAV in Nitra, by Jan Garncarski and Gabriel Lukác called
"Archaeological Researches and Findings in Slovakia in 1994", provided
most of the information for the research team.
Adter recommendations the team researched the place of the accidental finding
of the axe from Potôcky village and of locality above Sitníky
village, where M. Vateha found a stone industry, and in addition to this J.
Garncarski found some ancient ceramic fragments. It did not take long for
the suggestion to be made that it may possibly be a later Bronze Age settlement.
This excellent discovery was the first direct and trustworthy proof about
settlement at the Upper Ondava River since the Bronze Age. On the basis of
this knowledge M. Vateha found hundreds of ceramic fragments from the Bronze
Age during changing vegetational periods, some pieces of flaked stone industry
and some unindentified ceramic fragments.
Although this was an abundant sample of ancient fragments. It is not sufficiently
comprehensive sample to recognise a ceramic waves; and in addition to this
some ceramic rim, base, body and handle sherds were also recovered including
some, which had been remodeled in a characteristic way. J. Garncarski dates
this collection to the later Bronze Age - Ottoman Culture, with also M. Kotorová
determining that the ceramic fragments of the of the Pilin Ash Fields were
from the middle Bronze Age. This collection has to be completed and evaluated
in conjunction with the stone industry for further conclusions to be made.
Site description
The situation of this site is in ideal location. It is on the sloping terrace
on the East Ondava Highlands making it a good vantage point to check for movement
along the Ondava River watershed. A determining fact for the location of the
settlement of this point on the natural terrace was the abundance a natural
water springs. These springs created also boggy fields, which acted as a natural
extensive barrier for the western side of the settlement, they also attracted
wild animals, which have been explored. Woodland to the north and south of
the settlement also solved to protect the settlement inhabitants, while on
the eastern side a brook called the Vojtovec extends into a steep terrain.
We can see here that this site was chosen as a settlement location due to
its position within the natural environment, as detailed above, giving it
born hospitable and protective qualities, while also utilising its position
duting economic functions, making this location above Sitníky an ideal
location for settlements.
M. Kotorová and M. Vateha prepared a research excavation of the site
in the form of opening up trenches areas of terrain, but M. Vateha suggested
that meanings of ceramic fragment may not be found due to the destructive
methods of intensive agricultural practices, which use heavy machinery tractors
associated with socialist agricultural techniques. This form of agriculture
was in contrast to to the previously used technique of livestock ploughing,
which did not so severely result in the breakdown and destruction of cultural
layers and ceramic evidence. In hindsight, it is unfortunate that this site
was not known as a ceramic deposit prior to the use of deep tractor ploughing
there.
The success of opening up a trench depends on the intensity and spread of
finds present. The ratio here is not quite suitable with finds occuring fragmented
over a large area. Finds from the Nolithic and Bronze Age periods by the Ondava
River are important evidence of settlement in ancient times, however little
is known of activity from 1500 BC on through the Middle Age. Proof of continued
settlement activity in this area would be quite unique.
Any evidence of the settlement of Stropkov of its divisions from the 9th century
to the first half of the 13th century would be great. Existence of Great Moravia
in the lower Ondava has already been proved, and we think that in the future
we will find traces of our Slovak forefathers. A good opportunity for this
would be the systematic excavation of Stropkov Castle. M. Vateha has much
evidence from the 15th century onwards from excavating the cellar area of
a castle structure. M. Kotorová admitted that one of the larger ceramic
pots may have the 13th century attributes. Also Slovak historians have knowledge
of ceramics in Stropkov. This collection up untill now is the only direct
evidence.