A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 19. (1980)

GÁDOR Judit – NOVÁKI Gyula: Az abaújvári földvár sánca

AZ ABAÜJVÁRI FÖLDVÁR SÁNCA 77 Only the inner side of the rampart could be unearthed due to the houses and gardens built on its outer side. The inner height is 5.50 m, while it is 12.50 m above the ground level of the outer side (fig. 3-4.). First a trench of 1 m width was drawn in the middle of the section, then the trench was widened according to the uncovered layers (fig. 5.). The top of the rampart was covered with the ruins mortared stone wall. The original width could not be defined and no finds of dating force were found. Downwards it was followed by a yellow layer of 20-50 cm thickness, then by gravelly grey and yellow layers of 10-20 cm thickness, respectively. These layers contained the remains of timber structure in form of dust, brown punk or round holes. All the timbers had been placed horizontally. 14 layer of timbers could be separated altogether, but since the remnants had been pressed, more layers can be supposed (fig. 7-13.). The structure of the rampart, as revealed by the excavations was made of timber, placed altering in right angle (fig. 14.), thus they formed rows of narrow pigeon-holes which were filled with earth. ( Though the excavations covered only the inner side of the rampart, the whole one can be reconstructed, as traces of timbers were uncovered on three parts of the outer side in course of recent earth working (fig. 15-16.). The outer side must have had the same structure as the inner one but while the latter is stepped, the former seems to have been vertical (fig. 17.). Analogies of other Hungarian earthen forts of the same period suppose the joining of the timbers though nothing hinted at it during the excavations. A banister must also have been on the top of the rampart, but no trace indicated it; it is left out of the sketch, too. A 100-200 cm layer on the top of the rampart stands aside. Two firing places were formed on two different levels of the inner slope

: they seem to have been remains of buildings set closely to the inner side of the rampart. The structure of the timbers changes somewhat in the upper layer, too, due to the later addition or approvement. Smaller or larger pits from the Emperial Period dated by sherds, just like sherds from the Prehistoric Times (among others from the late Bronze Age) were found. Such sherds were also frequent in the earth of the rampart. A pot from the 10th—11th cc. was found on the contemporary level under the timber structure (fig. 6.). The sherds from the different levels of the rampart (Table IV. fig. 2, 4-8, 10, 11, 13) can be dated from the first half of the 11th c, while the ones from the upper level (fig. 21-23, Table IV. fig. 1, 3, 9, 12, Tables V-XI.) from the second half of the 12th c. The agricultural iron implements found in 1974 and published in a former publication (1 spadechest, 1 knife for wine dressing, 2 sickles) belong to the letter group. The summary of the results

: the level before the building of the rampart can be no older than the 10th c. The building of the rampart was begun in the first half of the 11th c, it was heightened or repared in the second half of the 12th c. The latest period, represented by the mortary stone wall cannot be dated, comes, perhaps, from the 13th c. Judit Gádor-Gyula Nováki