A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 43. (2004)

Nováki Gyula-Sárközy Sebestyén: Várak a történeti Zemplén megyében I.

lying some 10 m lower. In addition to the rampart, the two areas are separated also by a deep ditch. In the lack of any archaeological finds, the age of the Ingvár site cannot be established with certainty. The surface features would allow both a prehistoric and a medieval date. It is also uncertain whether the upper fort is co-eval with the lower rampart. Révleányvár - Várdomb. A dirt track leads southward from the southern end of Révleányvár to the Tisza River, lying some 1 km away. The Várdomb [Castle Hill] rises some 300 m from the dirt track. Its relative height is 11 m, its length is 200 m and its greatest width is 40 m. Its sides are steep and its flat top is encircled by a distinct rim. This rim is interrupted by a ramp in the northern end. The ramp leads up from an artificial ditch, which extends along the hill's northern, narrowing end. A 2 m high rampart runs along the outer side of this ditch; the rampart does not completely encircle the hill, for its northwestern end curves away. 1 lth—13th century sherds have been found on the Várdomb. The first indirect data for the fortification is the name of the still existing village, first mentioned in 1364 (Révleányvár means "Maiden Castle at the ford"). However, there is no direct, authentic written mention of the stronghold which, on the testimony of the 1 lth—13th century finds, was constructed during the Árpádian Age. Szerencs - Taktaföldvár. The longish, east-west oriented hill called Taktaföldvár [Takta earthen fort] rises above the plainland (once a marshland) between the Takta Creek and the Szerencs Stream, some 3 km south of the Szerencs railway station. The rescue excavations conducted on the hill in 1967 and 1974 following earth-moving operations in the area brought to light Neolithic, Copper Age and Árpádian Age finds. The results of the excavations indicate that the settlement on the Taktaföldvár hill was probably unfortified during prehistory and that the defenceworks were constructed later, during the Árpádian Age. Most of the finds can be assigned to the Neolithic Tisza culture, while a smaller part of the pottery sherds date from the Árpádian Age. The medieval written sources do not contain any references to a stronghold. Tállya - Mekecsvár. The Mekecsvár [Mekecs Castle] lies 486 m a.s.l. on the end of a north oriented narrow mountain ridge extending over the Csipkés Ditch about 1-1.5 km east-northeast from the Hidegkút forester's house, northeast of Tállya. A saddle connects this ridge with the higher continuation of the mountain. In the south, the stronghold was protected with a с 1 m high stone rampart, in front of which ran a 19 m wide ditch. This rampart terminates at the steep, eastern side, but curves towards the more gently sloping western side and takes the form of a terrace after 50-60 m long section, retaining this form along the entire western side for a 160 m long section. No traces of a ditch or rampart could be noted on the northern tip and along the eastern side of the ridge. The area enclosed by the rampart slopes towards the west; its highest point is along the eastern edge, above the steep mountain side. The enclosed area measures с 150 m by 70 m. Lying scattered over the surface were indistinct prehistoric pottery sherds, unsuitable for a more precise dating. The stronghold can thus be regarded as prehistoric. Tállya - Óvár. The 583 m high Mt. Óvár [Old Castle] rises northeast of Tállya, deep among the mountains, slightly west of the 607 m high Szokolya, the highest mountain in the area. The entire mountain top is encircled by a stone and earth rampart, whose inner height on the eastern side is Ъ-А m, while it is lower on the other sides, especially on the northern one, where its height barely reaches 0.5-1 m along some sections. Natural rocks were used for the construction of the rampant. There were no traces of a ditch. The rampart is interrupted by four openings, probably the prehistoric entrances to the fortified settlement. The main entrance most likely lay in the northeastern corner, to where a wide, rather neglected track leads from the saddle ridge. The diameter of the area enclosed by the ramp is roughly 700 m. Indistinct prehistoric pottery fragments lay scattered on the surface, none of which were suitable for a more precise dating. Tiszalúc - Dankadomb. The listed archaeological site of Dankadomb [Danka Hill] lies about 1 km to the west of the settlement's southern end, by the one-time bed of the Tisza River. A deep, semicircular ditch separates the lower part of the settlement on the steep river bank from the upper, oval settlement part, lying some 3 m higher. The upper settlement extends over a roughly 50 m by 20 m large area. A part of the settlement was washed away by the river, its two ends are disturbed by various intrusions and the ditch too has been largely infilled. A small rescue excavation was conducted on the site in 1957, when earth from the western end of the hill was 229