A Late Medieval motte‐and‐bailey settlement in a lowland river valley landscape of Central Poland

Abstract

The Rozprza motte‐and‐bailey residence in Central Poland was inhabited from the third decade of the 14th century up to the 15th century A.D. and functioned as a seat of a noble family. It was situated in the place occupied previously by an Early Medieval open settlement and a later ring‐fort. The motte was constructed on the river terrace remnant adjoining a strongly expanding flood plain in the central part of the mid‐Luciąża River valley. The immediate surroundings of the stronghold were studied by means of archaeological excavations, detailed geological mapping (hand‐auger transects and trenching), and large‐scale aerial photography, as well as geochemical and geophysical (magnetic gradiometry and soil electrical resistance) prospection. All the results have been integrated within a GIS and supported by a set of 14C dates that allow for a detailed geomorphological reconstruction of the stronghold situation, including former river patterns, the local flood plain development, and the history of the Medieval fortress site with its moats. Our research provides insights into the late Holocene evolution of a small river valley and confirms the favorable conditions for the location of the motte on a terrace remnant protected by the system of moats and surrounding paleochannels and swampy areas within the valley floor.

Subfossil Chironomidae and other palaeoecological proxies in the reconstruction of the Late Vistulian environmental history in central Poland: case study of oxbow fill in Luci a River valley

“…The site is located in Central Poland, in the Luciąża River valley floor (the 3rdorder river in the Vistula River Basin). In order to choose proper sampling sites in the field, not only was topography and geomorphology of studied area thoroughly mapped, but also the combination of other non-destructive methods along with geological hand augering was used (Sikora et al, 2015, Kittel et al, 2018a. The results of geophysical prospections and later the geological survey confirmed the existence of a large-size palaeochannel filled with organic (gyttja and peat) and partially inorganic deposits (sands and silts with organic mud) (Kittel et al, 2018a).…”

A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the rampart construction of the medieval ring-fort in Rozprza, Central Poland

“…It can be dated back to the Roman Period(?) and the Modern Period (Kittel et al 2015(Kittel et al , 2018a (Fig. 1).…”

Chironomidae Morphological Types and Functional Feeding Groups as a Habitat Complexity Vestige

“…Intense transformation of river valleys took place during the Weichselian glacial period under periglacial conditions. While the valley floor is strongly expanding in the Rozprza area, residual terraces occur within the Holocene floodplain (Goździk, 1982;Kittel et al, 2018b).…”

“…Radiocarbon data evidences the channel's cut-off in the Late Allerød. The paleochannel fill is overlain by the overbank alluvia of sandy organic mud (Kittel et al, 2018b).…”

“…The medieval age of the features has been confirmed by dendrochronological and radiocarbon AMS date sets. The fill of FIGURE 1 | The geomorphological map of the vicinity of Rozprza archaeological site with the location of W4 (paleo-oxbow) and W3(2) (moat) profiles (marked as yellow dots) (after Kittel et al, 2015Kittel et al, , 2018b. In the map of Poland, Rozprza is marked with an asterisk.…”