Salzburg_Petrified Tree of Salt

Post-Roman Towns, Trade ans Settlement in Europe and Byzantinum, Bd. 1 The Heirs of the Roman West. Millenium- Stud. 5/1, 2007

Crossing the Alps Centralisation Process , 2020

Mount Ipf lies on the western periphery of the Nördlinger Ries, on the dividing line between the Swabian Alb and the Franconian Alb north of the Danube River in southern Germany. This was an important area of settlement activities in prehistoric times. The imposing hillfort upon Mount Ipf held an outstanding position as a centre of power in the Nördlinger Ries during different periods in prehistory. Results of recent research impressively illustrate that without question during the Hallstatt period, for at least 100 years, Mount Ipf belonged to the complex of early Celtic princely seats in Central Europe and, further, that it carried out direct exchange via the Eastern Alps with Upper Italy and the Greek-influenced regions of the Etruscans in the Po River valley and the Caput Adria. These connections are distinctly recognisable in the numerous imported goods found at different sites as well as on the Ipf itself. However, the narrative on the history of the Ipf itself in the older Iron Age can only be understood in view of the development of the Late Bronze Age (Urnfield culture) and the beginning of centralisation processes in the Nördlinger Ries. This also includes the early southbound links across the Alps since the 7 th century BC. Nonetheless, whether or not one can speak of an early form of urbanisation or of a concentration process remains to be examined.

Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 30.1, 2015, 44–51, 2015

The Iron Age urban centres located in Central and Western Europe—the oppida—are the most monumental constructions from this period to have been discovered. The settlement of Manching was not originally an oppidum but developed gradually. The material culture makes apparent the process by which this rural settlement was transformed into an interregional centre. Such developments went along with a transformation in settlement structure as well as in economic life. The focus of this paper lies on the architectural boundaries in order to bring out the process of transformation that took place in Iron Age society during this period. Both the construction and the structure of these large settlements indicate a transformed awareness of space. The objective is to show how, by means of the settlement’s ground plan, its internal structure and the delineation of its boundaries, this new social order was materialized through architecture. My central thesis is that the modification of space and the categories ‘visible’ and ‘invisible’ that were thereby created played an essential role in structures of domination in the La Tène period.

Magister-thesis (Philipps-Universität Marburg, 2001), Reviewer: Prof. Dr. Horst W. Böhme, Book-edition: 2005.

Sachsen-Anhalt, Mittelelbe, späte Römische Kaiserzeit, Völkerwanderungszeit, Brandgrab, Urnengrab, Keramik, Schalenurne, Drehscheibenkeramik, Fibel, Glasperle, Elfenbein, Urnenharz, Chronologie, Langobarden, Anthropologie

In: Hallgatói Műhelytanulmányok 3. Rejuvenating Scholarship Collection of Graduate School Studies in History. University of Debrecen. Ed. Péter Forisek - Katalin Schrek - Ákos Szendrei. Doctoral School of History and Ethnology. Debrecen, 2015. pp. 66-75.

2021

Praehistorische Zeitschrift 99, 2024, 85–109.

In the occasionally lively debate about the social structure of the Central European Early Iron Age, the Herrenhof as the presumed seat of a high-status farmer now also plays a role. A rectangular farmstead of this type is the famous Hascherkeller site on the northern outskirts of Landshut. The first magnetic prospection ever conducted at such an archaeological structure was carried out here in 1978. The site became widely known for its distinctive complex appearance and the excavations undertaken there between 1978 and 1981 by Peter S. Wells, then assistant curator of European archaeology at the Peabody Museum of Harvard University. After four decades, an opportunity arose to resume excavations in areas not explored at the time and bring them to a conclusion. The most important result of the recent field work, which was completed in 2022, is the stratigraphic disentanglement of the numerous ditches. The loess terrace, most likely, was initially divided by a ditch running across the terrain. This separating landscape feature may have been contemporaneous with the palisaded farmstead on the eastern edge of the study area. Later, the two rectangular ditched enclosures were constructed, probably the eastern one first. In another, more recent phase, they were joined together by connecting ditches to form a larger settlement complex. Already during the investigation, it was revealed that the middle one of the once assumed three rectangular farmsteads had never existed. In addition, about 200 m further to the southwest, a similar double enclosure was discovered. Here, too, two rectangular enclosures were apparently joined by connecting ditches to form a larger settlement area in a more recent phase. About 5 km to the northeast, in the area of the hamlet Holzen not far from Altheim, a group of unconnected rectangular farmsteads dating from the Hallstatt period has recently been magnetically surveyed. These are characterized by a larger number of long, narrow pits indicating former house sites. The following remarks focus on the latest excavation results and the role of the type of habitation known as Herrenhof in the Early Iron Age settlement system.

This report deals with the two latter types, because they are located in areas where strong earthquakes occur every century. However, this construction has proven particularly safe, and some of the buildings have existed for 700 years. These buildings have characteristic windows and a rectangular floor plan, with rooms opening to a central hall, which were later replaced by a courtyard. Typically, each housing unit is occupied by a single family. While in the past this was the housing of the poor, today affluent families live in these historic buildings. The loadbearing structure consists of a timbered joists and posts forming a single system with adobe or wooden infill. The walls consist of a colonnade of pillars supported by a threshold on the lower side and stiffened by crossbars and struts in the middle. On the upper part they are connected by a "Rahmholz." The roof is steep with the gable overlooking the street. The floors consist of timber joists parallel to the gable plane with inserted ripples. The only notable seismic deficiency is the design for gravity loads only, while numerous earthquake-resilient features-the presence of diagonal braces, the achievement of equilibrium, the excellent connections between the bearing elements, the similar elasticity of the materials used (wood and eventually adobe) and the satisfactory three-dimensional conformation-have completely prevented patterns of earthquake damage. Since 1970, buildings in Switzerland are regulated by earthquake codes (latest update 1989). The 2002 edition will incorporate EC8 recommendations. 1. General Information Buildings of this construction type can be found in Switzerland (fig. 2; in regions located at a specific distance from mountainous areas), in northern France (figures 6 and 7), and in southern (fig. 3) to central (fig. 5) Germany as well as in Tirol. Uhde (1903) documents the existence of such buildings in France in Normandie, Bretagne and Alsace (Dreux,

Over the centuries, Prussian cities have undergone physiognomic and morphological changes. Their contemporary shape and preserved heritage are the result of natural, evolutionary development of cities, as well as revolutionary events, such as fires or war. 17th century was an important era for medieval monuments in Prussian cities. It was then that the demolition started on medievalfortifications, ordered by Prussian authorities and continuing into the 19th or even 20th centuries. 19th century brought dynamic industrial development, expansion of the railway network, as well as a hike in population due to the agrarian reform, which also influenced the morphology of settlement units. World War I destruction, especially severe in Masuria, were another important factor which influenced the spatial arrangement of the centres of towns of the former monastic state (Salm 2006). The reconstruction of Eastern-Prussian towns was conducted on a grand scale and often involved planned regulation of streets and plots, which in many cases erased the elements of medieval arrangement. World War II was particularly tragic for Prussian cities (Lewandowska 2012), as the west-bound front line almost levelled a number of historic city centres. The postwar period was not a very good time for the destroyed cities in the Recovered Territories either. In the first period, a significant portion of construction materials was moved to Gdańsk and Warsaw in order to accelerate the reconstruction of these important cities. In subsequent years, the modernisation of transportation routes and, above all, the construction of multi-family buildings in the historic centres caused irreparable transformations in the landscape. One very visible example of such reconstruction can now be seen in Malbork, where the magnificent castle complex is now located next to a housing estate on the Nogat embankment. The image of urban landscape transformations in the former monastic state is also shaped by modern architectural and planning endeavours. They are not always thoughtful and harmoniously blended with the surrounding. Despite these negative factors, the number of historic urban arrangements and architecture can be considered significant. These include both international-level structures such as the Malbork castle listed by UNESCO, the Frombork cathedral considered as an medieval gem, or the ‘Wawel of the north’ – bishop's castle in Lidzbark Warmiński, but also lower-rank structures such as the Orneta town hall, fragments of fortifications in Kowalewo Pomorskie, the spatial arrangement of Górowo Iławeckie or the remains of the Radzyń Chełmiński castle. Numerous initiatives involving the restoration and revitalisation of historic centres in the region give us hope for the continuous improvement of the technical condition and a new life for historic monuments and areas. They apply to both large cities, such as Elbląg, and smaller ones of a couple thousand inhabitants, as is the case with Nowy Staw in Malbork district. Today, the medieval heritage that survived to our times may be perceived in two ways – as a hindrance to local development and an onerous duty, or as an economic, social and cultural potential. In recent years, we have witnessed many processes of functional and ownership changes related to the technical condition of monuments. And we, the citizens, can also help decide what direction the transformations will go. This is why discussing the themes of cultural heritage of cities is so important.