Biskupin Fortified Settlement

Biskupin

Poland · Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

SettlementIntermittent excavation
Approximate period750 BCE — 600 BCELate Bronze Age–Early Iron Age See on the map ↓

In brief

The fortified settlement, established on a former island in the lake, is known for its wooden structures preserved in waterlogged ground. Dendrochronological analysis of the construction timbers showed that most were felled in the winter of 738/737 BC.

What was found?

  • 1Remains of wooden houses

    These are the wooden structural remains of houses built in regular rows. They show that the settlement was arranged according to a shared plan.

  • 2Wood-paved streets

    These are wooden-surfaced passageways separating the rows of houses. They document infrastructure prepared for movement within the settlement on wet ground.

  • 3Box-built defensive wall

    This defensive structure was made by filling wooden boxes with earth, sand and stone. It provides tangible evidence of the construction technique used for protection.

  • 4Shore protection stakes

    These are wooden stakes placed in sloping rows on the lake side. They served to protect the defensive wall from the effects of waves and ice.

  • 5Small wattle doors

    These are preserved small doors woven from branches. The museum used these finds when reconstructing the height of house entrances.

What does it point to?

Biskupin indicates a planned settlement in which defense, movement and shore protection were considered together. The preservation of wood allows us to see not only the locations of houses but also the structural solutions that made everyday life possible.

What did it teach us?

  1. It revealed that houses and streets were laid out according to a regular plan.
  2. It showed that defensive structures were additionally protected against the effects of lake waves and ice.
  3. It enabled the settlement to be dated by examining tree rings in structural timber.

Images

Biskupin - gate and wall
User:Fazer · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Lusatian culture
First modern dig
1934
Team / historical
Archaeological Museum in Biskupin
Coordinates
52.7883°, 17.7444°

Sources

  1. biskupin.pl
  2. zabytek.pl
  3. culture.pl
  4. en.wikipedia.org

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