Content:
In 1908 Emil Hollack has published a map of East Prussia with marked location of prehistoric archaeological sites (Hollack 1908). One of these sites - a barrow cemetery - was located in the area of Dylewo Hills, near Peterswalde village. It was later, in 1930s, excavated by Carl Engel, who established its chronology to Early Iron Age (Engel 1935). In 1980s this site was verified by Wiesław Skrobot (Hoffmann 1999: 122), who has found two hitherto unknown hillforts in the vicinities of the cemetery (Skrobot 2015: 123, 142). Fabian Welc and Rafał Solecki conducted a further verification in 2010s, which resulted in discovery of another two hillforts. All four hillforts were excavated in 2018-2020 and their main phase of habitation can be dated to Early Iron Age and associated with the West Balt Barrow culture. In this way, a verification of already excavated barrow cemetery has allowed to discover a significant concentration of hillforts, which were probably a regional centre at that time.
Literature:
Engel, C. (1935). Ein Hüngelgrab mit SteinPlattenkiste auf den Kernsdorfer Höhen (Ostpreussen). Altpreussen 1/1: 42–43.
Hoffmann, M.J. (1999). Źródła do kultury i osadnictwa południowo-wschodniej strefy nadbałtyckiej w I tysiącleciu p.n.e. Rozprawy i Materiały Ośrodka Badań Naukowych im. Wojciecha Kętrzyńskiego w Olsztynie 177. Olsztyn: Towarzystwo Naukowe i Ośrodek Badań Naukowych im. Wojciecha Kętrzyńskiego.
Hollack, E. (1908). Erläuterungen zur vorgeschichtlichen Übersichtskarte von Ostpreußen. Im Auftrage des ostpreußischen Provinzial Verbandes bearbeitet und herausgegeben. Glogau-Berlin: Kommissions Verlag von Carl Flemming.
Skrobot, W. (2015). Antropologia przestrzeni, [in:] D. Gałązka, W. Skrobot and A. Szarzyńska (eds.), Wzgórza Dylewskie. Geologia, krajobraz, antropologia przestrzeni: 109–192. Olsztyn: Wydawnictwo Mantis.
Keywords:
Early Iron Age, hillfort, North-East Poland, West Balt Barrow culture