Svodín district moat

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The Svodín circular moat ( German  Seldin ; Hungarian Szőgyén ) is the most famous in Slovakia . It is located near Svodín in Okres Nové Zámky des Nitriansky kraj in southwest Slovakia. The single and double circular moats , excavated by Viera Němejcová-Pavúková between 1971 and 1983 and built one inside the other, had a role in Neolithic rites and astronomical determinations of the Lengyel culture around 6,800 years ago .

The circular moats discovered in Slovakia belong to the oldest monumental architecture in Central Europe. An older and a younger complex were built in Svodín. The smaller, older one (Svodín 1) consisted of only one ditch (Kothingeichendorf type) while the larger, more than 120 m wide, younger (Svodín 2) had two ditches, three palisades and four pincer gates. The gates of the east half are aligned with the moon rises, those of the west half with the moon sets during the "great moon turns".

The circular ditch systems generally have a diameter between 50 and 200 m, which means that they can also be seen on satellite images . The large round buildings consist of trenches, ramparts or wooden palisades. Circular moat systems have areas of 13 to 30 hectares and contained up to 50 houses. There were usually four entrances opposite each other, which rarely share axes. However, very massive gate structures are one of the few constants. With their orientation to certain points of the compass, they offered good opportunities e.g. B. in researching the solstices. Most archaeologists in the Balkan and Danubian regions are of the opinion that at least some of the complexes are “holy places” that fulfilled a social and sacred function. The fortificative function, however, is controversial. In many cases the dimensions, the strategic location and the high number of goals make this appear questionable. However, no clear evidence of ritual activity within the circular moat has been found either.

literature

  • Elisabeth Ruttkay : Anthropomorphic clay sculpture from the Lengyel settlements in Svodín, Slovakia . In: B. Hansel (Ed.): Between the Carpathians and the Aegean - Neolithic and earlier Bronze Age memorial for Viera Němejcová-Pavúková . Leidorf 2004
  • Małgorzata Kaczanowska et al .: Fissure Industry of the Lengyel Culture from Svodín, Slovakia (Prace archeologiczne) Warszawa, Kraków: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe 1991

Web links

Coordinates: 47 ° 54 ′ 39.3 "  N , 18 ° 30 ′ 30.8"  E