It is one of the few well-preserved sites of this kind in the Lublin region and its unique landmark. It provides valuable information about early medieval hillfort construction.

History

Based on the results of archaeological research, it can be assumed that the hillfort is an example of a single-phase, short-term settlement.  The hillfort was occupied in the early Middle Ages, from the turn of the 8th/9th century to the 10th century.

Description

The hillfort in Dołhołęka, with a local name of “Horodyszcze” or “Okopy”, is located approximately 600 m to the south-east of the buildings of the village of Dołhołęka and 100 m to the south-east of the bend of a dyke, on the edge of the forest known as “Horodyszcze”, on the eastern tip of a meander hill, in the wide and marshy valley of the Piszczanka River. 

The hillfort has a roughly circular shape with dimensions of 75 x 60 m (56 x 50 m from the crown of the rampart). It is surrounded by single rampart, badly damaged in the eastern part. As preserved, its maximum height is about 3.0 m. The inner yard of the hillfort is located at a depth of between 0.40 m and 1.0 m, measured from the crown of the rampart. The hillfort is surrounded by a low-lying, marshy land. In its western part, the land is slightly higher and it is where a moat with a depth of up to 2 m is situated, providing the hillfort with a preliminary line of defence. The area of the hillfort is overgrown by a forest.

The hillfort was first mentioned in the literature by Adolf Pleszczyński in 1893.  In older literature and archives, the site is also referred to as the hillfort in Krzewica, Łukowisko, Tłuściec or Żabka. In general, the hillfort is well-preserved, but its ramparts are seriously damaged by numerous burrows of forest animals.

Progress and findings of archaeological

Surface surveys on the site were performed in 1985 by Sławomir Żółkowski as part of the ‘Archaeological Picture of Poland’ project. 

The excavations were carried out in 1977 by Sławomir Jastrzębski. Several exploratory excavations were carried out, covering the total area of 60 m2. They included the inner yard of the hillfort and the area next to the rampart. A cut-through was also made in the rampart. 

During these excavations, the hillfort rampart was found to be a wood-and-earth construction. Its fill consisted of strongly compacted clay, originally limited by a wooden structure. This structure, 1.7-2 m wide, was embedded in a layer of light-coloured sand, 0.3-0.7 m thick, piled onto the original earthen surface. From the side of the inner yard, the clay layer was reinforced by a wooden structure, probably a box. There are traces indicating that the upper part of the structure collapsed towards the interior of the hillfort. These traces have the form of irregular black burned spots with a high content of charcoal. The width of the base of the reconstructed rampart was 4.5-5 m. As preserved, the height of the base from the original humus level was 1.4 m.

In the inner yard of the hillfort, a depression was found next to the rampart. It had the form of a shallow, trough-shaped ditch and had probably been used as a source of earth and soil for heightening the rampart from inside the hillfort. Irregularly scattered burned stones were also discovered in the inner yard next to the rampart. The stones were found in shallow depressions filled with burnt material.  Presumably, these are the remnants of several hearths made of field stones. The layer of anthropogenic deposits in the inner yard of the hillfort is relatively thin and there is no evidence of long-term settlement. The existing traces suggest that the hillfort was occupied relatively briefly, perhaps only periodically, and that it may have been used as a fortified refuge. The researchers found several hundred fragments of earthenware vessels, two-conical spools, an iron knife and a fragment of an iron rod. On the basis of moveable artifacts, it was established that the hillfort dates back to the 8th/9th-10th century.

The heritage site is accessible to the general public.

compiled by Ewa Prusicka, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Branch Office in Lublin, 24 March 2016

Bibliography

• Pleszczyński A., Poszukiwania, “Wisła”, vol. VII, 1893, pp. 183-184.
• Nosek S., Materiały do badań nad historią starożytną i wczesnośredniowieczną międzyrzecza Wisły i Bugu, “Annales UMCS” 1951, vol. VI, sec. F, 1951(1957), pp. 358, 430. (see the entries: Krzewica, Żabce)
• Gurba J., Grodziska Lubelszczyzny, Lublin 1976, p. 34.
• Jastrzębski S., Dołhołęka, gm. Międzyrzec Podlaski, stan. 1, “Informator Archeologiczny. Badania 1977 roku”, Warsaw 1977, pp. 165-167.
• Baczyńska B., Major results of 1977 excavation of early medieval sites in Poland, “Sprawozdania Archeologiczne”, vol. XXX, 1978, p. 272.
• Żółkowski S., Materiały do badań nad osadnictwem pradziejowym i wczesnośredniowiecznym na obszarze dzisiejszego województwa bialskopodlaskiego. Biała Podlaska 1988, p. 40.
• Bienia M., Grodziska wczesnośredniowieczne istniejące i domniemane na terenie dzisiejszego województwa bialskopodlaskiego, Biała Podlaska 1998, pp. 12-15
• Wetoszka B., W średniowieczu i nowożytności [in:] Północna Lubelszczyzna. Od pradziejów po okres nowożytny, multi-author compilation ed. by E. Banasiewicz-Szykuły, Lublin 2003, pp. 83-86.