image/svg+xml
93
XIV/1/2023
INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICA
NATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
homepage: http://www.iansa.eu
The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized
Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research into
Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
Pavel Drnovský
1*
1
Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Hradec Králové, Rokitanského 62, 500 03 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
1. Introduction
High medieval fortifed manorial residences located
in contexts with built-up areas of villages used to be
inseparable components of the medieval cultural landscape.
However, most of these fortifcations gradually vanished
or completely disappeared. But the recent use of non-
destructive archaeological methods has made a signifcant
contribution to our knowledge about these fortifcations.
As yet unknown sites can now be identifed with their help
(digital terrain models, cropmarks) and in the case of the
use of geophysical measurements, current knowledge about
the nature of a particular residence can be expanded. This
study deals with the possibilities of applying magnetometer
measurements to the lowest level of medieval fortifcations
– the rural residences of the petty nobility (fortifed manor
houses) of the 14
th
to 15
th
century – where only scarce surface
remains, or even none at all, have survived.
Although geophysical methods are already well
established among the various basic forms of non-destructive
archaeological research, their application to the site type
mentioned above is fairly uncommon in the context of Central
Europe. More specifcally, the use of geoelectric resistivity
measurements and ground penetrating radar measurements
(GPR) may indicate the presence of masonry structures.
Geoelectric resistivity measurements over the entire area of
a site have been conducted for example in the case of the
fortifed manor houses at Čimice (Bárta, 1983) and Mastnice
in central Bohemia (Dohnal
et al.
, 2000; Křivánek, 1999,
p.19) and at Rataje (Baierl
et al.
, 2013, p.10) and Tichá in
South Bohemia (Durdík
et al.
, 2013). The GPR measurement
method has been applied in the case of the manor house at
Dolný Poltár in Slovakia (Tirpák, Fottová, 2008) and the
so-called Upper fortress at Kestřany in South Bohemia
(Dejmal
et al.
, 2013). Stone structures were detected in all
these cases.
In contrast, the use of a magnetometer survey remains
underappreciated. This method has been applied in the
Volume XIV ● Issue 1/2023 ● Pages 93–104
*Corresponding author. E-mail: pavel.drnovsky@uhk.cz
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received: 24
th
February 2022
Accepted: 12
th
September 2022
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.7
Key words:
geophysical prospecting
magnetometry
non-destructive survey
Middle Ages
fortifcations
manorial residence
fortifed manor house
ABSTRACT
The results of magnetometer measurements carried out in small-sized fortifcations of the High Middle
Ages are presented. In most cases these fortifcations were partly or completely abandoned sites. At
all sites, structures of anthropogenic origin were discovered. Thanks to the survey various components
of residences were identifed: internal buildings, fortifcations, moats, ramparts. The survey method
chosen proved to be suitable for detecting most parts of the 14th to 15th century residences of the
petty nobility, particularly in regions with prevailing earthen and wooden architecture. Archaeological
structures were detected by way of the survey measurements even at seemingly completely destroyed
sites. However, the results of such a magnetometer survey need to be supplemented by other methods
of geophysical and archaeological survey.
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IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 93–104
Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
94
fortifed manor house at Obrubce in Bohemia (Křivánek, 2004,
p.178), Kersko (Křivánek, 2008) and Neumětely (Křivánek,
2015). Other fortifcations have recently been investigated
in South Moravia (Dresler, Tencer, 2016; Pelikán, 2017;
Vágner
et al.
, 2018; Vágner, 2021, pp.136–138) and one
in Lower Austria (Filzwieser, 2018, pp.130–136). Several
measurements have been applied in Poland (Bis
et al.
, 2019,
p.30; 2020; Kittel
et al.
, 2017, Wroniecki
et al.
, 2017).
Despite the above examples, geophysical measurements
conducted at such site types are still rare. Moreover, the
above sites represent residences of a varied nature in terms
of structure and chronology.
The aim of our research was to carry out a targeted
magnetometer survey within several abandoned medieval
fortifcations in a specifc region that would be linked by
common attributes, and, in so doing, test the use of this
method in various excavation situations. The reasons for
the application of a magnetometer survey are the positive
results that this method can yield when attempting to identify
anthropogenic activity (Křinávek, 2004; Milo, 2014).
The main questions asked during the survey are the
following:
•
to establish the potential of a magnetometer survey in
small-sized medieval fortifcations,
•
to try to identify fortifcation elements and delimit
a residence’s grounds (depending on the size and
limitations of the feld measurements),
•
to observe which types of structures could be surveyed
by magnetometer,
•
to observe the infuence of the current state of a site on
the measurement results,
•
to be able to verify a newly-identifed site.
The investigated area was central north-eastern Bohemia,
which represents a region for which the occurrence of
numerous small-sized residences of the petty nobility was
typical during the High Middle Ages. In this landscape,
small-sized fortifcations (fortifed manor houses) located
close to village centres were typical types of manorial
residences.
2. Materials and methods
Measurements were performed at all available sites in
the selected area (Figure 1, Table 1). Sites without visible
terrain remains were identifed on the basis of observations
of cropmarks and research into archival maps. A part of them
were localised and recognised for the very frst time. The
locations were in diferent habitats (feld, meadow, forest,
garden) and with various degrees of preservation (terrain
remains, without surface remains). The selected sites are
only little known: with no archaeological excavation having
been conducted at any of them.
The lifespan of most residences can be deduced from
a few or rare written records pertaining to their owners
and possibly specifed on the basis of discovered pottery
fragments. All the residences were used during the 14
th
and
15
th
centuries. The demise of some 50% of the manor houses
can be placed to the close of the 15
th
century. As late as the
beginning of the 16
th
century, the existence of six residences
was still documented; however, they ceased to exist shortly
Table 1.
Overview of investigated residences, and their characteristics.
DistrictIndicative lifespanTerrain remainsSurfaceApproximate
extent of on-site
measurements
Subsoil
BabiceHradec Králové14
th
–15
th
c.
yes
meadow100 %Floodplain
BělušiceJičín2
nd
half of 14
th
–15
th
c.
yesforest
40 %
Sandstone
BříšťanyJičín14
th
–early 16
th
c.
no
meadow75 %Floodplain
DobešJičín14
th
–1
st
half of 15
th
c.
yes
meadow40 %
Mudstone
DohaliceHradec Králové14
th
–17
th
c.
yesgarden
30%
Loess
HabřinaHradec Králové14
th
–1
st
half of 15
th
c.
yesgarden
75 %
Loess
KalthausHradec Králové2
nd
half of 14
th
–early 16
th
c.
yesforest
50 %
Mudstone
KosiceHradec Králové14
th
–early 16
th
c.
no
feld85 %Floodplain
MlazoviceJičín14
th
c. –1424
yes
meadow35 %
Loess
NedabylicePardubice14
th
–1
st
half of 15
th
c.
no
feld90 %Floodplain
NechaniceHradec Králové14
th
–16
th
c.
yes
meadow25 %Floodplain
PřestavlkyHradec Králové14
th
–15
th
c.
yesforest
50%Floodplain
Radostov
Hradec Králové14
th
–early 16
th
c.
yes
feld100%Floodplain
Rakov
Jičín14
th
–early 16
th
c.
no
feld100 %
Loess
TřebověticeJičín14
th
–17
th
c.
nogarden
50%Floodplain
TřesiceHradec Králové14
th
–16
th
c.
no
meadow80 %Floodplain
VysokáJičín14
th
–15
th
c.
yesforest
50%
Mudstone
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IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 93–104
Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
95
Figure 1.
Locations of the sites within
Bohemia. 1) Babice, 2) Bělušice, 3) Bříšťany,
4) Dobeš, 5) Habřina, 6) Kalthaus, 7) Kosice,
8) Mlázovice, 9) Nedabylice, 10) Nechanice,
11) Přestavlky, 12) Radostov, 13) Rakov,
14) Třebovětice, 15) Třesice, 16) Vysoká.
Figure 2.
The extent of measurements
on sites with preserved terrain remains
or cropmarks. The area, which could be
surveyed, is highlighted in red. Diferent
scales have been used. 1) Bělušice, 2) Dobeš,
3) Nechanice, 4) Kalthaus, 5) Mlázovice,
6) Třesice, 7) Kosice, 8) Nedabylice.
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Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
96
afterwards. The longest surviving one was probably the
fortifed manor house at Nechanice, where some written
sources allow us to believe that the beginnings of this site
may date back to the late 13
th
century.
1
The precise date and
circumstances of a fortifcation’s demise are only known for
the manor house at Mlázovice, which was burnt down by
soldiers led by Jan Žižka in the spring of 1424 (Čornej, 2019,
p.547).
Prospection at relevant sites took place under favourable
vegetation conditions in 2021. A Föerster Ferex 4.032
fuxgate magnetometer was used. It was our intention to
survey the entire area of the fortifcations, which was only
partly possible at those sites located in felds and meadows.
In the case of residences located in gardens, the situation was
further complicated by modern period disturbances (fences,
houses). In forested environments with thick vegetation,
fortifcations could not be completely surveyed to their full
extent (Figure 2). The measurements were undertaken in
a confguration consisting of four probes (Ferex Con 650),
whereas in the case of forested areas only one probe was used
to allow for easier movement around the site. The density of
the measured points was set in the range of 0.5×0.25 m. The
sensing sensitivity was set at 10000 nT which corresponds
to the maximum sensitivity available for the measuring
unit. The calibration of the probes was done on site, against
the local bedrock. The adjustment and export of data were
made in Ferex Dataload 3.4.0.1., MagroLight 1.0 and Surfer
21.1.158 software. The subsequent projection onto basic
maps was done in the ArcGIS application. The measurement
1
Basic historical information on the individual sites comes from books by
A. Sedláček (1883; 1887).
results were recorded in individual magnetograms. The
projection range in nT units is stated for each magnetogram.
3. Results
It was possible to identify anomalies related to human
activity at each site. These structures can be divided into
the categories mentioned below. The grounds of every
fortifcation are divided into the core where we monitored the
presence of features. We presumed the presence of the main
perimeter fortifcation to stretch along the core’s perimeter
which delimited the central part. The residence’s other parts
would normally include a moat and a rampart enclosure on
the outer side of the moat (Table 2).
3.1 Internal fortifcations
Structures interpreted as the remains of perimeter
fortifcations were observed at eight sites: Babice, Bělušice,
Bříšťany, Dobeš, Nedabylice, Nechanice, Rakov and Třesice
Table 2.
Overview of structures detected by magnetometer survey.
Findings of magnetometry survey
Buildings
Inner fortifcation
MoatRampartDestruction layerRecent structures
Babice
yesyesnoyesnono
Bělušice
yesyesnononono
Bříšťany
yesyesnononoyes
Dobeš
noyesnononoyes
Dohalice
nononononoyes
Habřina
nononononoyes
Kalthaus
yesnonononono
Kosice
yesnoyesnonoyes
Mlazovice
nonononoyesno
Nedabylice
noyesyesnonoyes
Nechanice
noyesnoyesyesno
Přestavlky
nononononoyes
Radostovyesyesyesnonono
Rakovyesyesnononoyes
Třebovětice
nononononoyes
Třesice
yesyesnononoyes
Vysoká
nonononoyesyes
Figure 3.
Unifed legend for the interpretation of structures recorded on
magnetograms.
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Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
97
Figure 4.
Fortifed manor house at
Babice; the magnetogram is on the left,
its interpretation is on the right.
Figure 5.
Fortifed manor house at
Bělušice; the magnetogram is on the left, its
interpretation is on the right.
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Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
98
Figure 6.
Fortifed manor house at
Bříšťany; the magnetogram is on the left, its
interpretation is on the right.
Figure 7.
Fortifed manor house at
Dobeš; the magnetogram is on the left, its
interpretation is on the right.
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Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
99
Figure 8.
Fortifed manor house at Kalthaus; the magnetogram is on the
left, its interpretation is on the right.
Figure 9.
Fortifed manor house at Kosice; the magnetogram is on the left, its interpretation is on the right.
core’s perimeter which had the form of a terrain depression
was documented in the manor house at Bělušice. Complete
ground plans of such features were not surveyed at other
sites. A central building probably used to stand in the
fortifed manor houses at Kosice and Kalthaus. In the case of
the manor house at Nechanice, this was probably one of the
buildings located next to the core’s perimeter.
3.3 Moat
Although the presence of a moated enclosure is something to
be expected at all sites, it is only in the case of the manor
houses at Kosice and Nedabylice that it could be identifed
with certainty (Figures 9 and 14). The moat itself could not be
discerned, although it was possible to locate it with certainty
thanks to well-preserved feld remains, or possibly based
on cropmarks in aerial photographs. The moat can be rather
indirectly defned as the space between the internal perimeter
fortifcation and the inner side of the rampart body. At some
sites, the moat could be identifed thanks to concentrations of
destruction layers (see below). At Kosice, the moat manifested
itself as weak positive magnetic anomalies. At Nedabylice, it
was visible as a positive line next to the moat’s outer edge.
(Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14). These “structures”
manifested themselves as strong positive signals at all sites,
whereas maximum values were reached in the case of the manor
houses at Dobeš and Nechanice. The defensive walls which
enclosed the cores of the manor houses at Babice and Dobeš
had a regular, circular layout. In contrast to this, the residences
at Nedabylice and Třesice had a square layout. An irregular oval
form was observed in the manor houses at Bělušice, Bříšťany,
and Rakov. The fortifed manor house at Nechanice was
probably enclosed by a pointed, polygonal defensive wall. The
course of the fortifcations around the manor house at Bělušice
was also observed in the area of the entrance, where it protruded
towards the moat. This situation could possibly be indicative of
the presence of a gate. No perimeter fortifcation was noticed in
the manor house at Kalthaus – only a separate building used to
stand on the artifcial motte.
3.2 Internal buildings
Features located within the grounds could be interpreted at
the sites of Babice, Bělušice, Bříšťany, Kalthaus, Kosice,
Nechanice, Rakov and Třesice (Figures 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 14).
Such structures usually showed as positive values. The central
building of the manor house at Třesice took up the whole area
of the surveyed core and several buildings along the core’s
perimeter were documented in the fortifed manor houses at
Babice and Rakov. A complete feature located next to the
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Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
100
Figure 10.
Fortifed manor house at
Mlázovice; the magnetogram is on the left,
its interpretation is on the right.
Figure 11.
Fortifed manor house at
Nedabylice; the magnetogram is on the left,
its interpretation is on the right.
3.4 Rampart body
The rampart body was identifed at two sites: Babice and
Nechanice (Figures 4 and 12). In both cases, the outer and inner
feet of the ramparts manifested themselves as magnetic anomalies.
At Nechanice, these consisted of predominantly positive values;
at Babice, they ranged from positive to negative values.
3.5 Destruction layer
Destruction layers are usually regarded as anomalies with
highly positive signals which form continuous surfaces
within the grounds of fortifed manor houses. They are
distinctly present in the manor houses at Mlázovice and
Nechanice (Figures 10 and 12). In the case of the Mlázovice
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Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
101
Figure 12.
Fortifed manor house at
Nechanice; the magnetogram is on the left,
its interpretation is on the right.
Figure 13.
Fortifed manor house at
Rakov; the magnetogram is on the left, its
interpretation is on the right.
manor house, such anomalies cover the surface of the core,
the inner side of the moat, and its bottom, but they do not
continue on the outer side of the moat. According to our
opinion, these are phenomena related to the residence’s
destruction which were associated with the efects of fre
when wooden structures burnt and daub plaster was fred.
The debris then slid down from the manor house core to the
area of the moat and accumulated at its bottom and next to the
moat’s inner side. This could explain the absence of positive
signals on the outer side of the moat where debris from the
residence’s core did not end up. According to the testimony
of written sources, the manor house at Mlázovice was
destroyed by a military intervention. Fragments of fred daub
were also recovered from there during surface prospecting.
In the manor house at Nechanice, positive anomalies cover
the bottom of the inner moat, they do not occur in the
other moats. This situation can again be interpreted as an
accumulation of destruction components from the manor
house core. The interpretation of the situation in the fortifed
manor house at Habřina remains complicated. Strong
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Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
102
positive anomalies there cover the slopes of the motte, while
the core itself seems not to contain them. It is impossible to
prove without excavation whether this is a manifestation of
burnt-down internal structures of the motte. Fired daub can
be found there as well.
3.6 Disturbing modern and recent components
Bipolar anomalies covering the surface of most surveyed
situations can be regarded as disturbing components.
The course of a recent ditch was documented next to the
fortifed manor house at Třesice. Anomalies south and
east of the course of the fortifcation at Rakov can also be
regarded as disturbing and uncontemporaneous with the
existence of the noble residence. They signifcantly difered
from the remaining anomalies associated with the fortifed
manor house in their intensity. The strong positive anomaly
located next to the eastern edge of the northern course of
the fortifcation of the manor house at Bříšťany is also
a manifestation of a recent metal fence enclosing a nearby
farmstead.
4. Discussion of results
As already stated in the introduction, the use of magnetometer
measurements in small-sized fortifcations of the High Middle
Ages is not very common. The weakness of this work is the
use of only one of the geophysical methods – magnetometry.
Important results and verifcation can be obtained by using
other methods: geoelectric resistivity measurement and the
ground penetrating radar measurement (Křivánek, 2008;
2015 and Pelikán, 2017). Equally important is verifcation
by archaeological excavation. Research in other localities,
where the above methods have been used, can be used to
compare our results. An example is the Rozprza motte-
and-bailey residence in Central Poland (Kittel
et al.
, 2017)
or the locality of Żelechow in Mazovia (Bis
et al.
, 2020).
Here it was possible to observe fortifcations and internal
features on the magnetogram. The results were verifed
by archaeological excavations. A combination of diferent
geophysical methods was also used in the research of the
fortifed manor house Krzczonów in Lesser Poland, where
magnetometry also identifed a number of positive results
(Wroniecki
et al.
, 2017). Comparisons of results between
geophysical methods and archaeological excavations was
also enabled by surveys of early medieval fortifcations in
Moravia and Poland (Krasnodębski
et al.
, 2018; Milo, 2019
and Milo
et al.
, 2020). In those cases, settlement features,
courses of fortifcation systems and evidence of the efects
of fre could be identifed.
One of the reasons for the inadequate attention that has
been paid to small-sized medieval fortifcations so far could
be the assumption that archaeologically-detectable structures
were completely destroyed during recent interventions
(levelling out or removal of soil from artifcial hills). In
spite of such thoughts, the surveys also provided certain
proven information about sites which had been completely
dismantled and levelled out. It turned out that this kind of
measurement is suitable for the investigation of settlements
for which we lack any other information concerning their
internal structure, extent or the manner of their demise.
Anthropogenic structures were detected at all sites which
projected themselves into the fnal magnetogram. In some
cases, it was possible to delimit the grounds of residences and
to identify internal buildings. The individual sites are linked
by common features: their existence being predominantly
in the 14
th
and the frst half of the 15
th
century, the builder
(owner) being one of the local petty nobilities, and the
fortifcations being part of rural residences.
It can be judged from the results that the main construction
element used at all these sites were wooden structures. We
did not detect traces of masonry structures at any of the sites.
Despite a magnetometer survey being not very efcient when
trying to identify masonry structures, it is quite unlikely that
such structures would go undetected in all cases.
No archaeological excavation took place at any of the
sites which would confrm the results obtained through
magnetometer measurements. However, our measurements
can be compared with investigations of similar sites
elsewhere in Central Europe. In these cases, it was possible
Figure 14.
Fortifed manor house at
Třesice; the magnetogram is on the left, its
interpretation is on the right.
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Pavel Drnovský: The Possibilities and Results of Magnetometer Survey in Small-Sized Fortifcations of the High Middle Ages. A Case Study on Research
into Manorial Residences in the 14
th
to 15
th
Century in East Bohemia
103
to identify the described structures with features unearthed
during archaeological excavations. For example, a wooden
palisade wall was documented by the excavation of a motte
at Bełcz Mały in Silesia (Biermann
et al.
, 2011). Internal
buildings,
i.e.
, a wooden central building or several wooden
buildings, were identifed by excavations of mottes at
Ervěnice in Bohemia (Nechvátal, 1965) and Koválov in
Moravia (Unger, 1994).
Strongly positive values at certain sites could be indicative
of the fact that they had been afected by fre. In the case of
Dobeš and Nechanice, these are perimeter walls delimiting
the residence’s internal grounds. In the manor houses at
Habřina, Mlázovice and Nechanice again, we probably
managed to identify destruction layers consisting of burnt
and charred building structures. The central building in the
manor house at Kalthaus, from which fnds of burnt daub
are known, was probably also exposed to fre. In the case of
localities afected by fre, the interpretation of the measured
data and the style of the magnetogram are also important.
The colour scale may show an alternative representation of
the situation on a magnetogram (Figure 15).
Measurement results were infuenced by the current
state of the surface. Sites in felds and meadows are more
contaminated with recent objects. In the case of localities
with terrain relics, the position of the magnetometer probes
to the measured surface afects the measurement result. The
position of the probes and their infuence on the measurement
is visible in the case of the Bělušice site (Figure 5).
Surprisingly, the existence of moated enclosures did not
manifest itself. It seems not to matter whether the moat is
currently completely defunct or whether it is still apparent
as a terrain depression. Rampart bodies which could be
expected in this type of fortifcation only manifested
themselves in a limited number of cases. Sites damaged by
agricultural activity could have been completely destroyed,
even beneath their base. The magnetically positive
anomalies lining the outer and inner feet of the three
ramparts enclosing the fortifed manor house at Nechanice
could be indicative of the presence of reinforcing wooden
structures.
5. Conclusion
The magnetometer surveys that were conducted at various
sites have shown that this form of geophysical prospecting
was useful for obtaining a deeper knowledge of small-sized
fortifed residences of the High Middle Ages. It was possible
to identify sites whose localisation has usually only been
based on archival maps or cropmarks. It was also possible
to recognise basic components of residences within fortifed
grounds: internal buildings, walls, ramparts and moated
enclosures, and in exceptional cases, also destruction layers.
It has turned out that the chosen method was benefcial for
obtaining basic knowledge about the investigated site. The
results yielded from the magnetometer measurements must
be accompanied and complemented by the application of
geoelectrical resistivity surveys and radar measurements
which are better able to recognise other types of structures,
due to their nature. With regard to the fact that most residences
of the 14
th
and 15
th
century’s petty nobility in the northeast
of Bohemia were still built of wood and clay, as proven by
our research, magnetometry can be regarded as a suitable
survey method. However, only classical archaeological
excavation is able to provide an in-depth understanding of
the residences in question. Furthermore, geophysical surveys
are still suitable for gaining a basic overview of preserved
structures in a particular fortifcation.
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