Archeologický výzkum odhalil dávnou tradégii na velkomoravském Hradišti ve Znojmě

An extremely interesting find situation excavated by archaeologists at the Great Moravian hillfort of Saint Hippolytus in Znojmo has provided data for a description of an ancient tragedy. Several settlement features destroyed by a fire were excavated by archaeologists in the southwestern part of the fortified bailey near the inner side of the main fortification, which was also affected by a large fire. Two of them deserved particular attention. It was a partly sunken dwelling (feature nr. 542) and a rainwater cistern (feature No. 543) adjoining the external side of the southwestern corner of the dwelling. A partial skull of a circa sixtyyearold individual together with pottery shards was found in the upper part of the cistern infill. A skeleton of a circa sixyearold boy with a knife next to his palm was excavated in the ashy, debris containing layer just above the cistern’s bottom. The boy was probably thrown into the cistern. Author of the paper attempts to unravel this ancient tragedy. On the basis of the accompanying finds he makes a direct connection to a conquest of the hillfort by the ancient Hungarians in the first half of the 10th century AD.