Žalov, Prague-West dist., Central Bohemian Region
Early Medieval hillfort ‘Levý Hradec’
(9th–12th cent.)
The Early Medieval hillfort called ‘Levý Hradec’ was a major Přemyslid centre and the venue for several historical events. In the 880s, Prince Bořivoj I had the first Christian church in Bohemia built there – the Church of St Clement; furthermore, St Adalbert was elected here as the second bishop of Prague in 982. The hillfort, comprising two to three separate areas (an acropolis and one or two baileys), was fortified with a wood and earth rampart with a frontal stone screen wall, a ditch and a palisade. In the vicinity of ‘Levý Hradec’ several cemeteries were located that have been partly excavated so far. The importance of the hillfort declined during the 11th century, and in the 13th century a village was built at the site.
References: Borkovský 1965; Tomková 2001, 2009; Daněček a kol. 2011; Tomková a kol. 2012.
Navigation points: N 50°10'07.89", E 14°22'26.10".
Map notes: A – acropolis; B – bailey; C – probable second bailey; D – the ‘Ve Vikouši’ ravine between the acropolis and the first bailey; E–F – Early Medieval cemeteries excavated in the clay pit during the first half of the 20th century; G – Early Medieval cemetery in the ‘Na Panenské’ site investigated in 2003-2011; H – prehistoric ‘Řivnáč’ culture hilltop settlement. Map symbols are available in the Downloads section.
Selected fulltext articles and reports for further reading. Complete bibliographical records are available in the Downloads section as the List of publications.
Archeologický atlas Čech – ŽalovTomková, K. 2009: Neuere Grabungen auf dem slawischen Burgwall Levý Hradec (Böhmen). In: Biermann, F. – Kersting, T. – Klammt, A. (Hrsg.), Siedlungsstrukturen und Burgen im westslawischen Raum, Beiträgezur Ur‐ und Frühgeschichte Mitteleuropas 52, Langenweissbach, 77–82.Tomková, K. a kol. 2013: Dva žalostné omyly aneb Ještě jednou o dvou zlatých špercích z Jírovy sbírky, Archeologie ve středních Čechách 17, 2013, 185–205.