It provides valuable information about early medieval hillfort construction.

History

Based on the results of archaeological research, it can be assumed that the hillfort and the settlement outside its walls dates back to the early Middle Ages. 

Description

The hillfort in Klarów and the settlement outside its walls, referred to locally as “Horodyszcze”, “Góra Horodyska” or “Zamczysko” is located approximately 700 m south of the village centre, on a sandy hill in the Wieprz River valley, approximately 1.5 km in a straight line to the east. The hillfort occupies the north-eastern part of the hill, whereas the adjacent settlement is situated on the western side of the hill.

The hillfort with an area of approximately 0.5 ha, together with the adjoining settlement covers an area of approximately 4.5 ha. The hillfort has an oval shape with well-defined ramparts. The settlement adjoining the hillfort from the west has an oval shape too. There are preserved hillfort ramparts, separated from the hillfort with a moat.At present, the area of the hillfort and of the adjoining settlement is overgrown by deciduous forest. In the northern part of the settlement, there are farm buildings.

The settlement adjoining the hillfort has been seriously damaged and its state of preservation is still deteriorating due to the use of farm buildings and access roads in its area. 

Progress and findings of archaeological

Archaeological research was conducted in 1975 by Andrzej Kutyłowski.  During excavation works, three exploratory excavations were made at the hillside settlement and two excavations within the hillfort itself: one within the moat and one in the inner yard at the foot of the rampart.  

Surface surveys of the site as part of the ‘Archaeological Picture of Poland’ project were carried out in 1989. 

The excavations carried out in the hillside settlement yielded scarce archaeological evidence from the early Middle Ages. Most of the retrieved items come from the 11th-13th centuries. It was found that the hillside settlement had replaced a pre-existing settlement. This was evidenced by traces of the Lusatian culture and Neolithic artefacts (including the funnel beaker culture), including, most of all, fragments of clay vessels. The moat, originally 2.7 m deep but now 2 m deep, was found to contain some remnants of burnt rampart fortifications.  In a trench at the foot of the rampart, traces of burnt material were found. The two trenches excavated within the hillfort itself did not reveal any materials that would allow to establish its chronology in a more precise way.

Therefore, the fortifications can only be dated on a tentative basis.According to the information contained in the decision on inscription in the register of monuments, the hillfort is tentatively dated to the 10th-11th centuries. In the opinion of J. Gurba, the hillfort was in use in the 12th-13th centuries, whereas the hillside settlement was inhabited in the 10th-12th centuries (as evidenced by surface finds). According to the research carried out as part of the Archaeological Picture of Poland, artefacts found in the surface layer of the former hillfort date to the 11th-12th centuries, whereas the artefacts from the hillside settlement date to the 10th-12th centuries.

The heritage site is accessible to the general public.

compiled by Ewa Prusicka, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Branch Office in Lublin, 5 April 2016

Bibliography

• Kutyłowski A., Klarów, gm. Milejów, woj. lubelskie, “Informator Archeologiczny. Badania 1975 rok”, Warsaw 1975, pp. 246-247 
• Gurba J., Grodziska Lubelszczyzny, Lublin 1976, p. 23