Location and description

The hillfort in Przytok is located approx. 1 km to the north-west from Rajewo village, on a small elevation surrounded by alluvial meadows and near a spring.

The hillfort in Przytok is a lowland-type structure set on a floor plan similar to a circle, with a diameter of approx. 70-80 m, which includes a relatively low rampart and remnants of a moat originally fed by a small watercourse flowing nearby. The inner yard is encircled by an earthen rampart reinforced with wood and clay. Most probably the wooden structure was made of wooden crates around 4 metres wide. A small number of such structures were found in the inner yard, which might suggest that the hillfort was not inhabited.

History

The hillfort in Przytok was built in early Middle Ages and, according to the previous findings, it was in use between the 7th and the 9th century. It was a small building with a moat and an earthen rampart reinforced with clay and a wooden structure. Immovable objects were discovered during the surveys in the inner yard of the hillfort - pits, as well as fragments of clay pottery and animal bones.

Progress and findings of archaeological fieldwork activities 

Excavation works of the probing type were carried out in the hillfort in the years 1963-1967 by Edward Dąbrowski. In 2016 Bartłomiej Gruszka and Łukasz Pospieszny conducted non-invasive magnetic analysis, during which they established the course of excavations performed in the 1960s. Few immovable objects were discovered on the site, which allowed concluding that the hillfort might have been uninhabited. This stance is confirmed by the results of magnetic analyses, since few anomalies were identified inside the hillfort, while the anomalies on its edges indicate the remnants of the enclosing rampart.

The hillfort is accessible all year round, but it is poorly accessible during heavy rain and snowmelt (marshes of the nearby watercourse).

Author of the note Dr Krzysztof Garbacz, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Regional Branch in Zielona Góra, 30-11-2017

Bibliography

• Dąbrowski E., Badania archeologiczne nad wczesnym średniowieczem w województwie zielonogórskim, [in:] Pierwsze lata Ziemi Lubuskiej w Polsce Ludowej. Materiały sesji naukowej poświęconej XX-leciu wyzwolenia Ziemi Lubuskiej, Poznań 1967, pp. 195-196.
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• Gruszka B., Pospieszny Ł., Badania nieinwazyjne wybranych wczesnośredniowiecznych grodów w woj. lubuskim, [in:] Metody geofizyczne w archeologii polskiej 2016, Wrocław 2016, pp. 34-35.
• Tajemniczy gród w Przytoku, http://historykon.pl/tajemniczy-grod-w-przytoku/ [accessed: 30.11.2017].