VRÁBLE-FIDVÁR – CENTRÁLNE SÍDLISKO EURÓPSKEHO VÝZNAMU. OSÍDLENIE ZO STARŠEJ DOBY BRONZOVEJ

The archaeological site Vráble-Fidvár belongs to one of the most well-known sites in Slovakia. Current field activities have been realized since 2007 within the framework of the joint Slovak-German project the aim of which has been to explore the origin, development and the fall of the fortified settlement from the viewpoint of a broad spectrum of research disciplines. A geo-magnetic survey detected several components from Prehistory and Proto-history. Field-walking survey and excavation were carried out in different areas within the large settlement complex from the Early Bronze Age. They showed that the houses in the central part of the settlement (acropolis) differed from others in their architecture and building materials. Eastward and southward from the fortification, there are dozens of storage pits which may the evidence of different reserve management. The burial ground was located approximately 300 m south of the fortified area. Up till now there have been excavated 37 graves dated to the Únětice Culture; an absolute majority of them were secondarily opened. An important aspect of the formation of the Early Bronze Age settlement was a suitable geographical location and proximity to sources of the non-ferrous metal ores.