Varbola: on the function of an 11th to 14th-century stronghold in northwestern Estonia based on location analysis and written sources
The Varbola hillfort is one of the largest prehistoric fortifications in the eastern Baltic. Although it stands out as a major political centre in literary sources from the 13th century, and the archaeological record points to a protoÂ-town with almost a hundred households, its location has puzzled...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
| Published: |
Estonian Academy Publishers
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | Eesti Arheoloogiaajakiri |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/arch-2-2024-120-167_20241119120537.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849221158502662144 |
|---|---|
| author | Kristo Siig |
| author_facet | Kristo Siig |
| author_sort | Kristo Siig |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Varbola hillfort is one of the largest prehistoric fortifications in the eastern Baltic. Although it stands out as a major political centre in literary sources from the 13th century, and the archaeological record points to a protoÂ-town with almost a hundred households, its location has puzzled scholars for nearly a century. While Varbola has been claimed to be situated in a peripheral area not suited for the emergence of a power centre, this notion of âperipheralityâ has not been examined in a measurable way to allow for comparison with other strongholds. The article explores this issue by employing a GISÂ-based methodology inspired by site catchment analysis and quantifying the amount of fertile soils, known archaeological settlement sites, burial places and early modern manors around Late Iron Age forts in northwestern Estonia within four different radii. Results demonstrate that Varbola is actually âaverageâ in terms of centrality, rather than âperipheralâ. As Varbola is located at the edge of the area covered by the large Estonian list of the Liber Census Daniae, an important 13thÂ-century source for settlement history, it can be argued that perceptions of Varbolaâs peripherality are influenced by the âedge effectâ. Analysis of historical sources suggests that Varbola is more likely to have been a power centre than a trading hub, and its emergence might be related to the Lode magnate family. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e40231e52cb84d33a85490be86bb5792 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1406-2933 1736-7484 |
| language | deu |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Estonian Academy Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Eesti Arheoloogiaajakiri |
| spelling | doaj-art-e40231e52cb84d33a85490be86bb57922024-11-19T11:04:23ZdeuEstonian Academy PublishersEesti Arheoloogiaajakiri1406-29331736-74842024-11-01282120167https://doi.org/10.3176/arch.2024.2.03https://doi.org/10.3176/arch.2024.2.03Varbola: on the function of an 11th to 14th-century stronghold in northwestern Estonia based on location analysis and written sourcesKristo Siig0School of Humanities, Tallinn University, Narva mnt 25, 10120 Tallinn, EstoniaThe Varbola hillfort is one of the largest prehistoric fortifications in the eastern Baltic. Although it stands out as a major political centre in literary sources from the 13th century, and the archaeological record points to a protoÂ-town with almost a hundred households, its location has puzzled scholars for nearly a century. While Varbola has been claimed to be situated in a peripheral area not suited for the emergence of a power centre, this notion of âperipheralityâ has not been examined in a measurable way to allow for comparison with other strongholds. The article explores this issue by employing a GISÂ-based methodology inspired by site catchment analysis and quantifying the amount of fertile soils, known archaeological settlement sites, burial places and early modern manors around Late Iron Age forts in northwestern Estonia within four different radii. Results demonstrate that Varbola is actually âaverageâ in terms of centrality, rather than âperipheralâ. As Varbola is located at the edge of the area covered by the large Estonian list of the Liber Census Daniae, an important 13thÂ-century source for settlement history, it can be argued that perceptions of Varbolaâs peripherality are influenced by the âedge effectâ. Analysis of historical sources suggests that Varbola is more likely to have been a power centre than a trading hub, and its emergence might be related to the Lode magnate family.https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/arch-2-2024-120-167_20241119120537.pdfhillfortiron agesite catchment analysisspatial analysisgis |
| spellingShingle | Kristo Siig Varbola: on the function of an 11th to 14th-century stronghold in northwestern Estonia based on location analysis and written sources Eesti Arheoloogiaajakiri hillfort iron age site catchment analysis spatial analysis gis |
| title | Varbola: on the function of an 11th to 14th-century stronghold in northwestern Estonia based on location analysis and written sources |
| title_full | Varbola: on the function of an 11th to 14th-century stronghold in northwestern Estonia based on location analysis and written sources |
| title_fullStr | Varbola: on the function of an 11th to 14th-century stronghold in northwestern Estonia based on location analysis and written sources |
| title_full_unstemmed | Varbola: on the function of an 11th to 14th-century stronghold in northwestern Estonia based on location analysis and written sources |
| title_short | Varbola: on the function of an 11th to 14th-century stronghold in northwestern Estonia based on location analysis and written sources |
| title_sort | varbola on the function of an 11th to 14th century stronghold in northwestern estonia based on location analysis and written sources |
| topic | hillfort iron age site catchment analysis spatial analysis gis |
| url | https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/arch-2-2024-120-167_20241119120537.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kristosiig varbolaonthefunctionofan11thto14thcenturystrongholdinnorthwesternestoniabasedonlocationanalysisandwrittensources |