The extinction horizon of the Mikulčice-Valy stronghold - a revision analysis of archaological structures and anthropological material

Clarifying the causes and circumstances surrounding the collapse of Great Moravia at the beginning of the 10th century has long represented a major challenge for scholarly research. Closely connected with the disintegration of this early political entity are the circumstances and dynamics of the decline and abandonment of the principal Great Moravian agglomerations (Mikulčice, Staré Město-Uherské Hradiště, Pohansko near Břeclav, Znojmo, etc.). This thesis addresses the issue on two interconnected levels. The first part is conceived as a review of previously published data concerning the latest occupational phases and the destruction horizons of the above-mentioned key Great Moravian centres. Particular attention is paid to potential evidence of conquest and destruction. The second part of the thesis consists of a case study of the destruction horizon at Mikulčice. It is based on a revision of the archaeological excavation of area Z1969-I, conducted in 1968-1969 on the acropolis of the hillfort. This section includes a new processing and evaluation of the original documentation, as well as a reconstruction and interpretation of the find contexts using current methodological approaches and scholarly insights. Special attention is devoted to the anthropological assessment of the excavated skeletal...