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2010 Archaeological Excavations of Vrbovec Castle in Klenovec Humski
Tatjana Tkalčec
orcid.org/0000-0003-3963-7706
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
In the period from 14 to 29 June and from 9 to 22 October 2010, the Institute of Archaeolog y continued systematic archaeological conservation excavations of Vrbovec Castle, also known by the name of Plemićki Grad Vrbovec, on the site of Veliki Gradiš or Veliko Gradišče in Klenovec near Hum na Sutli.
The Institute of Archaeolog y began exploring the castle some twenty years ago. More recently, regular systematic excavations and conservation of the walls have been conducted, lasting for as long as financial means allow, which is unfortunately only two or at the most three weeks a year. In 2010, Vrbovec Castle was presented to the general public through a museum exhibition entitled The Time of Fortresses: Plemićki Grad Vrbovec na Sutli, which was the result of co-operation between the Museum of Hrvatsko Zagorje and the Institute of Archaeology. The exhibition opened on 13 October 2010 in the Gornja Stubica Peasants’ Revolt Museum. A scientific monograph was also presented, bearing the title Burg Vrbovec u Klenovcu Humskome: Deset sezona arheoloških istraživanja [“Vrbovec Castle in Klenovec Humski: Ten Seasons of Archaeological Excavations”] Zagreb 2010, in which authors from other scientific disciplines participated with their contributions.
The 2010 archaeological excavations took place on all sides outside the castle’s peripheral wall in order to prepare the area for tours around the noblemen’s town. The layer of recent humus and ramparts on the site’s slopes, created by removing and depositing earth and rubble in previous archaeological excavations, was removed. Precise works (including the sifting of the entire excavated material) went on inside the entrance structure annexed to the peripheral wall of the castle’s core on its north-eastern side. It was concluded that the structure was built in the Romanesque style during an early stage of the castle, i.e. in the 13th century. The excavation of certain archaeological layers, commenced in past campaigns, was completed and several new layers unearthed. In terms of moveable goods, the find of a flint tool in the 13th-century layer needs to be pointed out, suggesting human habitation of the area in the prehistoric period. This had already been confirmed in previous campaigns by finds of pottery shards which can be dated to the Aeneolithic period. Numerous ceramic vessel shards, a relatively smaller number of stove tile fragments, as well as animal bones and iron hammered nails were also found. In addition, there is the noteworthy and attractive find of a fragment of a Loštice beaker, which can be dated to the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, and also several finds of fragments of glass.
After archaeological excavations, conservation and consolidation work was conducted on the unearthed architectural structures.
Keywords
castle; 13th-16th centuries; profane architecture; Romanesque period; Gothic period; archaeological excavations; architecture conservation; Klenovec Humski; Hrvatsko Zagorje
Hrčak ID:
89824
URI
Publication date:
25.10.2011.
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