Warfare activities have detrimental effects on terrestrial ecosystems, including soil environments. However, there is a significant gap in knowledge regarding the military impact on soils of pre-20th-century sites. Therefore, we propose fast approach to evaluate the magnetic susceptibility and element concentrations of such soils. Four artillery fortifications from the War of the Bavarian Succession (1778) located on granite and sandstone bedrock in Czechia were examined. In-situ magnetic susceptibility measurements were conducted to identify spatial variability in soil magnetic properties and determine optimal locations for soil coring. Laboratory-based analyses, including magnetic susceptibility and elemental concentration measurements using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) were performed on soil cores 30 cm long. Concentrations of As, Mn, Zn, Pb, Fe, P and S were validated by the Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). Anthropogenic contributions and contamination levels were assessed using the enrichment factor and the geoaccumulation index, with the highest levels for As, Mn, and S. Relationships between magnetic susceptibility and 15 key elements were explored through principal component analysis. Historical contamination is showed by associations between S and P; recent contamination can be found in topsoil by associations between magnetic susceptibility, As and Pb. Increased values of magnetic susceptibility and elemental concentrations of As, Ca, Mn and S in specific soil cores were connected to the most probable soldier activities. This study provides new insights into the environmental legacy of former warzones and suggests that warfare prior to the 20th century resulted in measurable environmental degradation.
Archaeological research conducted at the Mălăiești Roman Fort between 2011 and 2019 uncovered almost 90 fragments of amphorae. These fragments have been categorized based on their contents: wine, oil, and fish products. Aside from table pitchers and some amphorae likely used for local wine, most of the specimens originated from various Roman provincial exporting centers. The well-known wine exporting centers in the South Pontic region include Heraclea and Sinope. In contrast, the Troesmis X amphorae from the western Black Sea come from an unidentified center. Notably, expensive East Mediterranean wines produced in centers such as Rhodes, Kos, and Chios, as well as those from the western coast of Asia Minor, are also significant. However, only two types of amphorae provide a limited representation of Western Mediterranean centers. Regarding olive oil, it reached Mălăiești in two of the most common amphora types used in military contexts: Dressel 24 and its variant, Dressel 24 Similis, as well as Dressel 25 amphorae. Additionally, amphorae exporting fish products, primarily from the Pontic area, are important to mention. The variety of amphora types and their contents further demonstrate the Roman administration’s commitment to ensuring adequate supplies for the troops.
This study presents archaeological research conducted at the rectory in Stěbořice, which in the Middle Ages formed part of a complex comprising the Late Romanesque Church of St Nicholas (today the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady) and a farmstead that served as the administrative offices for the estates of the Velehrad Monastery in the Opava region. Field excavations uncovered the basement of a wood-clay structure, which was connected to other sunken structures and two grave pits. One of these contained the remnants of an iron sickle, probably used as a precaution against vampires. Pottery finds have made it possible to date most of the structures to the 13th century, while a smaller collection of pottery fragments from the 8th/9th–10/11th centuries indicates the presence of an earlier settlement at the site.
This article deals with the spatial land arrangement and settlement pattern of historic rural areas, basedon geometrical analysis of built-up areas and field systems. The sites were evaluated through the lens ofmedieval agricultural colonization and land tenure, incorporating local and imported settlement rights -emphyteusis. The quest for a method based on land surveyors' use of a knotted cord is followed by aninterest in cadastre border delineations, field systems, and village patterns. This benefits from historicalland registers and cadastres. Within regional planning, they can be used for urban regeneration, especiallyin partially abandoned rural areas affected by the disruption of patterns.
