The doctoral thesis examines settlement patterns and the role of hillforts in the northern part of the territory of the Dolenjska Hallstatt cultural group during the 5th and 4th Centuries BC. The research area stretches from Kamnik and its surroundings, across the Posavje Hills to Radeče, where numerous new archaeological sites, primarily hillforts have been identified in recent years, mainly through the use of LiDAR data. The main research question concerns the role of smaller, often peripheral hillforts that emerged in this region only during the Late Hallstatt period. The study is based on a combination of material culture analysis, spatial analyses using GIS tools, statistical methods, and theoretical concepts of processual and post-processual archaeology.
The results show that hillforts were strategically located in visually prominent positions, often near presumed communication corridors and ore deposits. Modeled movement and visibility networks indicate a high potential for close connectivity between hillforts and suggest the existence of local hillfort communities.
Despite methodological limitationsm particularly the lack of systematic excavations, the dissertation offers a new perspective on the spatial organization of the studied area. It highlights the importance of connections between hillforts within the Iron Age landscape and proposes an analytical framework that is also applicable to broader archaeological spatial studies.
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