Archaeological investigation of the ground floor interior in tower „C“ of the Veliki Tabor castle in 2009

Odjel za kopnenu arheologiju Hrvatskog restauratorskog zavoda proveo je arheološko istraživanje u prizemlju kule „c“ Dvora Veliki Tabor u ljeto 2009. godine. Istraženi su zapadni i istočni dio kule do razine sterilnog sloja laporaste zdravice, a središnji je dio zbog statičke sigurnosti kule istražen samo površinski. Istraženi arheološki slojevi pripadali su nekadašnjem otpadnom materijalu koji je uz slojeve sterilne gline bio iskorišten za nasipavanje unutrašnjosti kule pri njezinu niveliranju. Pri dnu istočnog dijela kule pronađen je sloj zapečene zemlje koji je potjecao od strukture defnirane kao ognjište. Taj je sloj radiokarbonskom analizom datiran u vrijeme od druge polovice 13. st. do kraja 14. st. Južno uz ognjište pronađeni su i ostaci nekadašnje drvene palisadne ograde. Glavninu pokretnog arheološkog materijala čine ulomci grube kuhinjske keramike i životinjskih kostiju. Izdvojeno je i nekoliko ulomaka finije stolne keramike koji svjedoče o luksuznijem životu tadašnjeg plemstva. Pokretne nalaze okvirno je moguće datirati od kraja 14. do početka 16. stoljeća.Veliki Tabor castle is one of the best preserved fortresses in continental Croatia. In the course of many centuries it changed owners and underwent numerous alterations and upgrades. The castle is structured around the late Gothic tower and palace, surrounded by the early 16th century Renaissance ring of defense in the form of a horse-shoe, comprising four towers. Historical sources mention Veliki Tabor for the first time in 1502, that is, we find it in the documents which accompanied Ivaniš Korvin’s donation of the castle to the noble family Rattkay. However, the original builders of the tower and the palace remain unknown. Fortresses appeared on the Croatian territory in the 13th and 14 century. Land Archaeology Department of the Croatian Conservation Institute conducted archaeological research in the tower “C” ground foor in the summer of 2009, and the works were financed by the Ministry of Culture as a part of the project that envisaged several years of conservation and restoration work on it. Archaeological excavations in the interior of the tower “C” ground foor, in terms of the layout, the smallest of the four towers, were aimed at its western and eastern part all the way to the level of the sterile humus layer of marl, while its central part remained only superficially explored for static security reasons. Excavations in the eastern part led to the discovery of a layer of baked earth, originating from the structure defined as a fireplace. Radiocarbon analysis dated it to the period between the second half of the 13th and the end of the 14th century. South of the fireplace, remains of the former wooden palisade fence were found. Movable archaeological finds from tower “C” originate from the period between the late 14th and early 16th century. Although the excavated surface of the tower is small compared to the previously explored area of the Veliki Tabor castle, it seems that the research in the tower resulted in an array of new and interesting information. Most finds are fragments of coarse pottery intended for everyday use. Its forms, and the way they are decorated, belong to a common inventory of late medieval pottery. Also featured are more luxurious, imported specimens, such as the fragments of Spanish majolica and Celje style glasses. The finds include fragments of a ceramic pot with seals around the perimeter, belonging to Austrian ceramics. Other ceramic, metal and glass finds belong to the usual inventory of late medieval forts, old towns and also villages. Fragments of simple bowl-shaped tiles, ceramic tiles, glass window panes, a bronze thimble for sewing, tile fittings, iron crossbow arrowheads and rife ammunition provide interesting information about what a late medieval city looked like, but they also tell us about some activities that must have taken place there. A special find from tower “C” is the silver one-sided pfennig that was minted in Salzburg in 1508 for Leonhard von Keutschach (1495–1519). The treated material is closest to the analogies found in the Vrbovec burg. Numerous analogies come from the wider area of Slovenia, Serbia, Austria and Hungary. The luxurious life of the nobility of the time is signalled by the remains of delicacy sea shells and snail shells they feasted on. The layers these finds originate from probably entered the tower during its construction in the early 16th century, when former waste material was used for levelling. Most of the movable items should be placed in the 15th century which, as seen by numerous similarities between the archaeological finds, was marked by the great influence the Counts of Celje had on our region