Continuation of excavation at the smelting workshop and settlement at the site of Hlebine – Velike Hlebine

U zaštitnim arheološkim iskopavanjima provedenim u 2017. godini na položaju Velike Hlebine kraj Hlebina, istraženi su dijelovi talioničke radionice za preradu željezne rude i ostaci naselja. Pomno odabrana pozicija dviju sondi ukupne površine 884,81 m2 rezultat je geofizičkih istraživanja koja su provedena na površini od jednog hektara. U istraženom radioničkom kompleksu pronađene su veće i manje jame sa zapečenim dnom, zapunjene talioničkim otpadom, čija se primarna funkcija može vezati uz izradu, pripremu ili obradu sirovine i resursa potrebnih za obavljanje ove djelatnosti. Na temelju okolnosti pronalaska zaključuje se o vremenu funkcioniranja radionice na razmeđi kasne antike i ranoga srednjeg vijeka. Osim dijela talioničke radionice istraženi su i dijelovi naselja kojeg prema značajkama keramičkog materijala iz objekata valja opredijeliti u ranosrednjovjekovno razdoblje.At the archaeological excavations carried out at the site of Velike Hlebine near the present-day settlement of Hlebine in Podravina (Croatian Drava River Basin; Koprivnica-Križevci County), for 15 working days in the period from September 25 to October 11 in 2017, two trenches were opened with a total surface area of 884.81 m2 (Fig. 1). The trenches were carefully selected and precisely placed according to the results of geophysical investigation carried out over an area of one hectare, with the aim of acquiring data about the recognition and appearance of parts of smelting workshops and corresponding elements, as well as the appearance of settlement structures from various archaeological periods. In the excavated worksite complex for smelting iron ore, large and small pits with baked bottoms were found (Figs. 2–3), filled with smelting waste (Fig. 5), whose primary function may be related to the preparation or processing of raw materials and resources necessary for performing this activity. On the basis of the circumstances of discovery, in which it was recognized that individual elements of the workshop were covered by alluvium containing pottery fragments from the early Middle Ages, it was concluded that the workshop functioned in the period between the late Roman period and the early Middle Ages, as was confirmed by radiocarbon dates