The stronghold in Grzybowo and its settlement base in the context of in-depth interdisciplinary research

This article covers the issues connected with the early medieval stronghold in Grzybowo, which was built in the years 919 to 923 (dendrochronological dating). Its second construction phase took place in the years 929 to 935 and another at the beginning of the next decade of the 10 th century. This complex belongs to the ‘major settlements of the early Piast state’ and has been systematically excavated since the end of the 1980s. The research conducted over the last few years (2018 to 2020), implemented within project No. UMO-2017/25/B/HS3/00016 and financed by the National Science Centre, has provided plentiful new results, but also has confirmed several older hypotheses concerning early medieval Grzybowo. Thanks to the results of this works, it was possible to demonstrate that the stronghold in the form known today (Site 1) primarily consisted of two parts, which in the 10 th century comprised one of the largest settlement complexes in the Greater Poland at that time. An important element supplementing this settlement picture is a craft settlement (Site 6), traces of which were recorded to the south and east of the stronghold. In the course of this research, both in relation to the stronghold and the craft settlement, further excavations and non-invasive research methods were implemented, including ALS LiDAR (Airborne Laser Scanning and Light Detection and Ranging), Aerial Archaeology, magnetic prospection, GPR (Ground- Penetrating Radar), ERS (Electrical Resistivity Survey) and ERT (Electrical Resistivity Tomog- raphy). When necessary and possible, the results of these analyses were verified through excavation. As a result of this combined research, the stronghold complex in Grzybowo is becoming a better understood archaeological site.354369Treasures of Time: Research of the Faculty of Archaeology of Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna