Fortification architecture in 10th and 11th century in Central Europe. Early medieval fortification of Žatec.

The master's thesis intends to depict the situation of fortification constructions in Central Europe in 10th and 11th centuries. It emphasizes relations of the Czech area and west part of Central Europe. The first part analyzes four new excavations of the Žatec fortification, dist. Louny, especially the excavations in the line of the bailey fortification. The line of young hill fort period fortification of the acropole serves as a basis for further study of the topics in question. The valuable site illustrates many phenomena which are described in the theoretical part. It surveys origins of fortification technologies, their development in the studied period and determines the position of the Žatec fortification in the corresponding context. The study for lack of ceramics focuses mainly on the analysis of stratigraphic situations and compares all available stratigraphic features which come form the excavation of the garden of the Municipal Theatre. The thesis tests one of ways how to process field data from fortification excavations and studies appropriate possibilities of further employment of the presented methods in analogous situations. Key words Early Middle Ages - fortification - Žatec - frontal stone mantl