ŽMOGUS PRIEŠ GAMTĄ: RELJEFO TRANSFORMAVIMAS ĮRENGIANT XIII–XIV A. KERNAVĖS PILĮ IR JO SUKELTI EROZINIAI PROCESAI

Abstract

Hillfort fortifications served not only a defensive function but were also an expression of social status. Therefore their scale and the work involved in their creation could be an important feature in attempting to distinguish the centres of power in a settlement system. Pursuant to this point-of-view, the article analyses the fortifications and the relief modification work carried out in creating of 13th–14th-century Kernavė Castle, which consists of four separate hillforts. This analysis made use of a 2018–2019 survey, which was conducted especially for this purpose and included boreholes, GPR profiles, and test pits, and also made use of previous excavations. Stratigraphical data collected in a wide territory allowed to the reconstruct the palaeorelief, which existed prior to the creation of the hillforts, and the modifications made to it. Moreover, it also revealed the connection between the relief transformation works and the natural geodynamic processes. The investigation showed that the creation of the hillforts caused largescale erosional processes, which critically influenced the development of both the castle and the town founded around it. The article raises the hypothesis that the loss of the administrative significance of Kernavė Castle and Town in the late 14th century could have been caused by precisely these erosional processes brought about by human activities. Keywords: geoarchaeology, geophysics, hillforts, palaeorelief, erosional processes.