Bridges and river archeology in Mikulčice (thesis)

The article summarizes the current state of knowledge of bridges and river channels in the 9th century Mikulčice. It defines the basic themes of a new project, which is expected to synthesize unique large-scale excavations of filled -up river channels in Mikulčice. The excavations took place between 1966 and 1984 and yielded wooden structures and artefacts — uncommon for this region. The main focus of this article is the structural features and dating of three archaeologically documented wooden bridges. Two of the structural designs are specific to the local water features. Bridge designs include classical river structures used by Celts and Romans, as well as a design similar to lake bridges known from regions settled by north-western Slays. The most well preserved bridge (No. 1) allows dendrochronolo gical dating and detailed reconstruction. Many questions remain unanswered regarding bridges, archaeological and palaeoecological reconstructions offilled-up oxbows.