Zagospodarowanie przestrzenne oraz struktura umocnień
Authors: Wadyl Sławomir 
Published: December 2022

The settlement complex at Pasym was made up of a hilltop stronghold, built on the highest point of the Ostrów Peninsula, and a settlement at the foot of the hill, on its south and east sides. The stronghold’s defences covered a stretch of 36 m. They included: rampart, which originally enclosed the central space on the peninsula side; a cobbled platform; and four dry ditches encircling the entire hill (Fig. 5.1). The rampart has been badly damaged by agricultural activities, and only its base is still discernible. It was most probably of earthen construction. The rampart had a maximum width of 7.5 m. It was separated from the stronghold interior by a shallow ditch overlain by a cobbled surface. This created a kind of paved platform that served as a communication route. The first of the ditches was dug at the foot of the rampart. Like the others, it surrounded the hill on the peninsula side. It was 5.5 m wide and its fill was over 1 m thick in many places. The second ditch was located 5 m east and south of ditch 1. It was up to 6.5 m deep. The height difference between the top and bottom of the ditch was just less than 1 m. The third ditch lay to the east and south of ditch 2. It was of modest dimensions, with a width of 2–3 m. The fill of this ditch was 1.2 m thick. The last of the ditches was 2.5–3 m away from ditch 3. It was by far the smallest one, measuring 1.8 m wide and no more than 0.5 m deep. The remains of palisades were discovered along the west and north-west edge of Okrągła Góra. One structure was recorded along the entire length of the hill’s perimeter and there were also several shorter sections. The latter may have been fences marking the boundaries of individual homesteads. The plateau of the stronghold measures 46×35 m. The remains of six dwellings (D1–D6) were discovered near its eastern perimeter (Fig. 5.7). These were divided into two groups: 1) those of large, regular shape – to which buildings D4, D5 and D6 were classified; 2) and those which were smaller and had more irregular ground plans – namely, buildings D1, D2 and D3. As the upper strata had been damaged, it was difficult to determine the structural details of these houses. Only feature 4, associated with building D4, was found to contain postholes, indicating that it was of post-built construction. However, none of the buildings themselves had any postholes, which probably indicates that they were log-built. Numerous lumps of daub were found inside these dwellings, evidencing the remains of walls and floors. Evidence recorded in buildings D1, D3, D4 and D5 showed that they had been divided into several parts. As well as their obvious residential use, they also undoubtedly served as work spaces. It is easiest to attribute a function to the elongated part of building D3, which represents the remains of a weaving workshop. It was not possible to ascribe a specific craft or trade to the remaining buildings. The tools, antler blanks and items associated with jewellery making recovered from these buildings show that the people who lived in them carried out a variety of tasks. None of the larger dwellings were discovered in the central part of the stronghold. This area was probably kept free from buildings of this type. The only features recorded there were small refuse pits and numerous postholes. It is highly likely that this was a public space. A fairly large settlement adjoined the stronghold on the south and east sides. Pits associated with this settlement were discovered at the outer edge of ditch 4. A wealth of settlement evidence came to light in trench 3/17. According to estimates, the settlement covered an area of around 1 ha. The type and thickness of deposits recorded in trench 3/17 suggest that this was the central part of the settlement. Given that only a limited part of the area at the foot of the stronghold has been examined, it is not possible to reconstruct the details of its layout.