Zprávy památkové péče 2017, 77(Příloha):1-10

Archaeological survey of the Lipany 1434 battlefield and its contribution to the recognition of a significant historical event. First stage of research

Jan Biederman¹, Petr Čornej², Lenka Militká³, Zdeněk Šámal⁴

¹ Vojenský historický ústav Praha

² Pedagogická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy

³ NPÚ, GnŘ

⁴ Česká televize

The main objective of the project, focused on a survey of the Lipany battlefield, is to clarify the localization of the area of this famous battle in Czech history, as well as to secure active archaeological heritage care for a potentially endangered site. The site has long been an attractive place for illegal visits by those using metal detectors. The aim is to document movable archaeological findings that are threatened by removal from their context without expert documentation. The basic pillar of the project is field identification and documentation of the battlefield area using standard and new methods of documentation. The primary purpose of the entire project has naturally been its multidisciplinary character.
The introductory chapter covers the testimony of written sources concerning the military conflict between the Hussite radicals and the Coalition of Catholics and moderate Utraquists on 30 May 1434 and a critical evaluation thereof. The article also focuses on hypotheses about the form of the actual conflict from the point of view of military history and seeks answers to questions regarding the possibility of preserving material evidence of a battle which, in the light of knowledge known from analogies, may be expected from archeology. The next part of the paper provides an overview of the development of archaeological research in battlefields in the Czech Republic. This section explains which methods of archaeological research were chosen and why. It is tied into the description and results of findings from a study of map material and oral history, but especially from the introductory field part of the archaeological prospecting of the Lipany battlefield itself.

Keywords: battlefield archeology, field identification, Lipany, Hussites

Published: December 1, 2017  Show citation