Was There an Independent Iron Production in Early Medieval Moravia?

Description

Abstract

Iron production played a crucial economic role in medieval Europe, and it was no different in the territory of today’s Czech Republic. During the existence of the 9th-century polity known as Great Moravia, iron was an essential commodity for the two most important pillars of its economy and power: the intensifying agricultural production and cross-border raids of armed groups, among whom mounted warriors represented the elite stratum of society at the time. Despite the importance of this commodity, our knowledge of iron production remains limited. One major question arises in particular: how was iron production organized, and to what extent was it regulated and controlled by the elites. Current research indicates that elites undoubtedly sponsored iron production. In the Moravian Karst, an uninhabited forested peripheral region close to the early medieval fortified centre of Staré Zámky in Brno-Líšeň, evidence of intensive iron production has been discovered. Subsequent iron processing then likely took place at other Moravian central places, with the most abundant finds coming from the former primary power centre in Mikulčice, where hundreds of kilograms of smithing slags were found.   However, close to the Moravian Karst lies another iron production region with a different pattern of evidence, the Boskovice Furrow. This area, beyond the direct reach of main power centres, shows signs of parallel, independent, small scale production activities. Ironworking sites there are much smaller and located near rural settlements. Their production thus most likely primarily served local communities, and to some extent possibly also for exchange. This talk presents current state of archaeological research on iron production in the Boskovice Furrow, and how this research can contribute to completing the picture of early medieval Moravian economy and its changes over time.