Švédské hradby Archaeological site

Švédské hradby for Třebska are a pair of archaeological sites representing fenced locations from the Latin era. It is located in the district of Příbram in the Central Bohemian Region and probably served as centres of elite controlled over mining sites in the area. They are protected as cultural monuments.

The history of the Swedish walls is closely linked to the Latin culture, belonging to the late bronze and early iron age. This period was characterised by the development of mining and the first attempts at rice. In Bohemia, this development took place in parallel with other cultural changes in Europe. The original view that the remains of the two fenced areas were field fortifications from the Thirty Years' War was overcome by superficial archaeological research and geophysical measurements. These studies have shown the latenistic competence of objects known as Viereckschanze, which suggests their function as the seat of the elite.

The architecture of the Swedish walls is particularly interesting. The Třebsko 1 has a floor plan of 97 × 68 metres, bounded by high walls of up to 2.5 metres with a deep front moat of up to two metres. The level of these waves was initially increased, which is particularly apparent in the west corner. The entrance to the complex was probably located in the middle of the northwest side, where the terrain was artificially aligned for possible above ground structures. Inside the fence were discovered latenian finds and fragments of ceramics. On the second location, Třebsko 2, the area had a rectangular ground plan with dimensions of 80 × 70 meters. Vale died here, but Josef Ladislav Píč observed them before 1893 as gravel soil with corner outputs. A remarkable remnant is the limit in the field leading to the northeast side, which indicates the former location of the wall.

The ownership and management of these sites cannot be accurately determined by the historical sources available. However, research focused on their function as the seat of the elite, which controlled mining sites in the area. Josef Ladislav Píč and Jiří Waldhauser were among the first archaeologists to study vala and other structures in places.

Key events include the discovery of Latinese finds inside the Třebsko 1 fence, which confirmed their historical affiliation. There is also an interesting connection with nearby mineral deposits - gold, silver, copper and lead, which were already extracted in this area in the Latin period. There are also vaults around the sites with fragments of containers used for rice.

Today Švédské hradby is a protected cultural monument in Treb and attracts the attention of archaeologists and tourists. They are the only place in the Central Bohemian Region where there is a pair of fences in one cadastral territory. The localities are located on the slope of the elevation overlooking the landscape and the proximity of the water source, which is another attraction for visitors.

The visit to the Swedish walls offers a unique opportunity to become acquainted with an important period of Czech history and to understand the influence of Latin culture on the development of mining and the first attempts at rice. These sites are not only archaeological sites but also witnessed the rich history of the region, which is worth discovering.