Medieval Church Wall Uncovered in Slovakia

ZVOLEN, SLOVAKIA—The Slovak Spectator reports that construction work in central Slovakia’s town of Zvolen uncovered remains of a wall that was built in the thirteenth century around the local church. The section of wall uncovered by the recent excavation stood until 1811, when the cemetery next to the church was redeveloped. Archaeologist Ján Beljak said the church alone may have been fortified because the small community could not afford to encircle the whole town. Based upon the width of the base of the wall, he added, it was probably very tall. Beljak and his team also found a well under a concrete slab at the site. “Several urban houses used to have their own well, but most of the people depended on the water from the public wells,” added Róbert Malček of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. “This was one of them.” To read about a Roman silver belt and other high-status artifacts unearthed outside Bratislava, go to "World Roundup: Slovakia."