Hillside Fortress in Slovakia Mapped With Lidar

BOHUNICE, SLOVAKIA—The Slovak Spectator reports that a settlement dating back some 7,000 years has been mapped with lidar technology at Hrádok, a hill in central Slovakia, by researchers from the Slovak University of Technology. The team identified stone buildings, terraces, fields, and vineyards, in addition to a fortress and stone wall. “You can see numerous terraces, as well as remnants of stone heaps—piles of stones marking ancient vineyard boundaries—and traces of vanished cellars and dwellings,” said team member Tibor Lieskovský. The fortress was constructed after the medieval invasion of the Tartars to protect trade routes to nearby mining towns. The site later became part of a network of forts that offered protection from the Ottomans. To read more about the archaeology of Slovakia, go to "Neolithic Mass Grave Mystery."