Environment and Economy of the Early Medieval Settlement in Žatec

Research at Žatec, Czech Republic, reveals an early agricultural shift to a three-field system by the 11th century, predating the broader High Medieval transformation typically associated with the 13th century. Archaeological and archaeobotanical analyses of urban layers, macroremains, pollen, and charcoal samples—collected primarily from sunken settlement features and fortifications—demonstrate a transition from dominant naked wheat cultivation in the 9th–10th centuries to increased rye and winter crop weeds by the 11th century. Pollen data also indicate extensive deforestation and a shift toward synanthropic taxa, while charcoal analysis shows a prevalence of pine and oak, with rising fir, beech, spruce, and yew likely linked to ironworking expansion. This study provides critical evidence for the timing and environmental context of medieval agricultural intensification in Central Europe.

Kočár, P., Čech, P., Kozáková, R., Kočárová, R.,. (2010). Environment and Economy of the Early Medieval Settlement in Žatec. Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica - Natural Sciences in Archaeology, I(1-2/2010), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2010.1-2.5