Raudžių (Nemunijos) piliakalnis – užmirštas pietų Skalvos archeologijos ir istorijos paminklas
Raudžiai (Nemunija) Hillfort – Forgotten Archaeological and Historical Monument of Southern Scalovia

Summary/Abstract: The article describes Raudžiai (Nemunija) hillfort located in the southern part of the historical region of Scalovia, the territory of Karaliaučius (Ger. Königsberg, Rus. Kaliningrad) Region, close to the confluence of the Nemunas and the Šešupė rivers. Though this archaeological and historical monument has been addressed by the authors Johan M. Guise, Eduard Gisevius, Jonas Basanavičius, Hans Crome, the hillfort has to this day been almost unknown to Lithuanian and foreign researchers. In 2011 the hillfort was rediscovered, measured and described by the author of the article, historian, as well as archaeologist Valdemaras Šimėnas. The bulk of the hill previously belonged to the village of Raudžiai (Ger. Raudszen, Rus. Rjadino). A small estate of Nemunija (Ger. Nemonge) was previously located in the immediate vicinity of the hillfort; therefore, the monument now has two names. The coordinates of the hillfort in the centre of the enclosure are N 55°02‘57.0“ E 22°13‘16.4“. The hillfort was erected on a massive, oval hill. Its fortifications are highly complex and massive. It features the upper enclosure and a bowl-shaped lower enclosure. It is encircled by two ramparts. The hillfort is approximately 250 m long and around 150 wide. It stands out from other hillforts located in Scalovia for its size; it distinguishes by massive forms. The hillfort can be connected to the 13th-14th century written sources. In fact, the statement that this location should be identified with the Scalovian castle Sassowia, Sassow attacked by the Teutonic Knights circa 1276 deserves a cautious evaluation. It is more likely that in 1360 the Teutonic Knights erected a short-lived Scalovian (Czalwen in the chronicle) castle at this site. The research of the history of the settlements located in the neighbourhood of the hillfort revealed that before the 16th century the village of Sokaičiai (Ger. Sokaiten) located in the vicinity was known as Lagučiai (Legutten, Legutt in the sources). The first mention of the village by the old name dates as far back as 1394.

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