Centralne funkcje grodów w społeczeństwach wczesnośredniowiecznych
Central functions of strongholds in early medieval societies

Summary/Abstract: Early medieval strongholds (Polish grody) are still well visible in the landscape of Central East Europe. These eminent investments must have been initiated by people of high sociopolitical status who imposed changes aimed at reinforcement of their political power. Archaeological investigations allow suggestion that at the beginning the most important was the symbolic sphere but soon strongholds became important geopolitical arguments. With the establishment of the early state the network of strongholds provided effective political-administrative control of the growing territory. With the consolidation of the dynastic ruleship grew also the importance of administrative-fiscal infrastructure. Dendrochronology indicates that building of the great majority of strongholds took place after the mid 9th century. Another treshold was in the 2nd quarter of the 10th c. when a distinct territory of ca 5000 km2 was delimited by a series of strongholds located in the central Wielkopolska. Therefrom the Piast state vigorously expanded which may be traced by the chronology of building „provincial” strongholds.

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