Tállya-Óvár : New paths in the research of hillforts in the North Hungarian Mountains

Abstract

Altogether 44 Late Bronze and Early Iron Age hillforts have been identified in the territory of Hungary thus far. The since-legendary topographic work by Gyula Nováki, in which he has discovered, surveyed, and described sites that were already known during the 19th century and new ones, represented a massive leap forward in their research. The systematic survey programme started in 2006 by a dedicated team of the Institute of Archaeological Sciences of the Eötvös Loránd University (ELU, Budapest) resulted in another major expansion of the available body of information. The research team used metal detectors to survey the hillfort settlements in the region (V. Szabó 2017). Though some archaeological investigation has been carried out on every fortified settlement in the region by today, comprehensive complex evaluation was only attempted in two cases (Szilvásvárad-Kelemenszéke, V. Szabó & Bíró 2018; V. Szabó 2019, 213–224 and Tállya-Óvár). The present study surveys the methodology and current results of the investigations on the hillfort at Tállya-Óvár.