W kwestii typologicznej definicji tzw. „kasztelu środkowoeuropejskiego” = On the Issue of the Typological Definition of the So-called “Central European Castell”

Abstract

Typology is one of the fundamental archaeological methods that helps to organise large amounts of data and facilitates their han-dling. It is also used in castellology, where it cat-egorises castles into various types, for example, on the basis of their layout, as observed in Czech castellolog y. Among these classifications, the so-called Central European castell has proved to be particularly problematic. Nevertheless, none of the representatives within this group com-pletely aligns with the definition formulated by T. Durdík. The best-explored representatives of this group, which come closest to meeting the definition, are the castles in Písek and Kadaň. For this reason, they served as analogies for other supposed representatives, forming the basis for the conceptualisation of the original form. Re-cent research has cast doubts on their inclusion in this typological group. In contrast to the ex-amples mentioned above, there are other sites that come close to the definition, yet their clas-sification into the group of so-called Central European castell has been questioned, to say the least. The issues discussed in this article under-score the insufficient level of knowledge availa-ble regarding the representatives of the so-called Central European castell, effectively challeng-ing the legitimacy of using this type in terms of an archaeological method. A potential solution to this situation lies in reclassifying them into another typological group, preferably within the category of castles with a perimeter layout, which would allow their further use. Moreo-ver, such a merger would eliminate the artificial boundaries currently separating these related sites. Nevertheless, typology should primarily be regarded as a method that helps and simpli-fies the handling of accumulated data. Existing groups require revision to make them more ap-plicable for further research. This should not be limited to the assessment of architectural and historical qualities; it should also incorporate other approaches that have been underutilised thus far. This will help to create a more nuanced understanding and improved comprehension of castle sites.