Spatial analysis of pottery presence at the former Pobedim hillfort (an archeological site in Slovakia)

Abstract

The aim of this study was a spatial analysis of the pottery occurrence (potsherds) in the acropolis part of the Pobedim hillfort (Slovakia) using two spatial statistical methods (spatial autocorrelation and kriging interpolation) with the help of GIS and their subsequent comparison. To understand the landscape of the study area, seven land use maps were created for different historical years (1783-1785, 1845, 1882, 1956, 1971, 2010 and 2017) confirming that the study area was predominantly utilized as arable land, which was related to advantageous floodplain location between the rivers of Hornỳ Dudváh and Dubová. Using the Moran coefficient of spatial autocorrelation, it was found that there were seven high-high clusters and three high-low clusters representing the occurrence of potsherds. Using the kriging interpolation, three clusters of high concentration were found. Subsequent comparison of both methods revealed three identical areas with high frequency of pottery occurrence indicating places where significant settlement objects were located, such as the dwelling of a wealthy man, pottery workshop and the like. The difference between the areas with high number of potsherds between the two methods is approximately 12%, which indicates an acceptable match between the two methods and their applicability for spatial (geographic)-archaeological research.