Archaeologists from the Museum in Gliwice in southern Poland discovered evidence for a motte type structure while conducting excavations at a mound in Pniów. The researchers suspected the mound served such a function in the Medieval times, but needed to confirm the thesis.

The site was initially surveyed with use of non-destructive geophysical prospection with the use of a magnetometer. The study revealed anomalies indicating presence of archaeological structures beneath the ground. During excavations shards of pottery, fragments of plaster and metal artefacts were discovered.

The excavations revealed relics of the structure in form of fragments of plaster that once covered the wooden walls of the building and a trace of the moat surrounding the motte. Inside the moat numerous shards of pottery were found, parts of pots, jugs and bowls. Among other artefacts were iron nails, fragments of a horse’s bridle, a horseshoe, belt buckle and a point of a crossbow bolt. The finds are dated to the period between 14th-15th century, when the knight’s residence functioned.

(after Nauka w Polsce & Muzeum w Gliwicach)