The ancient fortification of Erslos Pilale

Situated in the central part of the Skuodo district region, the ancient fortification of Erslos, also known as Pilale, is a protected cultural heritage site. It is located in the village of Erslos, in the southwestern part of the Erslinė forest. To reach the site, one follows the road from Mosėdis to Ersla, turns left north, then right east after 200 meters, passing through a farmyard and traveling 600 meters past an abandoned farm to the edge of the stone forest.

The fortification is situated on low, level ground. It features an oval-shaped courtyard measuring 40 by 37 meters, which is slightly longer in the west-east direction. The site is surrounded by a stone wall 147 meters long, 1 meter high, and 7 meters wide. On the outside of this wall are remains of a ditch up to 1.5 meters wide and 0.2 meters deep. In the southwestern part of the enclosure, there is a 3-meter wide gap that marks the location of a gate.

Covered by mixed forest, the site spans an area of 0.55 hectares and was included in the register of archaeological sites in 2005. The fortification dates from the first millennium to the beginning of the second millennium. During research in 1971, an unclear iron object was found in the northern part of the courtyard.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons