A first-millennium hillfort fragment on the Mikasa river

Norkūnų I piliakalnis is a hillfort and settlement site located in the Prienai district, west of Norkūnai in the Balbieriškis eldership. The site is reached from the Balbieriškis - Dubiai road by crossing the Mikasa river and heading southeast through a grove. The remaining archaeological site is situated on the right bank of the river.

The hillfort was built on a high point on the right bank of the Mikasa river. Today, only a 4x4 meter triangular fragment of the courtyard remains, as most of it was washed away by the river. On its eastern side, there is an embankment, behind which a 15 meter wide trench was excavated. The slope from the stream reaches a height of 20 meters.

Archaeological research shows that the site has a complex history of construction. The hillfort dates back to the first millennium. Excavations conducted by the Institute of History in 1965 revealed that the embankment was built twice - first in the first millennium, and again during the 3rd to 4th centuries. The second construction raised the embankment to 2 meters and deepened the trench. The site was also used for burials during the 16th and 17th centuries, with 34 graves discovered during research.

Nearby, to the southeast of the hillfort, is a lowland settlement on a 1-hectare plot. Research there uncovered a 20 cm thick cultural layer from the first half of the first millennium containing incised, coarse, and smooth ceramics. The site was officially declared a cultural monument in 1998, covering an area of 31,000 square meters.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons