Mikytų piliakalnis: A medieval hillfort in Skuodo Rajonas

Nestled in Skuodo Rajonas, Mikytų piliakalnis, known as Pilies kalnas or Pilis, is an archaeological site near Mikytų village in the Notėnai eldership. The trapezoidal site measures 25 meters long and 26 meters wide at the northeast end, narrowing to 8 meters at the southwest. At the northeast end sits a filled pedestal 40 meters long, 3 meters high, and 20 meters wide, featuring an outer slope 6 meters high that leads down to a ditch.

This ditch measures 30 meters long and 11 meters wide, behind which sits another filled pedestal 3 meters high and 18 meters wide with an outer slope 1.5 meters high. Further northeast, the remains of a third pedestal are noted, though no distinct features remain. A curved filled bank, 0.7 meters high and 6 meters wide, sits on the southwestern edge of the site, where a terrace 3 meters wide is located 3 meters below it. The slopes of the hillfort stand between 8 and 11 meters high.

Archaeological research has provided insight into the site's history. In 1938, a hoard of jewelry and weapons from the 10th to 11th centuries was found in the Šata valley, 300 meters to the north of the hillfort. Another similar hoard from the 9th to 11th centuries was discovered in 1971. The hillfort is dated from the 1st millennium to the 13th century, and its slopes were stabilized in 1999.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons