A 1-meter thick cultural layer at a Molėtai hillfort

Pavandenės piliakalnis su gyvenviete is a unique archaeological site located in the Molėtai district of Joniškio eldership. The site features a hillfort situated on a separate mound in a marshy area on the southern bank of Lake Pravalo, which has since been reclaimed and fitted with ponds. The oval-shaped area measures 40 by 37.5 meters and rises up to 2 meters in height at its center.

Archaeological findings at the site include burnt pottery fragments, birch-marked and coarse ceramics, slag, and animal bones. The site includes a hillfort with terraces built 5 meters high on the slopes, constructed in the upper 2-3 meter section. The area is covered with hay and is periodically mowed.

Adjacent to the hillfort, a settlement covered approximately 1 hectare of land to the south and southeast. This settlement featured a cultural layer nearly 1 meter thick containing birch-marked and coarse ceramics. While much of the settlement was destroyed in the mid-1970s during the construction of ponds, a 0.4-hectare portion remains to the northwest of the hillfort, across the canal.

The site was surveyed by the Institute of History in 1965 and 1970, and its remains are preserved by the National Museum of Lithuania. It was declared a cultural monument by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on May 19, 1998.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons