(source: Branislav Caban, TASR)
Discoveries of European importance were found in the lower part of Fiľakovo Castle during the archaeological research that ended a few days ago.
Archaeologist and director of the Fiľakovo Castle Museum, Viktória Tittonová, explained that they opened four large probes this year: two at the place where toilets are supposed to be built. The new building will be embedded in the ground, so archaeologists had to research an area of 11 x 6 metres.
“We found silver coins, ceramics, pipes, knives and even vessels and sacks with the remains of grains,” Tittonová said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
However, the most interesting find is a Shia prayer disc, clay disc that Muslims put on the forehead when praying and turning toward the graves of their saints in former Persia.
“We found out what the object is in cooperation with our colleagues from Hungary,” Tittonová noted, as quoted by TASR.
It is another discovery that documents part of Fiľakovo's history from 16th and 17th century, when the town belonged to the Ottoman Empire.
Fortification walls
Archaeologists sunk two other probes near a small bastion from 17th century comprising the remains of the town fortification system.
“We wanted to follow the connection of town wall ruins to their outer part,” the director explained to TASR. During the expansive renovation in he 1980’s, two above-ground stone corners were bricked up in the bastion, showing the connection of town walls. But Tittonová said that they do not know if the walls really connected in that location or the walls were randomly located there.
This part of the research showed the remains of an older fortification phase that was accompanied with wooden palisades.
“We also have confirmed that the above-ground corner walls from the 1980’s are built on former foundations,” Tittonová noted, as quoted by TASR.
This finding is important not only in scientific terms but also the lower castle renovation project being implemented by the town as the castle owner within the Interreg project. The municipality obtained about a million euros for the revitalization of the lower castle and the partial reconstruction of the castle.
