2009/07/21 by Jiří Macháček · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Historical and Archaeological Studies #Historical Geopolitical and Social Dynamics #Medieval European History and Architecture #Chiefdom #Ninth #Interpretation (philosophy) #Politics #History #State (computer science) #Power (physics) #Ideology #Archaeology #Ancient history #Political science #Law
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1468-0254.2009.00276.x
openalex publication_date 2009/07/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Great Moravia existed in central Europe from the ninth to the early tenth century and left behind a lasting legacy in central and eastern Europe. However, the interpretation of the early medieval history of the region has always been a delicate matter. The written sources concerning Moravia do not lend themselves easily to historical interpretation. As a consequence, they have often been invoked not just for academic, but also for political debates. For modern state ideologies to effectively exploit the historical heritage of Great Moravia, two conditions must be met. First, there should be absolutely no doubt as to whether Great Moravia encompassed precisely those territories now within the borders of the states claiming to be its direct heirs. Second, firm evidence of politically advanced structures of power is required in order to justify both the name of ‘state’ and continuity to the modern age. The goal of this paper is to prove these premises on the basis of the archaeological evidence.