Institute of Archaeology
Topic
Rotary millstones and their importance in the early medieval economy
PhD. program
Internal/External
Year of admission
2026
Name of the supervisor
doc. PhDr. Matej Ruttkay, CSc.
Contact:
Receiving school
Comenius University Bratislava
Annotation
This doctoral dissertation focuses on the systematic investigation of rotary millstones as a key yet insufficiently synthesised source for understanding the medieval economy in the territory of present-day Slovakia. A large assemblage of archaeological finds, recovered from settlement excavations, surface surveys, and, in exceptional cases, funerary contexts, offers a unique opportunity for a comprehensive evaluation of these artefacts within both regional and supra-regional frameworks.
The primary objective of the project is a detailed archaeological, typological, and material analysis of rotary millstones, embedded within the broader context of the Middle Danube region. The research aims to identify raw material sources, production and processing technologies, and to reconstruct networks of distribution and exchange that shaped their circulation. These data will provide new insights into economic strategies, dietary practices, and everyday life in medieval society.
A major strength of the project lies in its interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeological evidence with historical and art-historical sources and supported by close collaboration with geologists, particularly in provenance studies of raw materials. The results are expected to significantly advance our understanding of the functioning of the medieval economy in Central Europe and to establish a transferable methodological framework applicable to the study of similar artefacts across Europe.
The primary objective of the project is a detailed archaeological, typological, and material analysis of rotary millstones, embedded within the broader context of the Middle Danube region. The research aims to identify raw material sources, production and processing technologies, and to reconstruct networks of distribution and exchange that shaped their circulation. These data will provide new insights into economic strategies, dietary practices, and everyday life in medieval society.
A major strength of the project lies in its interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeological evidence with historical and art-historical sources and supported by close collaboration with geologists, particularly in provenance studies of raw materials. The results are expected to significantly advance our understanding of the functioning of the medieval economy in Central Europe and to establish a transferable methodological framework applicable to the study of similar artefacts across Europe.