As powerful economic and cultural centers, fortified sites played an important role in early medieval society. In Central Europe, early medieval fortified site research has been an essential topic for several generations. However, gradual changes in the landscape are a threat to these cultural heritage monuments. The main task of this paper was to compare the previous results from archaeological excavations with new data acquired by geophysical methods. The presented study is based on the three methods widely used in archaeology: magnetometry, ground-penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity tomography. New surveys provide information about the internal structure and the state of preservation of the fortifications in a non-destructive way. Comparison of the results encourages the evaluation of archaeological excavation and helps determine the suitability and effectiveness of geophysical methods in specific natural conditions.

In the vicinity of Hrušovany nad Jevišovkou, historians have recorded numerous deserted medieval villages, including Martinice and Johannesdorf. The village of Martinice first appeared in written sources in the first half of the 12th century and re-emerged rom obscurity during two major military conflicts that shaped Czech history. Despite the efforts of many historians and archaeologists, its exact location remained unknown for centuries. Recent nterdisciplinary research, however, has provided new insights. By combining data from aerial laser scanning, surface collections, metal detector surveys, and analyses of historical written and cartographic sources, it was possible to locate the deserted village in a forested area near Emin Château (Emmahof), built in 1882, at the northern tip of the cadastral area of the municipality of Šanov (Znojmo District). In addition to a small manorial residence, written records also mention a church in the village. Based on digital elevation model analysis, a ground-penetrating adar (GPR) survey was conducted on a gentle elevation in the eastern part of the site. The results revealed the remains of a masonry structure whose layout and orientation suggest it could represent the remains of a single-nave church. The village of Johannesdorf first appeared in written sources in 1669, where it was already recorded as deserted. A study of historical maps confirmed that the name Johannesdorf emerged in the Early Modern period as a later designation for the remains of the deserted medieval village of Martinice.

Geophysical surveys in Pliska and Veliki Preslav (Bulgaria) brought a breakthrough in our view of the appearance of early medieval centres in the Balkans. Urban planning on a scale of dozens of hectares has been documented for the first time. It has been found that wooden buildings massively accompany masonry architecture. Using a magnetic survey, we have been able to define the road network and functionally specific areas.

The combination of non-invasive methods and written historical and map sources brought a lot of new information about the phenomena of enclosed medieval villages in the region of South Moravia. The research revealed how the village’s ground plan looked like, how it evolved, what the possible function of the village’s ditch enclosure was, what it may have looked like, or how and from where this type of settlement got into this region. The magnetic survey also indicated from what materials the individual village houses could have been built. The research also resulted in new information on the transformation of the settlement network in the investigated region in the Middle Ages.