Beltu pilskalns

ENThe article presents an evaluation of the archaeological material recovered in the course of excavation at Beltes (Padure) Hill-Fort in the context of the Metal Age living sites of western Latvia. Two phases can be distinguished in the occupation of the hill-fort: an early phase, in the Late Bronze / Earliest Iron Age, and a late phase, in the Middle/ Late Iron Age. Between the two occupation phases there was an interruption in habitation on the hill-fort lasting several centuries. In the article the palaeolandscape is characterised, as well as the structures on the hill-fort, the economy and the cultural affiliation during both occupation phases. In the early phase the hill-fort can be counted among striated pottery sites. During the late occupation phase, a settlement developed next to the hill-fort, and it became an important centre next to the River Venta, inhabited by a Finnic group, presumably Vends. Keywords: western Latvia, hill-fort, Late Bronze Age, Iron Age.