Strongholds, or delimited settlements. Their form, distinct from typical settlements and surrounded by some kind of rampart or other obstacle, imposes their interpretation as defensive sites. However, many of these ramparts were not of a size that could significantly ensure security. This was especially true in the oldest settlements of this type. Only over time did the enlargement and complication of "fortifications" provide real protection against threats. The construction of strongholds therefore seems to be an action dictated by more complex, often elusive today, factors. The presentation will analyze the development, transformations, and significance of strongholds in the settlement structures of the Rega River basin, starting from the oldest known objects of this type from the turn of antiquity and the early Middle Ages, through the tribal period, the beginnings of the Pomeranian state, up to the 12th century, when they lose their importance and cease to be used.
