Search for the Site of the St Matthew’s Day Battle in Vastemõisa, Viljandi County

Abstract

In 2024, metal detectorists conducted their seventh search for the site of the St Matthew’s Day Battle (1217), this time in the village of Vastemõisa. A total area of approximately 30 hectares was searched with metal detectors. There were 100 detectorists and 7 documenters. Some flint fragments were found in the search area, which are associated with known Stone Age human activity in the Vastemõisa region. The oldest metal find was a bronze sestertius minted at the end of the reign of Roman Emperor Commodus in 192 AD. A copper alloy bracelet, glass beads, and ceramics may also date back to the Roman Iron Age. Most of the coloured metal objects were jewelry and metal parts of clothing. Among them were also items from the 11th–13th centuries. The results of the fieldwork show that settlement in the early modern location of Järavere village began as early as prehistoric times. This also rules out the possibility that the St Matthew’s Day Battle in the 13th century took place there.