Das Land der Besunzane und Milzane – die Urheimat der Obersorben

Abstract

The Land of the Besunzane and Milzane – the Original Homeland of the Upper Sorbs

The oldest settlement area of the ancestors of the today’s Upper Sorbs, which stretched from the Neiße valley in the east to the upper reaches of the Schwarzer Elster and ist tributaries in the west, is regarded as the original homeland of Upper Sorbs. Using the typology, geography and the stratigraphy of place names, along with soil science, this is an attempt to discover the oldest settlement centres, from which further land development ensued. This investigation also takes into account Slav archaeological finds, forms of settlement as well as proper names, in order to reconstruct the conditions of the oldest Slav settlements, which are illustrated by six maps. I also discuss the names of the tribes and territories, Besunzane, Milzane, Milsca and Zagôst, which are the subject of controversy for researchers.