Archeological "hillocks" represent old "soil fortresses" or other types of fortified settlements. The notion of "hillock" takes its origin from the Slavic language (
"gradisce" or
"gorodisce", i.e. site of ancient settlement) and has been preserved in the toponymy of many Basarabian villages as "Horodiste". Archeologists have come to a curious conclusion that in localities, where even today have been preserved such names as "citadels", "fosses", "Orhei", "Palanca", etc. there have been found certain traces of authentic prehistoric, antique or medieval hillocks.
As for the exploitation of hillocks, they might have served for permanent living or as an asylum in the case of invasion. A hillock, meant to serve for short periods of refuge, was discovered by the archeologists in the neighborhood of the village of Hansca. Rich relief of the current Republic of Moldova conditioned the appearance of many types of hillocks: hillocks settled on tops or summits of the hills, such as the ones in Rudi, Slobozia-Cremene, Radi-Ceresnovat, Vertiujeni, Napadova, Rasco, Caterinovca, Oliscani, Trebujeni, etc. and hillocks, settled on abrupt banks of the rivers and precipices, such as the ones in Butuceni, Lipnic, Curatura, Stolniceni, Ofatinti, etc. From the typological point of view, hillocks may be quadrilateral or annular-shaped. Hence, the "At fosses" hillock in the neighborhood of the village of Mateuti is circular-shaped, whereas the "At fortress" hillock, located nearby the village of Costesti, is quadrilateral. Oval or round shaped are the hillocks, located not far from the villages Echimauti, Tareuca, Popauti. The hillock located in the village of Rudi (Donduseni), nicknamed by people as "Turk's Plate", is annular-shaped. One of the most resistant "hillocks" is considered to be the one founded by Gaeto-Dacians in the neighborhood of the village of Hansca in the 4-3rd centuries BC. Along 23 centuries traces of human habitat have been preserved in this rectangular-shaped fortified settlement. Along with archeological sites, hillocks represent the richest and the most diversified type of human settlements dating from prehistoric, antique and medieval epochs.
