Michaela Langová | Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences (original) (raw)
Papers by Michaela Langová
This bachelor theses deals with human skeletal remains discovered in the settlement of the Únětic... more This bachelor theses deals with human skeletal remains discovered in the settlement of the Únětice culture near Vliněves, distr. of Mělník, during the excavations between the years 2000-2004. Individual objects are compared on the basis of contents, inventory and the method of lay out of the skelets partly with each other and partly with selected comparable samples of objects without human remains. In the appendix is an anthropological evaluation carried by MUDr. Jakub Likovský, Ph.D. from the Institute of archaeology in Prague
In the year of 2007 has been in Brandýs nad Labem - Vrábí "U Vodojemu" (Central Bohemia... more In the year of 2007 has been in Brandýs nad Labem - Vrábí "U Vodojemu" (Central Bohemia) carried out an archeological exploration in the process of which has been uncovered many objects of human skeletal remains of varied kinds dated from the early bronze age. It has been found not only the burial site of the early Únětice culture but also human skeletal remains in the settlement holes, two graves in the base of the settlement holes, a barrow with a stone wreath in a preserved cultural layer and a ditch with several human bones. From the barrow and the ditch originated five radiocarbon dates that disagree with dating of these objects based on ceramics typology. Key words: Early Bronze Age, Brandýs nad Labem, cemetery, settlement, human skeletal remains
Mezi lety 2007 a 2016 byl na lokalitě Brandýs nad Labem-Vrábí v poloze "U Vodojemu" Arc... more Mezi lety 2007 a 2016 byl na lokalitě Brandýs nad Labem-Vrábí v poloze "U Vodojemu" Archeologickým ústavem AVČR v Praze, v. v. i. proveden záchranný archeologický výzkum, při kterém bylo odkryto mj. rozsáhlé sídliště starší doby bronzové. Na základě keramiky je možné ho chronologicky zařadit do mladšího období únětické kultury, typologicky lze pak nalezenou keramiku spojit s poklasickou fází únětické kultury. Nález podkovovitého příkopu přiléhajícího k terénní hraně Hrušovského potoka ukazuje na skutečnost, že sídliště bylo přibližně na počátku 2. tisíciletí př. Kr. po určitou dobu opevněno. Na základě charakteru výplně příkopu, nálezů keramiky s analogiemi v počátcích kultury mohylové i radiokarbonových dat je však zřejmé, že sídliště fungovalo dále i po zániku tohoto opevnění, a to minimálně po dobu dalších 100 let. V kontextu dalších velmi četných soudobých nálezů z katastru Brandýsa nad Labem je patrné, že poloha "U Vodojemu" byla součástí rozsáhlé sídelní ag...
Science
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health probl... more Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health problem, but its past diversity and dispersal routes are largely unknown. We generated HBV genomic data from 137 Eurasians and Native Americans dated between ~10,500 and ~400 years ago. We date the most recent common ancestor of all HBV lineages to between ~20,000 and 12,000 years ago, with the virus present in European and South American hunter-gatherers during the early Holocene. After the European Neolithic transition, Mesolithic HBV strains were replaced by a lineage likely disseminated by early farmers that prevailed throughout western Eurasia for ~4000 years, declining around the end of the 2nd millennium BCE. The only remnant of this prehistoric HBV diversity is the rare genotype G, which appears to have reemerged during the HIV pandemic.
Science Advances
Europe’s prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexp... more Europe’s prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexplored at detailed regional scales. Studying 271 human genomes dated ~4900 to 1600 BCE from the European heartland, Bohemia, we reveal unprecedented genetic changes and social processes. Major migrations preceded the arrival of “steppe” ancestry, and at ~2800 BCE, three genetically and culturally differentiated groups coexisted. Corded Ware appeared by 2900 BCE, were initially genetically diverse, did not derive all steppe ancestry from known Yamnaya, and assimilated females of diverse backgrounds. Both Corded Ware and Bell Beaker groups underwent dynamic changes, involving sharp reductions and complete replacements of Y-chromosomal diversity at ~2600 and ~2400 BCE, respectively, the latter accompanied by increased Neolithic-like ancestry. The Bronze Age saw new social organization emerge amid a ≥40% population turnover.
Science Advances
Europe’s prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexp... more Europe’s prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexplored at detailed regional scales. Studying 271 human genomes dated ~4900 to 1600 BCE from the European heartland, Bohemia, we reveal unprecedented genetic changes and social processes. Major migrations preceded the arrival of “steppe” ancestry, and at ~2800 BCE, three genetically and culturally differentiated groups coexisted. Corded Ware appeared by 2900 BCE, were initially genetically diverse, did not derive all steppe ancestry from known Yamnaya, and assimilated females of diverse backgrounds. Both Corded Ware and Bell Beaker groups underwent dynamic changes, involving sharp reductions and complete replacements of Y-chromosomal diversity at ~2600 and ~2400 BCE, respectively, the latter accompanied by increased Neolithic-like ancestry. The Bronze Age saw new social organization emerge amid a ≥40% population turnover.
STUDIA HERCYNIA XXIII/2, 2019
An Early‑Bronze ‑Age settlement with an enclosure was unearthed in Brandýs nad Labem in 2007–2016... more An Early‑Bronze ‑Age settlement with an enclosure was unearthed in Brandýs nad Labem in 2007–2016. The settlement pits and the ditch yielded one of the richest collections of Early Bronze Age pottery in the whole of Bohemia. Since the previous knowledge about Early Bronze Age settlements is very poor, the site of Brandýs nad Labem offers a good opportunity to introduce the typology of settlement pottery and to sketch the possi‑bilities of chronology and their relation to the burials. On the basis of the poor evidence for the classic phase of the Únětice culture and numerous analogies in the Věteřov culture, is it possible to date the ceramic ensemble to the post ‑classic phase of the Únětice culture, which in some cases contradicts the radiocarbon dates.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 2020, 12: 72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-01004-1\. Published online: 14 February 2020. 34 pages., 2019
Based on a study of animal bone finds from the Únětice Culture cemeteries (2200–1700 BC) in Bohem... more Based on a study of animal bone finds from the Únětice Culture cemeteries (2200–1700 BC) in Bohemia, Czech Republic, the study analyses selected aspects of the funeral rite in the Early Bronze Age in Central Europe. The focus is on unworked and unburned cattle, pig, sheep/goat and red deer scapulae, phalanges (+ some astragali) and ribs—significant burial phenomena in the Únětice Culture—determined as undoubtedly intentional components of funerals, that is, as grave goods. Radiocarbon and other evidence show that the phenomena existed for the whole of the Únětice Culture and perhaps longer. The presence of scapulae in 41% of the graves in the cemetery at Mikulovice and tens of other cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia, and the complete domination of phalanges among the animal bones in graves in the funerary area at Vliněves provide evidence of the importance of these customs in the funerary rite. Rib cuts certainly represent meat offerings but the meaning of isolated (unarticulated) scapulae and phalanges/astragali is difficult to determine. The hypothesis that scapulae found always singly could also be real meat offerings is difficult to accept, so further roles, whether practical or symbolic, should be considered. An earlier suggestion that scapulae were used as a trowel for digging grave pits is highly improbable, as follows from our analysis, and we were unable to confirm the use of the flat scapula as a plate for other offerings or a base for paintings. The choice of the (neartriangular) scapula to symbolise the triangle must be left in the realm of speculation. Unworked and variably positioned phalanges and astragali are unlikely to have been used for clothing or hair decoration but, based on analogies, might have been used in magic or games (amulets, tokens, dice, game pieces). The possible use of scapulae and phalanges + astragali in divination is considered in the light of ethnographic and historical records of scapulimancy and astragalomancy on four continents. As scapulae and phalanges do not usually appear together in a single grave, they could represent attributes of different social groups or statuses.
In: Meller, H. – Friederich, S. – Küßner, M. – Stäuble, H. – Risch, R. /eds./ 2019, Siedlungsarchäologie des Endneolithikums und der frühen Bronzezeit – Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Settlement Archaeology. Tagungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Halle, Band 20/I–II., 2019
Forified settlements of the Early Bronze Age and the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age in Bohemi... more Forified settlements of the Early Bronze Age and the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age in Bohemia.
Twenty-two fortified settlements whose fortifications can be dated with relative certainty to the Early Bronze Age and the early Middle Bronze Age are known so far in Bohemia. The sites in question can be divided into two types: fortified lowland sites and fortified hill-top sites (hillforts). The sites at Brandýs nad Labem-Vrábí (lowland fortification) and Vrcovice (hill-top fortification) may serve as examples of the two types. A list of the other sites i salso provided. Most of the sites date from no earlier than the end of the Early ort he start of the Middle Bronze Age. A few sites, howevewr, may date from as early as shortly after 2000 BC. The list of fortified sites is certainly incomplete and does not reflect the true historical situation. Where sites have been repeatedly fortified in the course of pre- and proto-history, it is difficult to identify the fortifications dating from the Early Bronze Age, and sites situated in forested areas or areas that have been intensively farmed are also hard to identify. The problems associated with the preservation and dating of these fortified sites are illustarted by the example of soouthern Bohemia.
In: Meller, H. – Friederich, S. – Küßner, M. – Stäuble, H. – Risch, R. /eds./, Siedlungsarchäologie des Endneolithikums und der frühen Bronzezeit – Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Settlement Archaeology. Tagungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Halle, Band 20/I–II., 2019
Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age settlements and settlement buildings in Bohemia. Despite t... more Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age settlements and settlement buildings in Bohemia.
Despite the numerous rich cemeteries from the end of the Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age (Corded Ware, Bell Beaker, Únětice), there are very few comparably informative settlement sites in Bohemia. None at all are known from the Corded Ware Culture. Only a few dozen rather irregularly shaped ‘settlement pits’ and the occasional ground plan of a house (Kozly, Vliněves) are attributed to the Bell Beaker period, but we cannot be wholly certain of these attributions. It is not until the Early Bronze Age that we have a number of extensively excavated settlement features. Apart from the site at Březno, discovered over fifty years ago, the most important is the Vliněves site in central Bohemia, which has been excavated in the last few years. As well as cemeteries from the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker Cultures and several groups of burials from the Early Bronze Age (around 300 burials in total), this approximately 25 ha site yielded dozens of house ground plans, groups and rows of storage pits, a thick occupation layer, and other settlement features from the Early Bronze Age. The 30–40 Únětice Culture longhouses so far discovered in northern Bohemia differ in length from the 18–19 distinctly shorter house ground plans from the southern Bohemian settlement at Hosty. In addition, we know around 22 fortified sites from the Early Bronze Age, located not only in southern Bohemia (e.g. Vrcovice, Dívčí kámen), but also in central (e.g. Klučov, Slaný-Slánská hora, Brandýs nad Labem), north-western (Březno u Loun) and eastern Bohemia (Plotiště nad Labem). However, the dates of the hilltop and fortified sites also require reevaluation. As for the overall settlement pattern in Bohemia, we continue to be more dependent on cemeteries than settlement features for information, since cemeteries still predominate in terms of numbers and distribution density. Apart from the densely settled Early Bronze Age cultural landscape of central Bohemia, settlement is clustered in regional groups around central locations on the long-distance trade routes. Mikulovice in eastern Bohemia and Hosty in southern Bohemia are among the most important of these centres.
During the season 2012/2013 an excavation in the cadastral area of Polabec (town of Poděbrady, Ny... more During the season 2012/2013 an excavation in the cadastral area of Polabec (town of Poděbrady, Nymburk District;
Fig. 1:A) proved abundant evidence for human occupation, namely 227 features predominantly dating
from the Early and High Middle Ages. Earlier features (and movable finds) were also present, although in limi -
ted numbers. These were almost exclusively dating from the Roman period. These finds were complemented in
2018 when up to three sunken-floored features were discovered on the opposite bank of the Elbe River (already
in the cadastral area of Poděbrady; Fig. 1:B).
The right-bank site (Fig. 3:4) is relatively well-known in professional circles, as it is an important multiperiod
site with Neolithic, Aeneolithic, Bronze Age and especially early medieval finds. A fortification system
and a linear cemetery also allegedly date back to this period (Hellich 1923). However, finds dating from the
above-mentioned Roman period were recorded as well, represented in particular by a Roman coin (Gordian III,
238–244 AD) which was found on the bank of the Elbe River (Hellich 1916). The presented study summarizes
earlier archaeological findings and complements them with new finds. In the case of the excavation at Polabec,
these were a sunked-floored Roman period hut (Fig. 6:A), several smaller features (Fig. 6:B,C) and movable material
which ended up in medieval features as an admixture (Fig. 7). Remains of a large settlement pit (Fig. 6:D)
and two less certain post/pole built houses without a distinctive archaeological record (Fig. 6:E,F) were disco -
vered in Poděbrady (site of Na Vinicích).
The core of this study is a confrontation of this state of knowledge and natural-scientific (geological and geomorphological)
data which framed and conditioned the emergence of human occupation on this site. The site
of Polabec is namely situated in a Holocene floodplain and this fact influences all attempts at interpretation of
the finds.
Three levels of the floodplain have been identified on the middle course of the Elbe River – the higher
floodplain level, the lower floodplain level and the current floodplain (Růžičková – Zeman 1994a), whereas this
arrangement has already been observed on a number of sites in the Elbe region. A Pleistocene terrace framing
the Holocene floodplain was convincingly documented on the left bank in the analyzed area (Fig. 2:5) whose
surface lay approx. 188 m above sea level. In the same way, it is also possible to identify the current floodplain
at an altitude of ca. 186 m above sea level (Fig. 2:2). A convincing terrace step (Fig. 2:E–F) which we interpret as
one of the above mentioned floodplain levels, can be seen on the eastern side of one of the test pits excavated
during the 2012/2013 season.
In the area of the village of Polabec, elevation of Pre-quaternary chalk bedrock was identified through a
series of bore holes (Matula – Tomášek 2008; 2011) which in its maximum extent reaches the water surface of the
present-day Elbe River. This bedrock can be found at the depth of 3.7 m on the site, which is a rather low value
with regard to the fact that the surface of the floodplain terrace is situated at an altitude of 187 m above sea level
and the usual water surface of the Elbe is 184 m above sea level. Bore holes along the edge of the current
floodplain confirm the existence of a firm, stony riverbed in the place where a river crossing (a ford) connecting
Polabec and Poděbrady was possibly located. In addition, the current floodplain is relatively narrow in this
area (max. 300 m) – which is diametrically different from the expanding floodplain to the east of Polabec. On
the basis of the presented archaeological findings, we are inclined to agree with the conclusion drawn by J.
Hellich, who anticipated the existence and location of the Poděbrady ford there not only in the Early Middle
Ages, but as early as the Roman period.
Archeologické Rozhledy, 2013
The article presents the results of the comprehensive research of a remarkable Únětice culture fi... more The article presents the results of the comprehensive research of a remarkable Únětice culture find situation
in central Bohemia – a barrow burial. An almost undisturbed stone ring and a burial pit from former
settlement feature were found in a cultural layer in Brandýs nad Labem – Vrábí. The grave contained two
inhumation burials one above the other and buried probably separately in time. The character of graves, their
inventories (including botanical and zoological finds) and the later treatment of the human remains show
the specific practices of the Early Bronze Age burial rite. Supported by radiocarbon dating, the chronological
identification of the unit corresponds to similar finds in Germany and Poland, however, it is in contradiction
to the conventional dating of pottery in Bohemia. The final part of the article discusses the issue
of burial barrows in the Early Bronze Age in the northern half of Bohemia.
Books by Michaela Langová
Mikulovice. Život na hraně, 2020
Publication is divided into several parts, which are essential for a comprehensive understanding ... more Publication is divided into several parts, which are essential for a comprehensive understanding of the topics of the archaeological perspective of the past. Natural conditions, such as the quality of soil or the climate, were decisive for all agriculture-dependent populations, therefore, our book addresses them in the beginning. The first bits of knowledge about the ancient inhabitants of Mikulovice began to emerge toward the end of the 19th century. Thus, we also had to include chapters from the history of archaeology of Mikulovice and its immediate surroundings - from the first findings, through the founding of the Museum Society, to the present-day archaeology, which consists mainly of rescue surveys. The largest part of attention in the book is devoted to the settlement of Mikulovice in those periods, for which no written records still existed. Due to the absence of findings from the earliest prehistorical periods - Paleolithic and Mesolithic - the book starts at the beginning of the agricultural period - Neolithic. The story unfolds more or less continually up to the threshold of history in the later Roman Period, where the prehistorical and early historical account of Mikulovice completes.
Památky archeologické, Supplementum 21, 2020
The complex detailed analysis and publication of archaeological and anthropological data and the ... more The complex detailed analysis and publication of archaeological and anthropological data and the results of numerous science analyses of archaeological and anthropological material (palaeopathology, epigenetics, isotope analysis, 14C, analyses of metal, amber, stone tools, Sr, O, C and N isotopy etc.) form an essential foundation of the first-rate, comprehensively-conceived research of prehistoric populations. The complex analysis of all skeletons using a broad spectrum of scientific analyses and the possibility of comparison with the results of analyses of material culture are extraordinary in the European context. This enables us, for example, to identify groups of graves/skeletons at the cemetery with similar qualities that could indicate the existence of groups of buried individuals with closer ties (family, interest groups, etc.), while also allowing us to study the manifestations of their behaviour, personal and group relations, health condition and dietary habits etc.
This bachelor theses deals with human skeletal remains discovered in the settlement of the Únětic... more This bachelor theses deals with human skeletal remains discovered in the settlement of the Únětice culture near Vliněves, distr. of Mělník, during the excavations between the years 2000-2004. Individual objects are compared on the basis of contents, inventory and the method of lay out of the skelets partly with each other and partly with selected comparable samples of objects without human remains. In the appendix is an anthropological evaluation carried by MUDr. Jakub Likovský, Ph.D. from the Institute of archaeology in Prague
In the year of 2007 has been in Brandýs nad Labem - Vrábí "U Vodojemu" (Central Bohemia... more In the year of 2007 has been in Brandýs nad Labem - Vrábí "U Vodojemu" (Central Bohemia) carried out an archeological exploration in the process of which has been uncovered many objects of human skeletal remains of varied kinds dated from the early bronze age. It has been found not only the burial site of the early Únětice culture but also human skeletal remains in the settlement holes, two graves in the base of the settlement holes, a barrow with a stone wreath in a preserved cultural layer and a ditch with several human bones. From the barrow and the ditch originated five radiocarbon dates that disagree with dating of these objects based on ceramics typology. Key words: Early Bronze Age, Brandýs nad Labem, cemetery, settlement, human skeletal remains
Mezi lety 2007 a 2016 byl na lokalitě Brandýs nad Labem-Vrábí v poloze "U Vodojemu" Arc... more Mezi lety 2007 a 2016 byl na lokalitě Brandýs nad Labem-Vrábí v poloze "U Vodojemu" Archeologickým ústavem AVČR v Praze, v. v. i. proveden záchranný archeologický výzkum, při kterém bylo odkryto mj. rozsáhlé sídliště starší doby bronzové. Na základě keramiky je možné ho chronologicky zařadit do mladšího období únětické kultury, typologicky lze pak nalezenou keramiku spojit s poklasickou fází únětické kultury. Nález podkovovitého příkopu přiléhajícího k terénní hraně Hrušovského potoka ukazuje na skutečnost, že sídliště bylo přibližně na počátku 2. tisíciletí př. Kr. po určitou dobu opevněno. Na základě charakteru výplně příkopu, nálezů keramiky s analogiemi v počátcích kultury mohylové i radiokarbonových dat je však zřejmé, že sídliště fungovalo dále i po zániku tohoto opevnění, a to minimálně po dobu dalších 100 let. V kontextu dalších velmi četných soudobých nálezů z katastru Brandýsa nad Labem je patrné, že poloha "U Vodojemu" byla součástí rozsáhlé sídelní ag...
Science
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health probl... more Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been infecting humans for millennia and remains a global health problem, but its past diversity and dispersal routes are largely unknown. We generated HBV genomic data from 137 Eurasians and Native Americans dated between ~10,500 and ~400 years ago. We date the most recent common ancestor of all HBV lineages to between ~20,000 and 12,000 years ago, with the virus present in European and South American hunter-gatherers during the early Holocene. After the European Neolithic transition, Mesolithic HBV strains were replaced by a lineage likely disseminated by early farmers that prevailed throughout western Eurasia for ~4000 years, declining around the end of the 2nd millennium BCE. The only remnant of this prehistoric HBV diversity is the rare genotype G, which appears to have reemerged during the HIV pandemic.
Science Advances
Europe’s prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexp... more Europe’s prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexplored at detailed regional scales. Studying 271 human genomes dated ~4900 to 1600 BCE from the European heartland, Bohemia, we reveal unprecedented genetic changes and social processes. Major migrations preceded the arrival of “steppe” ancestry, and at ~2800 BCE, three genetically and culturally differentiated groups coexisted. Corded Ware appeared by 2900 BCE, were initially genetically diverse, did not derive all steppe ancestry from known Yamnaya, and assimilated females of diverse backgrounds. Both Corded Ware and Bell Beaker groups underwent dynamic changes, involving sharp reductions and complete replacements of Y-chromosomal diversity at ~2600 and ~2400 BCE, respectively, the latter accompanied by increased Neolithic-like ancestry. The Bronze Age saw new social organization emerge amid a ≥40% population turnover.
Science Advances
Europe’s prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexp... more Europe’s prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexplored at detailed regional scales. Studying 271 human genomes dated ~4900 to 1600 BCE from the European heartland, Bohemia, we reveal unprecedented genetic changes and social processes. Major migrations preceded the arrival of “steppe” ancestry, and at ~2800 BCE, three genetically and culturally differentiated groups coexisted. Corded Ware appeared by 2900 BCE, were initially genetically diverse, did not derive all steppe ancestry from known Yamnaya, and assimilated females of diverse backgrounds. Both Corded Ware and Bell Beaker groups underwent dynamic changes, involving sharp reductions and complete replacements of Y-chromosomal diversity at ~2600 and ~2400 BCE, respectively, the latter accompanied by increased Neolithic-like ancestry. The Bronze Age saw new social organization emerge amid a ≥40% population turnover.
STUDIA HERCYNIA XXIII/2, 2019
An Early‑Bronze ‑Age settlement with an enclosure was unearthed in Brandýs nad Labem in 2007–2016... more An Early‑Bronze ‑Age settlement with an enclosure was unearthed in Brandýs nad Labem in 2007–2016. The settlement pits and the ditch yielded one of the richest collections of Early Bronze Age pottery in the whole of Bohemia. Since the previous knowledge about Early Bronze Age settlements is very poor, the site of Brandýs nad Labem offers a good opportunity to introduce the typology of settlement pottery and to sketch the possi‑bilities of chronology and their relation to the burials. On the basis of the poor evidence for the classic phase of the Únětice culture and numerous analogies in the Věteřov culture, is it possible to date the ceramic ensemble to the post ‑classic phase of the Únětice culture, which in some cases contradicts the radiocarbon dates.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 2020, 12: 72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-01004-1\. Published online: 14 February 2020. 34 pages., 2019
Based on a study of animal bone finds from the Únětice Culture cemeteries (2200–1700 BC) in Bohem... more Based on a study of animal bone finds from the Únětice Culture cemeteries (2200–1700 BC) in Bohemia, Czech Republic, the study analyses selected aspects of the funeral rite in the Early Bronze Age in Central Europe. The focus is on unworked and unburned cattle, pig, sheep/goat and red deer scapulae, phalanges (+ some astragali) and ribs—significant burial phenomena in the Únětice Culture—determined as undoubtedly intentional components of funerals, that is, as grave goods. Radiocarbon and other evidence show that the phenomena existed for the whole of the Únětice Culture and perhaps longer. The presence of scapulae in 41% of the graves in the cemetery at Mikulovice and tens of other cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia, and the complete domination of phalanges among the animal bones in graves in the funerary area at Vliněves provide evidence of the importance of these customs in the funerary rite. Rib cuts certainly represent meat offerings but the meaning of isolated (unarticulated) scapulae and phalanges/astragali is difficult to determine. The hypothesis that scapulae found always singly could also be real meat offerings is difficult to accept, so further roles, whether practical or symbolic, should be considered. An earlier suggestion that scapulae were used as a trowel for digging grave pits is highly improbable, as follows from our analysis, and we were unable to confirm the use of the flat scapula as a plate for other offerings or a base for paintings. The choice of the (neartriangular) scapula to symbolise the triangle must be left in the realm of speculation. Unworked and variably positioned phalanges and astragali are unlikely to have been used for clothing or hair decoration but, based on analogies, might have been used in magic or games (amulets, tokens, dice, game pieces). The possible use of scapulae and phalanges + astragali in divination is considered in the light of ethnographic and historical records of scapulimancy and astragalomancy on four continents. As scapulae and phalanges do not usually appear together in a single grave, they could represent attributes of different social groups or statuses.
In: Meller, H. – Friederich, S. – Küßner, M. – Stäuble, H. – Risch, R. /eds./ 2019, Siedlungsarchäologie des Endneolithikums und der frühen Bronzezeit – Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Settlement Archaeology. Tagungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Halle, Band 20/I–II., 2019
Forified settlements of the Early Bronze Age and the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age in Bohemi... more Forified settlements of the Early Bronze Age and the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age in Bohemia.
Twenty-two fortified settlements whose fortifications can be dated with relative certainty to the Early Bronze Age and the early Middle Bronze Age are known so far in Bohemia. The sites in question can be divided into two types: fortified lowland sites and fortified hill-top sites (hillforts). The sites at Brandýs nad Labem-Vrábí (lowland fortification) and Vrcovice (hill-top fortification) may serve as examples of the two types. A list of the other sites i salso provided. Most of the sites date from no earlier than the end of the Early ort he start of the Middle Bronze Age. A few sites, howevewr, may date from as early as shortly after 2000 BC. The list of fortified sites is certainly incomplete and does not reflect the true historical situation. Where sites have been repeatedly fortified in the course of pre- and proto-history, it is difficult to identify the fortifications dating from the Early Bronze Age, and sites situated in forested areas or areas that have been intensively farmed are also hard to identify. The problems associated with the preservation and dating of these fortified sites are illustarted by the example of soouthern Bohemia.
In: Meller, H. – Friederich, S. – Küßner, M. – Stäuble, H. – Risch, R. /eds./, Siedlungsarchäologie des Endneolithikums und der frühen Bronzezeit – Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Settlement Archaeology. Tagungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Halle, Band 20/I–II., 2019
Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age settlements and settlement buildings in Bohemia. Despite t... more Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age settlements and settlement buildings in Bohemia.
Despite the numerous rich cemeteries from the end of the Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age (Corded Ware, Bell Beaker, Únětice), there are very few comparably informative settlement sites in Bohemia. None at all are known from the Corded Ware Culture. Only a few dozen rather irregularly shaped ‘settlement pits’ and the occasional ground plan of a house (Kozly, Vliněves) are attributed to the Bell Beaker period, but we cannot be wholly certain of these attributions. It is not until the Early Bronze Age that we have a number of extensively excavated settlement features. Apart from the site at Březno, discovered over fifty years ago, the most important is the Vliněves site in central Bohemia, which has been excavated in the last few years. As well as cemeteries from the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker Cultures and several groups of burials from the Early Bronze Age (around 300 burials in total), this approximately 25 ha site yielded dozens of house ground plans, groups and rows of storage pits, a thick occupation layer, and other settlement features from the Early Bronze Age. The 30–40 Únětice Culture longhouses so far discovered in northern Bohemia differ in length from the 18–19 distinctly shorter house ground plans from the southern Bohemian settlement at Hosty. In addition, we know around 22 fortified sites from the Early Bronze Age, located not only in southern Bohemia (e.g. Vrcovice, Dívčí kámen), but also in central (e.g. Klučov, Slaný-Slánská hora, Brandýs nad Labem), north-western (Březno u Loun) and eastern Bohemia (Plotiště nad Labem). However, the dates of the hilltop and fortified sites also require reevaluation. As for the overall settlement pattern in Bohemia, we continue to be more dependent on cemeteries than settlement features for information, since cemeteries still predominate in terms of numbers and distribution density. Apart from the densely settled Early Bronze Age cultural landscape of central Bohemia, settlement is clustered in regional groups around central locations on the long-distance trade routes. Mikulovice in eastern Bohemia and Hosty in southern Bohemia are among the most important of these centres.
During the season 2012/2013 an excavation in the cadastral area of Polabec (town of Poděbrady, Ny... more During the season 2012/2013 an excavation in the cadastral area of Polabec (town of Poděbrady, Nymburk District;
Fig. 1:A) proved abundant evidence for human occupation, namely 227 features predominantly dating
from the Early and High Middle Ages. Earlier features (and movable finds) were also present, although in limi -
ted numbers. These were almost exclusively dating from the Roman period. These finds were complemented in
2018 when up to three sunken-floored features were discovered on the opposite bank of the Elbe River (already
in the cadastral area of Poděbrady; Fig. 1:B).
The right-bank site (Fig. 3:4) is relatively well-known in professional circles, as it is an important multiperiod
site with Neolithic, Aeneolithic, Bronze Age and especially early medieval finds. A fortification system
and a linear cemetery also allegedly date back to this period (Hellich 1923). However, finds dating from the
above-mentioned Roman period were recorded as well, represented in particular by a Roman coin (Gordian III,
238–244 AD) which was found on the bank of the Elbe River (Hellich 1916). The presented study summarizes
earlier archaeological findings and complements them with new finds. In the case of the excavation at Polabec,
these were a sunked-floored Roman period hut (Fig. 6:A), several smaller features (Fig. 6:B,C) and movable material
which ended up in medieval features as an admixture (Fig. 7). Remains of a large settlement pit (Fig. 6:D)
and two less certain post/pole built houses without a distinctive archaeological record (Fig. 6:E,F) were disco -
vered in Poděbrady (site of Na Vinicích).
The core of this study is a confrontation of this state of knowledge and natural-scientific (geological and geomorphological)
data which framed and conditioned the emergence of human occupation on this site. The site
of Polabec is namely situated in a Holocene floodplain and this fact influences all attempts at interpretation of
the finds.
Three levels of the floodplain have been identified on the middle course of the Elbe River – the higher
floodplain level, the lower floodplain level and the current floodplain (Růžičková – Zeman 1994a), whereas this
arrangement has already been observed on a number of sites in the Elbe region. A Pleistocene terrace framing
the Holocene floodplain was convincingly documented on the left bank in the analyzed area (Fig. 2:5) whose
surface lay approx. 188 m above sea level. In the same way, it is also possible to identify the current floodplain
at an altitude of ca. 186 m above sea level (Fig. 2:2). A convincing terrace step (Fig. 2:E–F) which we interpret as
one of the above mentioned floodplain levels, can be seen on the eastern side of one of the test pits excavated
during the 2012/2013 season.
In the area of the village of Polabec, elevation of Pre-quaternary chalk bedrock was identified through a
series of bore holes (Matula – Tomášek 2008; 2011) which in its maximum extent reaches the water surface of the
present-day Elbe River. This bedrock can be found at the depth of 3.7 m on the site, which is a rather low value
with regard to the fact that the surface of the floodplain terrace is situated at an altitude of 187 m above sea level
and the usual water surface of the Elbe is 184 m above sea level. Bore holes along the edge of the current
floodplain confirm the existence of a firm, stony riverbed in the place where a river crossing (a ford) connecting
Polabec and Poděbrady was possibly located. In addition, the current floodplain is relatively narrow in this
area (max. 300 m) – which is diametrically different from the expanding floodplain to the east of Polabec. On
the basis of the presented archaeological findings, we are inclined to agree with the conclusion drawn by J.
Hellich, who anticipated the existence and location of the Poděbrady ford there not only in the Early Middle
Ages, but as early as the Roman period.
Archeologické Rozhledy, 2013
The article presents the results of the comprehensive research of a remarkable Únětice culture fi... more The article presents the results of the comprehensive research of a remarkable Únětice culture find situation
in central Bohemia – a barrow burial. An almost undisturbed stone ring and a burial pit from former
settlement feature were found in a cultural layer in Brandýs nad Labem – Vrábí. The grave contained two
inhumation burials one above the other and buried probably separately in time. The character of graves, their
inventories (including botanical and zoological finds) and the later treatment of the human remains show
the specific practices of the Early Bronze Age burial rite. Supported by radiocarbon dating, the chronological
identification of the unit corresponds to similar finds in Germany and Poland, however, it is in contradiction
to the conventional dating of pottery in Bohemia. The final part of the article discusses the issue
of burial barrows in the Early Bronze Age in the northern half of Bohemia.
Mikulovice. Život na hraně, 2020
Publication is divided into several parts, which are essential for a comprehensive understanding ... more Publication is divided into several parts, which are essential for a comprehensive understanding of the topics of the archaeological perspective of the past. Natural conditions, such as the quality of soil or the climate, were decisive for all agriculture-dependent populations, therefore, our book addresses them in the beginning. The first bits of knowledge about the ancient inhabitants of Mikulovice began to emerge toward the end of the 19th century. Thus, we also had to include chapters from the history of archaeology of Mikulovice and its immediate surroundings - from the first findings, through the founding of the Museum Society, to the present-day archaeology, which consists mainly of rescue surveys. The largest part of attention in the book is devoted to the settlement of Mikulovice in those periods, for which no written records still existed. Due to the absence of findings from the earliest prehistorical periods - Paleolithic and Mesolithic - the book starts at the beginning of the agricultural period - Neolithic. The story unfolds more or less continually up to the threshold of history in the later Roman Period, where the prehistorical and early historical account of Mikulovice completes.
Památky archeologické, Supplementum 21, 2020
The complex detailed analysis and publication of archaeological and anthropological data and the ... more The complex detailed analysis and publication of archaeological and anthropological data and the results of numerous science analyses of archaeological and anthropological material (palaeopathology, epigenetics, isotope analysis, 14C, analyses of metal, amber, stone tools, Sr, O, C and N isotopy etc.) form an essential foundation of the first-rate, comprehensively-conceived research of prehistoric populations. The complex analysis of all skeletons using a broad spectrum of scientific analyses and the possibility of comparison with the results of analyses of material culture are extraordinary in the European context. This enables us, for example, to identify groups of graves/skeletons at the cemetery with similar qualities that could indicate the existence of groups of buried individuals with closer ties (family, interest groups, etc.), while also allowing us to study the manifestations of their behaviour, personal and group relations, health condition and dietary habits etc.
![Research paper thumbnail of 2014 (2015) Kuna, M. et al. [NOW COMPLETE]: Archeologický atlas Čech. Vybrané památky od pravěku do 20. století - Archaeological Atlas of Bohemia. Selected Sites from Prehistory to the 20th century. Praha: Institute of Archaeology - Academia. 520 pp. 1st edition 2014 (2015), 2nd edition 2015.](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/67259436/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](A guide book to 105 archaeological sites of Bohemia selected as typical examples of archaeologica... more A guide book to 105 archaeological sites of Bohemia selected as typical examples of archaeological monuments from prehistory up to 20th century. Its general aim is to present archaeological sites in landscape in such a way that readers can find and identify them, as well as grasp the logic of the evidence they offer. Therefore, the book includes detailed site plans, new photographs, coordinates for navigation and QR codes linking the book with additional information on the web (http://www.archeologickyatlas.cz/).