As a crucial food staple, grain was stored in castles in medieval and Early Modern Bohemia in granaries or in sections of farm buildings designated and adapted for storage purposes. However, during periods of conflict, other spaces intended for different purposes were also occasionally used for storage. During research into the palace complex in the north-western part of Křivoklát Castle in Central Bohemia, a large find of burnt grain and other crops from the 1421 harvest was uncovered. The results of an archaeobotanical analysis provided a completely new perspective on the creation of emergency food supplies during times of conflict within the context of medieval castles, both in terms of the composition of these food supplies and their location on castle grounds.
The exceptional enclosed site of Herxheim, characterised by hundreds of deliberately fragmented human skeletons whose skulls were transformed into calottes, alongside intentionally destroyed pottery and stone artefacts, constitutes one of the most significant assemblages of the late Linear Pottery culture (LBK). Comparable late LBK settlements with earthworks likewise display structured depositional practices and formal burials of human individuals within enclosure ditches. The site of Vráble, discovered and partially excavated in recent years, now provides a further case that is comparable to Herxheim in several aspects, although the specific social and historical circumstances underlying each site appear to have been highly particular. It is argued that the small number of LBK earthworks containing unusually treated human remains share a set of recurring features that point towards patterned practices. These practices cannot be meaningfully interpreted as evidence of large-scale warfare at the end of the LBK. Instead, they are more plausibly understood as material expressions of profound transformations in social relations, ritual practice, and ontological conceptions during this time. The destabilisation of established cosmological frameworks among the first farming communities may thus have played a significant role in the processes that ultimately led to the dissolution of the LBK cultural system.
The organisation of hunter-gatherer campsites and whether repetitive behaviour patterns are reflected in the cultural and functional context of archaeological sites remains an important issue in Mesolithic archaeology. We analysed the material from the Rydno and Wieliszew sites in Poland, using the refitting of flint artefacts, the identification of use-wear on tools, and their spatial analysis to deliver the reconstruction of socio-technical processes that affected the formation of flint assemblages. The results indicate that despite the similar function of the campsites at Rydno and Wieliszew, they differed in the use of natural resources. These results are discussed in a broad European context and compared with findings obtained elsewhere. The article highlights new opportunities for reinterpreting many previously studied Mesolithic sites, some of which are already recognised as archival collections. Such lithic collections have the potential for developing new theories and comparing them with findings derived from materials obtained using modern excavation methods. The research results show that studies based on thorough and detailed analysis contribute to a deeper understanding of the processes involved in the formation of Mesolithic sites through the identification and description of settlement structures, which also allows us to determine the spatial and even temporal relationships between them.
The Battle of Mohi in 1241 was a major clash between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Mongols invading Europe. Recent research on the battle has increasingly refined our understanding of the events surrounding the confrontation. Although these studies build on a shared scholarly foundation, they rely on heterogeneous spatial datasets, as no unified GIS database is yet available. This limits the full use of tools such as Historical GIS (HGIS), which can integrate these heterogeneous datasets into a unified, archaeologically oriented database to facilitate analysis and interpretation. The present study introduces a high-resolution potential-mapping approach aimed at identifying the likely position of the Hungarian camp. The analysis integrates archaeological, military–historical, and relevant environmental data, weighted through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), resulting in a five-meter-resolution potential map. The findings contribute to a more spatially grounded reconstruction of the battle and offer a methodological basis for future archaeological investigations.
This study focuses on the technological examination of medieval mining chisels from the Bohemian–Moravian Highlands in the Czech Republic. The analysed artefacts originate from three silver-mining areas (Opatov, Čejkov, Utín) dated to the 13th and 14th centuries. Mining chisels belong among the most characteristic tools of underground extraction, yet their metallographic study has so far remained relatively limited. The presented research aims to contribute to a more detailed understanding of their manufacture, material composition and internal construction. Five chisels and a mallet of different sizes were selected to investigate potential technological variability. The selected assemblage includes both slender and robust chisels, allowing a comparison of technological choices in relation to tool size and presumed function. Full-length cross-sections were prepared to assess the composition of the bodies, points and striking heads, and to document forging procedures and applied heat treatment. Findings that individual chisels were adapted to the type of rock and work and that they were used not only for ore extraction but also for other mining activities expand our knowledge of toolmaking and offer new insights into technological approaches of medieval smiths working for mining communities in the Bohemian–Moravian Highlands.
V příspěvku jsou porovnávány a diskutovány různé interpretační modely vztahu mezi velkomoravskými centrálními aglomeracemi (např. Mikulčice, Pohansko u Břeclavi, Staré Město) a jejich zemědělským zázemím. Prvním je tradiční model, podle něhož byla velkomoravská centra a okolní zemědělské osady provázány komplexní hierarchickou síti, v jejímž rámci probíhal pohyb potravin z venkovského zázemí do centra a pohyb řemeslnických výrobků a služeb z centra na venkov. Diskuse se vedly pouze o míře závislosti centrálních aglomerací na zásobování zemědělskými produkty a o ekonomicko-sociálních principech, na nichž byl tento transfer založen. Šlo především o tom, zda na Velké Moravě existoval funkční lokální trh, situovaný v centrech či v jejich okolí, a zda vztahy mezi venkovskými osadami a centry byly primárně založeny na tržních principech. Vedle toho se vyčlenila skupina badatelů, která zastává názor, že velkomoravské aglomerace byly z hlediska své subsistence v zásadě autarkní a žádné zemědělské zázemí nepotřebovaly, resp. žádné jejich zázemí ani neexistovalo. Příspěvek se zamýšlí nad genezí těchto interpretačních modelů a snaží se posoudit i jejich plauzibilitu.
Early medieval swords, Carolingian or Viking, are treated and usually discussed in the literature as finds related to elites. In real life, however, second-grade swords were also made, and old and used weapons were repaired and traded. Lower-quality items were used by people with aspirations who could not afford to acquire expensive signs of status. Here, the author describes the find of a Carolingian-type sword from Var & iacute;n in Northwestern Slovakia, which is determined to be a difficult-to-classify, low-end, early medieval product. However, it fits into the historical context of Carolingian times, when a class of new European nobility was forming. These considerations shed new light on the genesis of this social group.
The article focuses on a cremation burial in a bronze bucket, excavated in 2019 at the Nezabylice burial ground (northwestern Bohemia) and dated to phase B2b of the Roman Period. In the Central European Barbaricum, burials in metal urns are usually associated with male warriors. However, anthropological analysis and the assessment of grave goods from the burial at Nezabylice revealed that it contained the cremated remains of an older adult, most likely a woman. The presented collection belongs to a rarely documented group of graves in Bohemia containing three brooches among the grave goods. It provides valuable insights into the composition of female clothing among the Elbe Germanic tribes in the later stages of the Early Roman Period, especially with regard to the occurrence of the iron knee-brooch. The uniqueness of the assemblage is underlined by the imported & Ouml;stland-type bucket used as an urn. The study shows that burials in similar metal urns in Bohemia are half represented by men with weapons and more than a quarter by adult women. Their presence in Early Roman necropolises can be understood as a manifestation and self-presentation of elite groups in Elbe Germanic society.
Late Eneolithic funerary practices in southern Poland reveal a complex interplay of tradition, adaptation, and local expression. The Z & lstrok;ota culture (c. 2900-2300 BCE) exemplifies this variability, as shown by two burials (graves 23 and 25) discovered in 2012 at site 6 in Z & lstrok;ota. Grave 23 was a deep circular pit original ly used for storage and later adapted for funerary purposes. Its base was paved with sandstone slabs and stones, and the lower walls were reddened by fire. The grave contained a mature male laid on his left side in a flexed position with two ceramic vessels. Grave 25 was a trapezoidal pit, probably a niche grave, with a flat bottom partly covered by small stone slabs, containing a disturbed skeleton of an adult female missing the skull and much of the upper body. Despite disturbance, its construction reflects careful plan ning and symbolic arrangement. Both graves, though modest in inventory, demonstrate purposeful ritual behaviour. The coexistence of reused domestic features and newly built graves illustrates the flexibility of mortuary customs within the Z & lstrok;ota culture. Comparison with the Globular Amphora and Corded Ware cultures highlights shared concepts and local distinctions, illuminating the social meaning and regional dynamics of Eneolithic funerary traditions.
Stone grooved hammers from the Late Bronze Age represent a residual phenomenon in the use of such implements and are primarily associated with the extraction of metal ores. The present study discusses the discovery of two stone grooved hammers at the sites of Dubicko-Za Kostelem and Police-Polanka. These artefacts were subjected to use-wear, petrographic, 3D, and SEM/EDX analyses. The combination of these methods was employed to evaluate the overall degree of wear, determine the provenance of the stone raw material, and test the hypothesis that these tools were used during a specific stage of metallurgical activity. For comparison with the examined tools, additional stone grooved hammers from the Czech Republic, broadly dated to the period of 1300-800 BC, were also analysed.
The article discusses an intriguing find of a fragment of a copper axe-hammer from the Boskovice Furrow area in Moravia. This is a new detector discovery of a fragment of the rear section of an axe-hammer, found at the site of Krhov-Pise & ccaron;n & yacute;, Blansko district, in the central part of the Boskovice Furrow. It belongs to the broader group of so-called heavy copper industry, genetically linked to similar types such as Szendr & odblac;, Sz & eacute;kely-N & aacute;dudvar, Handlov & aacute;, etc. Typologically, it does not represent a completely distinct type, showing the greatest similarity to the Sz & eacute;kely-N & aacute;dudvar and Handlov & aacute; types. For the latter type of axe-hammers, their dating is reassessed, based on associated inventories in hoards (including the eponymous Handlov & aacute;), shifting from the Early/Middle Eneolithic to the Early Eneolithic and the cultural environments of the Ludanice culture (Slovakia) and the Jordan & oacute;w culture (Moravia). Paleometallurgical analysis of the Krhov artefact provides an interesting finding, showing a difference from the traditional material, represented by Handlov & aacute;type copper, and similarity to the newly defined material group of Hr & aacute;dok-type copper. The typical so-called Axtmarks are interpreted as a certain indicator of prestige (social, symbolic?) or the trade value of the artefact. The artefact itself is interpreted as a symbol of power, wealth, and the social status of its owner.
Článek je zaměřen na žárový pohřeb v bronzovém vědru, prozkoumaný v roce 2019 na pohřebišti v Nezabylicích (SZ Čechy) a datovaný do fáze B2b doby římské. Pohřby v kovových urnách doby římské jsou ve středoevropském barbariku obvykle spojovány s mužskými bojovníky. Naproti tomu antropologické určení spolu s rozborem výbavy hrobu z Nezabylic ukázaly, že v něm byla uložena kremace staršího dospělého jedince, nejspíše ženy. Prezentovaný soubor patří v Čechách do řídce doložené skupiny hrobů se třemi sponami ve výbavě. Přináší cenné poznatky na téma složení ženského kroje u polabských Germánů ve vyspělých fázích starší doby římské, zvláště s ohledem na výskyt železné kolínkovité spony. Výjimečnost souboru podtrhuje importované vědro östlandského typu sloužící jako urna. Studie ukazuje, že pohřby v obdobných kovových urnách jsou v Čechách z poloviny zastoupeny muži s výzbrojí a více než ze čtvrtiny dospělými ženami. Jejich přítomnost na nekropolích starší doby římské může být chápána jako manifestace a sebeprezentace elitních skupin labsko-germánské společnosti.
The recent text by J. Macháček (in print) attempts to review the debate concerning the nature of the relationship between Great Moravian centres and their hinterlands. Among other points, it also criticises the model of the Great Moravian market system that I originally developed as part of the wider economic, geographic, and political model of the Great Moravian polity (Hlavica 2023). In the following text, I will analyse Macháček’s key arguments and highlight the problematic conclusions on which he bases his position. Additionally, I will point to the grounding of the author’s criticism in an incomplete understanding of certain economic and anthropological concepts. My primary aim is to demonstrate that his criticism of the Great Moravian market model is insufficient to warrant its rejection.
Příspěvek se zabývá zajímavým nálezem fragmentu měděného sekeromlatu z Boskovické brázdy na Moravě. Jedná se o nový detektorový nález fragmentu týlní části sekeromlatu, který pochází z lokality Krhov-Písečný (okr. Blansko) ve střední části Boskovické brázdy. Náleží do širší skupiny tzv. těžké měděné industrie geneticky svázané s podobnými typy Szendrő, Székely-Nádudvar či Handlová a přestože nejde o typologicky zcela vyhraněný typ, nejvyšší podobnost vykazuje vůči typu Székely-Nádudvar a Handlová. U posledně uvedeného typu sekeromlatů přehodnocujeme na základě doprovodného inventáře v depotech (včetně eponymní Handlové) jejich datování z přelomu staršího a středního eneolitu (3900/3800–3100/3000 BC) do eneolitu časného (4300/4200–3900/3800 BC) a prostředí kultur ludanické (Slovensko) a jordanovské (Morava). Paleometalurgická analýza artefaktu z Krhova zaznamenala zajímavý rozdíl oproti tradiční surovině v podobě mědi typu Handlová a podobnost s nově definovanou materiálovou skupinou mědi typu Hrádok. Typické tzv. Axtmarky jsou hodnoceny jako jistá míra prestiže (společenské, symbolické?) nebo obchodovatelnosti artefaktu. Sám artefakt je pak interpretován jako symbol moci, bohatství a společenského postavení majitel.
The lithic assemblage from the Gravettian site at Milovice I was predominantly composed of radiolarite. To reconstruct the mobility patterns of the Gravettian population, we addressed the question of whether the radiolarites were imported from the Pieniny Klippen Belt (PKB) of the Western Carpathians or elsewhere. Another plausible source was the gravels from under the Pavlovské vrchy Hills. These are known to have been exploited in the Upper Palaeolithic, most notably at the Milovice I site during the Aurignacian. Our research revealed that local gravels were not the primary source of the Gravettian radiolarite artefacts, as the two differ macroscopically. Some flakes, and possibly microgravettes, are an exception, as their material is sometimes similar to gravel radiolarites. The occasional exploitation of local gravels, along with the small dimensions of the Gravettian industry, possibly reflects a shortage of material at a certain point of the site’s occupation and the necessity to adopt curated lithic technology when trips for new material were unfeasible. Moreover, the curated lithic technology observed in the Milovice I assemblage is dissimilar to other large Pavlovian sites, suggesting more economic behaviour and influence from radiolarite-supplied sites along the Váh River in the Late Gravettian.
The study reviews the current state of research on early medieval strongholds in Western Greater Poland, a region in which roughly 30 such sites are known. Built in the older phases of the Early Middle Ages, they precede the formation of the state of the first Piasts, which took place from the second half of the 10th century. The strongholds display considerable diversity in terms of physical features and probably also in their chronology and function. The northwestern part of Greater Poland, however, has been studied to a limited and rather selective degree. The preliminary analysis of local strongholds presented in this paper indicates significant research potential, particularly given their good state of preservation. Key questions concern the chronological variability of the sites, their functions, and the role they played within micro-regional settlement networks. Ultimately, these investigations may shed light on the social and political dynamics underlying the origin, functioning, and decline of the strongholds.
The aim of this article is to identify the multi-directional networks of influence that shaped ceramic production in the Modern period within the territory of present-day Poland, and to examine the factors that led to the development of local characteristics. The discussion emphasises the phenomenon of connectivity, understood as the evolving relationships between foreign producers, external sources of inspiration, and indigenous artisans. The analysis focuses on selected groups of vessels – namely slipware, so-called Pomeranian faience, and Stettinware. These types of earthenware became popular for both table use and display during the 16th to 19th century. Drawing on examples of archaeological finds, I aim to demonstrate that while these productions emerged from a shared tradition, they developed distinctive characteristics shaped by a range of local factors.
