Archeologické rozhledy

Diverse deathscapes

Marek Florek — 2026-01-06

Late Eneolithic funerary practices in southern Poland reveal a complex interplay of tradition, adaptation, and local expression. The Złota culture (c. 2900–2300 BCE) exemplifies this variability, as shown by two burials (graves 23 and 25) discovered in 2012 at site 6 in Złota. Grave 23 was a deep circular pit originally 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 planning 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 Złota 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.

A female burial in a Roman bronze bucket from Nezabylice in Northwestern Bohemia

Agnieszka Půlpánová-Reszczyńska — 2025-12-19

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 Östland-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.

Stone grooved hammers from the Šumperk region in North Moravia and their possible association with metallurgical activity in the Late Bronze Age

Michael Kamarád — 2026-03-02

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.

An early medieval sword with a Carolingian K-type pommel from Varín in Northwestern Slovakia

Zbigniew Robak — 2026-02-18

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 Varín 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.

Editorial

Václav Vondrovský — 2026-03-02

Petr Pokorný – Petr Šída (eds.): Hinterland. Archeologie severočeských pískovcových krajin. Kodudek, Praha 2025.

Jan Turek — 2026-02-16

Rebecca Bennett – David Cowley (eds.): Guidelines for the Use of Airborne Laser Scanning (LiDAR) in Archaeology. EAC Guidelines 10. European Archaeological Council, Brussels 2025.

Tomáš Kroupa — 2025-11-23