Archeologické rozhledy

Far from home

Danuta Żurkiewicz — 2024-09-24

After the disappearance of the Linear Pottery culture (LBK) in the area now known as the Polish Lowlands, we observe a heterogeneous cultural situation. The Late Band Pottery culture (LBPC) and the Stroke-Ornamented Ware culture (SBK) are distinguished here. Generally, none of these communities used grog (ground potsherds, ‘chamotte’) as the main type of clay temper. However, there are exceptions to these production rules. In this article, the presented pottery materials from sites in the Polish Lowlands allow us to conclude that grog temper was important for some of these communities. An attempt to interpret the addition of fragments of other vessels to the pottery clay does not point to the technical advantages of the chamotte itself, but rather to its symbolic meaning – the use of fragments of burned vessels to produce new forms. A great deal of ethnographic data justifies this approach, which is sometimes used in archaeological interpretations. The proposed hypothesis allows us to consider an alternative concept of the origin of some post-LBK communities in the Polish Lowlands.

The sword from Vlčí Pole

Jiří Košta — 2024-10-14

Finds of early medieval Schlingen-type swords are mostly concentrated in present-day southern Germany, where they are known from a number of graves dating to the end of the late Merovingian period. On the contrary, these swords are completely absent in contexts of the early Carolingian and Great Moravian periods. This paper presents a new find of Schlingen-type sword from Vlčí Pole in the northeastern part of Central Bohemia and its archaeometric analysis. We consider the sword from Vlčí Pole to be the only unambiguous find of a fully preserved long-bladed weapon of the late 7th to 8th century in Bohemia. As it is one of the few late Merovingian swords to have been examined using X-ray computed tomography and metallography, it also contributes to a general understanding of phenomena such as the development of the use of pattern-welded marks and blades with cutting edges of hardened steel.

Victim of an armed conflict?

Joanna Witan — 2024-08-26

During rescue excavations at a rural cemetery in Dolany (NW Bohemia) dating to the 11th-12th century, the skeleton of a young male featuring numerous wounds (n=10) of perimortem sharp force trauma was excavated. Nine of the injuries were localised to the postcranial skeleton and one to the skull. An analysis and interpretation of the wounds showed that at least eight blows were inflicted with a slashing weapon, which could have directly contributed to his death. The observed pattern is most consistent with injuries inflicted during armed conflict. Based on historical sources, it is known that there was no warfare in the immediate vicinity of Dolany during the period under review. Therefore, it has been suggested that the male may have been the victim of a fight or battle, and his body was transported and buried in the place where he probably came from. The discovery provides new information on the funerary practices of victims of early medieval armed conflicts in Bohemia.

Changes in spectra of cultivated and gathered plants in the Bronze Age

Adéla Pokorná — 2024-10-14

The Bronze Age (BA) in Central Europe witnessed significant transformations in various aspects of human activities. This study focuses on changes in subsistence strategies during the BA, represented by the assortment of edible plants. We examined charred macroremains from 39 archaeological sites in the Czech Republic. Our aims include providing an overview of crop records, determining the dating of new crop introductions, and identifying spatial patterns of the assortment changes. The results indicate a complex agricultural transformation. Emmer and einkorn dominated in the Early Bronze Age (EBA), while the broomcorn millet was widespread in the Middle Bronze Age (MBA). The Late Bronze Age (LBA) saw increased cereal and pulse diversity, whereas the Final Bronze Age (FBA), characterised by coexisting cereals, represented a terminal stage of the process of gradually evolving subsistence strategies. The study highlights the sudden introduction of broomcorn millet in the MBA and expanding the range of crops, which allowed more flexible responses to local conditions and a better distribution of field work throughout the year.

Editorial

Václav Vondrovský — 2024-10-14

Tomasz Gralak: Archaeology of Body and Thought: From the Neolithic to the Beginning of the Middle Ages. Archaeopress Archaeology, Oxford 2024.

Jiří Šneberger — 2024-08-13

Tomáš Klír: Zánik a pustnutí venkovských sídlišť v pozdním středověku. Chebsko a Slavkovský les. Univerzita Karlova – Nakladatelství Karolinum, Praha 2023.

Jan Kypta — 2024-09-22