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3
VII/1/2016
INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICA
NATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
homepage: http://www.iansa.eu
Editorial IANSA 1/2016
Interdisciplinary Research of the Migration Period Cemetery
at Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic
Jiří Vávra
Welcome to the frst issue of IANSA for 2016. This time the
whole issue is devoted to the results of an interdisciplinary
excavation of the largest known skeletal burial ground
from the Migration Period in Bohemia. Before you read the
articles, let me share some basic facts with you about the
cemetery.
The rescue archaeological excavation of the burial site
took place along Hrozenkovská Street in Prague-Zličín,
Czech Republic. It was carried out between November
2005 and August 2008 in cooperation with the Prague City
Museum (excavation in 2005–2006) and Labrys Company
(2007–2008). The excavation leaders were the Prague City
Museum’s Milan Kuchařík and Jiří Vávra for the Labrys
Company. The archaeologists Eduard Droberjar and Jaroslav
Jiřík, who specialize in the Roman and Migration Periods,
also took part in the research as consultants.
The complete skeletal burial ground belongs to the
so-called Vinařice Group from the earlier phase of the
Migration Period. Based on portable fnds such as metal
brooches, buckles, pendants, fne glassware,
etc
., the duration
of the cemetery is dated to stages D2 to D3 according to
Jaroslav Tejral,
i.e.
to the period from the 2
nd
third of the
5
th
century AD to around the turn of the century (from
the 5
th
to the 6
th
century AD). Altogether 173 graves with
176 inhumation burials were recorded in the feld in which at
least 179 individuals were buried. There were several double
burials at the site.
During the excavation we lowered the entire fll of all
the graves at certain intervals in mechanical layers, thus
creating and documenting horizontal profles of the natural
strata within the graves. This methodology was partly
inspired by the archaeological excavation of the burial site
at Immenbeck-Kattenberg by Buxtehude (dist. Stade, Lower
Saxony, Germany). In this way a sequence of documentation
levels is available for every grave complex, describing the
grave cut, secondary pit, and their entire contents. Artefacts
were collected and recorded by natural strata. Already
in the feld we were employing methods leading to future
interdisciplinary research. Therefore we made a sieving
and fotation of the grave fll and collected samples for
palynological and palaeo-parasitological analyses from the
bottom level of graves, and so on.
Taking a look at the overall plan of the cemetery, we can
see that the graves are situated in irregular and incomplete
rows in an approximately north-south orientation (Figure 1).
They form a main group in the central position accompanied
by two smaller groups and four solitary graves. The grave
cuts were rectangular in shape and approximately west-east
in orientation. Their vertical walls usually became perimeter
ledges at a certain level above the bottom, thus establishing
a place for putting the wooden cofn with the deceased into
the grave. The buried people were placed in graves with their
heads to the west, supine. The depth of the grave cuts from
the surface (after soil stripping) varied from 12 centimetres
to 2.6 metres with the average being 1.2 metres. A total of
28 graves contained niches of various sizes, at diferent levels
from the bottom and over the head of the buried individuals,
usually situated in the west walls. They usually contained
ceramic and especially glass vessels.
Almost all the graves at Prague-Zličín had been disturbed
by secondary interference, which had left traces of the ancient
reopening of graves. This was a very important circumstance
which afected the inner structure and arrangement of all
the disturbed burials. Every such grave complex consisted
of two cuts and their fllings: the original grave cut and the
secondary pit, which occurred usually at the west side of
the graves. According to several feld observations it can be
concluded that the graves had been reopened shortly after
their creation. The structure of layers within the secondary
pits implies that the process of reflling took place gradually
and over a longer period of time by erosion of walls and the
surrounding surface. In some graves, such layers spread even
into the hollow space within the undisturbed parts of cofns.
During the processing and evaluating of artefacts, as well as
Volume VII ● Issue 1/2016 ● Pages 3–10
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IANSA 2016 ● VII/1 ● 3–10
Jiří Vávra: Interdisciplinary Research of the Migration Period Cemetery at Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic
4
the human and animal bones and especially environmental
samples, it was necessary to take into account whether the
investigated object or sample had come from the grave fll or
from that of a secondary pit, which could include a variety
of intrusions and various structures for the environmental
record.
The cemetery at Prague-Zličín is the only one of this
period to have been excavated in its totality. At the same time
it is the largest yet-known burial site of the early Migration
Period in the Czech Republic – and also an important site for
the research of the little-explored transition period between
Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. The research
of this burial site changes our established ideas about the
culture of the Migration Period in Bohemia: it illustrates
broad cultural contacts with geographically-remote areas
in Europe and also ofers a rich set of sources for further
anthropological and interdisciplinary scientifc research,
e.g.
in the study of reopening of graves in the Migration Period.
The feld excavation has already been the work of a team
and this is even more true in the evaluation of its results. Very
early on it was quite clear to us that a thorough interpretation
of such a cemetery would require a broad interdisciplinary
approach and even international cooperation and research.
We therefore collected the environmental samples, made
contact with local as well as foreign scientifc institutions and
experts, such as the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum
in Mainz and colleagues in Munich and Regensburg in
Germany, and consulted certain topics with other experts
Europe-wide, from as far afeld as Great Britain, France,
Germany, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Turkey. One of the results
of such international cooperation is the book “Barbarian
Graves at Prague-Zličín. The World of the Living and the
Dead of the Migration Period”, which was published by the
City of Prague Museum in 2015 to accompany an exhibition
of the same name. The book won the prize Gloria musaealis
for 2015 in the category Museum publication of the year
and you can read a review of it by Eduard Droberjar in the
current issue.
The articles presented in this issue of IANSA deal with
various environmental and anthropological aspects of the
Figure 1.
The overall plan of the excavation area at Prague-Zličín.
0 100 m
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IANSA 2016 ● VII/1 ● 3–10
Jiří Vávra: Interdisciplinary Research of the Migration Period Cemetery at Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic
5
site and its population at Prague-Zličín, including dental
microwear and teeth analyses, evaluation of botanical
macrofossils, charcoals and pollens, and the investigation
of the pathological features on human bones and a rare
fnd of human hair. All environmental and anthropological
analyses that have been done so far are listed in the Table 1.
The article with the analysis of animal bones from the graves
also presents another unusual fnd for this period: that of a
dog burial which was discovered not far from the cemetery.
In addition, the issue also contains contributions by German
authors, presenting an evaluation and archaeological
excavation of burial sites from the same historical period in
Bavaria, thus bringing a broader and comparative context for
further future research.
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IANSA 2016 ● VII/1 ● 3–10
Jiří Vávra: Interdisciplinary Research of the Migration Period Cemetery at Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic
6
Table 1.
Summary of analysed individuals/graves from Prague-Zličín cemetery and performed analyses.
SkeletonFeature
Skull
preservation
Postcranial
preservation
SexAge
Body
height
Microwear
analysis
Pathological
observations
Geochemical
analysis
Parasitological
analysis
Archaeobotanical and
palynological analyses
Trichological
analysis
14
C
dating
Grave
goods
150011Nadultyes
250113M
30–40
yes
350211Nadultyes
450311Nadultmacroyes
550411Nadultyes
650611N
subadult
750721N
6–7
yes
851821N
14–17
yesyesyesyes
1151922N
juv-ad
yesyesmacroyesyes
952022Nadultus Iyes
1252111Nadultyesyes
1052233M50+yesyes
1352322N
4.5–5
yesyesyesyes
1452413Nadultyes
1552511N
subadult
yes
1652722F
16–19
yesyesyes
1752833F
40–50
(45)
yesmacroyes
1852833M
45–47
yesyesyes
2552943F45+
182.1
yesyes
1953043F
45–50168.7
yesyesyesyes
2153111Nadultyes
2053211Nadultyesmacroyes
2353331Nadult
2253431Madult
2453533F
30–40160.1
yesyes
2753611N
subadult
2653721N
3–4
yesyes
2853832Nadultyesyes
2953911Nadult
3054013Nadultyesyes
3154111Nadultyes
3254211Nadultyesyes
3354312N
juv-ad
3454453F
30–40167.7
yesyes
3554542F
45–50
yesyes
3654612Nadult
3754711Nadultyes
3854811Nadult
3954911N
subadult
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IANSA 2016 ● VII/1 ● 3–10
Jiří Vávra: Interdisciplinary Research of the Migration Period Cemetery at Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic
7
SkeletonFeature
Skull
preservation
Postcranial
preservation
SexAge
Body
height
Microwear
analysis
Pathological
observations
Geochemical
analysis
Parasitological
analysis
Archaeobotanical and
palynological analyses
Trichological
analysis
14
C
dating
Grave
goods
4055021N
24–30
yesyes
4155121N
9–12
yes
4255221N
24–30
yes
4355411Nadult
44a55522M
16–20
yesyes
44b
55521N5yes
4555611Nadult
4655711Nadultyes
4756323M
30–35
yesyes
4856422N
15–18
yes
4956511N
subadult
yesyes
5056611Nadult
5257011Nadultyes
5357121Nadultyes
5457254F
35–45171.9
yesyesyes
5557322M
20–40177.3
yesyes
5657443F
35–45161.7
yesyes
5757522N
17–20
yes
5858522N
16–19
yes
6158623N
35–40
yesyes
6058723F
35–40186.8
yesyes
5958812Nadultyes
6259032M
45–55
(55)
yesyes
6359154M45
168.9
yesyesyesyes
6459221N
40–50
yes
6559443M
40–50
168yesyesyesyes
6659622N
22–25
yes
6759933N
16–20
yesyespollenyes
6860011Nadult
6960111Nadult
7060211N
subadult
yesyes
7160311Nadultyes
7260411Nadultyesyesyes
7360611Nadult
7460711Nadultyes
7560821N
4–5
yesyes
7660911N
subadult
yesyes
7961233M45+yes
Table 1.
Summary of analysed individuals/graves from Prague-Zličín cemetery and performed analyses. (
Continuation
)
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IANSA 2016 ● VII/1 ● 3–10
Jiří Vávra: Interdisciplinary Research of the Migration Period Cemetery at Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic
8
SkeletonFeature
Skull
preservation
Postcranial
preservation
SexAge
Body
height
Microwear
analysis
Pathological
observations
Geochemical
analysis
Parasitological
analysis
Archaeobotanical and
palynological analyses
Trichological
analysis
14
C
dating
Grave
goods
8061311Nadultyes
8161411Nadult
8261511Nadult
8365011Nadultyes
8465112Nadultyes
8566011Nadultyesyes
7772144M
40–50
(50)
177.6
yesyesyesyes
7872253F
45–55160.4
yesyesyesyesyes
8672311Nadult
8772422N
30–35
yesyes
8872521N7yes
8972621Nadultyesyes
9072911Nadultyes
9173011Nadultyesyes
9277322N
30–35
yes
9377411Nadultyesyes
9577833F50
165.6
yesyesyes
9677911Nadult
9478011Nadultyesyes
9778111Nadultyesmacro+ pollenyes
9878213Fadultyes
9978312Nadult
10078423N40+yes
10178533N
3–4
yesyes
10278611Nadult
10378721N7yes
10478811Nadultyes
10578921N
35–40
yes
10679011Nadult
10779513Mmaturus
181.2
yesyespollenyes
10879622N10yespollenyes
10979733M40?yesyesyespollenyes
11079833F
40–50
yesyesyes
11179913Nadultyes
11280033M
45–55
yesyespollenyes
11380133M
45–50
yesyesyespollenyes
11480223F
20–24
yespollenyes
11580311N
subadult
pollen
Table 1.
Summary of analysed individuals/graves from Prague-Zličín cemetery and performed analyses. (
Continuation
)
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IANSA 2016 ● VII/1 ● 3–10
Jiří Vávra: Interdisciplinary Research of the Migration Period Cemetery at Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic
9
SkeletonFeature
Skull
preservation
Postcranial
preservation
SexAge
Body
height
Microwear
analysis
Pathological
observations
Geochemical
analysis
Parasitological
analysis
Archaeobotanical and
palynological analyses
Trichological
analysis
14
C
dating
Grave
goods
11680412Nadultpollenyes
11780522N50+yespollenyes
11880621N40+pollenyes
11980733M
45–50
(50)
yesyesyespollenyes
12080811N
subadult
macro + pollenyes
12280911Nadultyespollenyes
121a81843F
40–50
yespollenyes
121b
81821N5yes
12382113Nadultpollenyes
12582611Nadult
126150421N
30–40
yes
127150523F
20–24
pollenyes
128150634F
20–25167.8
yesyesyespollenyes
129150722F
15–17
yesyes
130150811Nadultmacro + pollenyes
131150933M50+
171.6
yesyesyesyespollenyes
132154433M
35–45
yesyesyesmacro + pollenyesyes
133154521F
30–40
macroyesyes
134154621N
20–35
macroyes
135154721N5macroyesyes
136a154822N
20–35
macroyesyes
136b
154821N
4–6
yes
137154921N50+macroyesyes
138155022N50+macroyesyes
139155121N
0.5–2 r
pollen
140155221N
subadult
pollen
141155333M
15–17
yesmacroyes
142155544M50+
183.6
yesyesyesyesmacro + pollenyesyes
143155635N5yesyespollenyesyes
144155734N12yesmacroyesyes
145155933M50+yesyesmacro + pollenyesyes
146156512Nadultmacro + pollenyesyes
147156611N
subadult
macroyes
148156711N
subadult
macroyes
149156811N
subadult
macro + pollenyes
150156943F
40–50
yesyesyesmacro + pollenyes
151157033F
40–50
yesyesyesmacroyesyes
152157132N
24–30
yesmacroyesyes
Table 1.
Summary of analysed individuals/graves from Prague-Zličín cemetery and performed analyses. (
Continuation
)
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IANSA 2016 ● VII/1 ● 3–10
Jiří Vávra: Interdisciplinary Research of the Migration Period Cemetery at Prague-Zličín, Czech Republic
10
SkeletonFeature
Skull
preservation
Postcranial
preservation
SexAge
Body
height
Microwear
analysis
Pathological
observations
Geochemical
analysis
Parasitological
analysis
Archaeobotanical and
palynological analyses
Trichological
analysis
14
C
dating
Grave
goods
153157232M
18–20
macroyesyes
154157344M
35–45169.4
yesyesyesmacro + pollenyes
155157411Nadultmacroyesyes
156157511Nadultmacroyes
157157622F
13–14
yespollenyes
158157911Nadultmacroyesyes
159159322N
30–35
yesmacroyesyes
160159433F50+yesyesmacroyes
161159523N
35–45167.8
yesmacroyesyes
162159643F
30–40167.3
yesyesyesmacroyesyes
163159744F50+
165.8
macroyesyes
164159843M55+
179.5
yesmacroyesyes
165159922F
45–55
macroyesyes
166160013Madultmacroyesyes
167160132N
5–6
macroyesyes
168160221F55+yesmacroyesyes
169160322N
30–40
macroyesyes
170160411N
subadult
macro + pollenyes
171160942N
45–55
macroyesyes
172a161043F
20–24
macroyesyes
172b
161013Fadultyes
173161132N55+yesmacroyes
174161222F
40–50
macroyesyes
175161355F
40–50164.8
macroyesyes
176161433F
35–40
macroyesyes
177161521N
4–7
macroyes
178161621N
1–3
macro
Table 1.
Summary of analysed individuals/graves from Prague-Zličín cemetery and performed analyses. (
Continuation
)