Petr Škrdla

Bohunician technology and thermoluminescence dating of the type locality of Brno-Bohunice (Czech Republic)

Results of thermoluminescence (TL) dating of 11 heated flint artifacts from the 2002 excavation at Brno-Bohunice, Czech Republic, are presented. The samples are from the eponym locality for the Bohunician, an industrial type considered technologically transitional between Middle and Upper Paleolithic core reduction strategies. The Bohunician is the first early Upper Paleolithic technocomplex in the Middle Danube of Central Europe and, therefore, is implicated in several issues related to the origins of modern humans in Europe. The Bohunician provides an example of how one technological strategy combines crested blade initiation of a core with the surficial (almost Levalloisian) reduction of blanks as blades and points. As the Middle Danube lacks antecedents of the behavioral steps within this technology, several hypotheses of inter-regional cultural transmission, with and without hominin gene flow, could explain the appearance of the Bohunician. The elucidation of the temporal context of Bohunician assemblages is, therefore, a critical step in understanding the behavioral, and potentially biological, succession in this region. Radiocarbon age estimates from charcoal associated with Bohunician sites suggest a wide age range between 33 and 41 ka 14C BP, which is also observed for individual sites. TL dating of heated flint artifacts provides ages on the calendric time scale of an archeological event, the firing. The weighted mean of 48.2+/-1.9 ka BPTL for 11 heated flint samples from Brno-Bohunice provides the first non-radiocarbon data on archeological material from the Bohunician. The TL dating, in conjunction with the archeological and sedimentological analysis, allows the evaluation of the integrity of this new type-collection. The hypothetical possibility of the incorporation of Szeletian artifacts (i.e., leaf points) into the site formation processes can therefore be refuted.

Předmostí after 110 Years

AbstractThe Middle and Upper Paleolithic site of Předmosi (Czech Republic) is located at the southern entrance of the Moravian Gate, which is an important communication route in Central Europe. During 110 years of investigation, this site has yielded an immense number of artifacts, paleontological materials, human fossils, and art. Important parts of the archaeological and anthropological material were destroyed in 1945, but the illustrations are published in several monographs. Lack of contextual data led various researchers to different reconstructions of the original stratigraphy and occupation sequence.As a part of a current research project devoted to the study of larger Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) sites in Moravia, new excavations were undertaken in 19897–1992. Two Middle Paleolithic and one Gravettian layer were found, mostly in redeposited positions. On the basis of previous data and typological reexamination, a horizon of scarce Acheulian finds at the base and another, younger Gravettian horiz...

New observations concerning the Szeletian in Moravia

The Szeletian site Želesice-Hoynerhugel, located within Bobrava River valley on the southwestern outskirts of the city of Brno, has been known as a surface site since the 1950s. Intensive georeferenced surveys conducted over the last several years identified artifacts within intact sediments in some areas of the site. Subsequently a limited scale excavation was conducted, which yields three important contributions: a collection of lithics made from a variety of siliceous rocks, Jerzmanowice-type points, and a series of AMS dates that extend the known Szeletian occupation in Moravia to GI 12.

A method for finding stratified sites: Early Upper Palaeolithic sites in southern Moravia

There are several hundred recorded Early Upper Palaeolithic sites in Moravia, most of which are surface sites. The majority were exposed by agricultural plowing and subsequently discovered by pedestrian surveys whereas most of the stratified sites were found accidentally. Numerous unsystematic attempts in the past to find stratified remnants of sites disturbed by plowing have been unsuccessful. Here we present a methodology for locating stratified Early Upper Palaeolithic cultural contexts based on distribution of surface scatters. This involves pedestrian surveys guided by background research. All Palaeolithic artifacts were recorded using a handheld GPS with particular attention to calcium carbonate crust on artifact surfaces, which can be indicators of nearby stratified deposits. Exploratory test pits were then excavated followed by systematic excavations if the potential for stratified cultural deposits was deemed high. Using this technique, we have discovered 11 new stratified Early Upper Palaeolithic sites.