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The authors present part of a burial ground of the Late Migration Period in Drnholec - Pod sýpkou (Břeclav district, Czech Republic), where seven graves were discovered in 2016 and 2017. The grave goods were identified, by typological analysis, as Langobardian/Lombardian. The authors argue that even a small part of a cemetery with a limited number of graves can bring important new data and open strategic questions, challenging traditional interpretations. The paper aims to present the results of excavation in the light of archaeological, anthropological and zooarchaeological perspectives. Archaeological part is focused on presenting the grave units and the cemetery as a contextual unit. Stylistic and typological analysis of grave goods, radiocarbon dates and probability modeling were used to establish the chronology of the cemetery. Anthropological and palaeopathological examinations were accompanied with buccal dental microwear analysis and tooth cementum annulation (TCA) which provide information about diet and age-at-death estimation. Zooarchaeological analysis was mainly driven by the find of a mule skeleton. In addition to skeletal expertise, Nitrogen and Carbon stable isotopes analyses were also applied. The authors set out their thoughts, based on material and bibliographical study, on the problem of classifying and understanding the cultural and ethnic identity of the Migration Period populations.

The function of sunken rectangular features in the Late Neolithic has been a subject of interest in Central Europe for many years. This type of pit is not found very often. One of the latest examples is a square Lengyel feature in the village of Střelice near Brno. A study of the microstratigraphy of the fill has made it possible to qualitatively move the debate to a new level. The qualitative assessment of bone micro-fragments is also innovative for the method of micromorphology in the archaeological context. The study also includes an analysis of artefacts in the actual fill of feature 562, especially the deposits of fragments of “other lithic industry”, pottery and parts of an animal’s body. The discovered situation is then interpreted in the context of other known contemporary features of this type. The presence of excrement with digested bone micro-fragments in the lower layer and the absence of a floor treatment, tread horizon or bedding can be interpreted in the context of ethnohistorical analogies, e. g., as the short-term use of a faecal pit for an omnivorous or carnivorous species (bear) with a subsequent ritual ending.

Švédův Stůl Cave in the Moravian Karst has been excavated several times since Martin Kříž started the first excavation in 1886. Two parts of the site were re-excavated in 2019. The primary aim was to conduct classical as well as innovative and experimental sedimentological and geoarchaeological investigations of sediments from the discarded spoil heap outside the cave entrance (trench C–D). Intact sediments with a small number of lithic artefacts and a large number of animal bones were also excavated during the 2019 excavation (trench A–B) located under the trench excavated by Bohuslav Klíma’s team in the 1950s. An attempt is being made using pXRF, benchtop ED-XRF and ITRAX techniques to link some of the sedimentary material in the spoil heap (C–D) with the stratified sediments in trench A–B. Animal bones and lithic artefacts were found in both trenches. Numerous samples were collected for geoarchaeological, palaeoenvironmental and dating analyses and the results will be published in upcoming publications.

Barová Cave is located in the central part of the Moravian Karst (the Czech Republic), on the right slope of Josefovské Valley; it is the outflow part of Rudické propadání (Rudice Sink) – Býčí skála (Bull Rock) cave system. Even since its discovery by A. Sobol in 1947, Barová Cave has been known as important palaeontological site, with well-preserved fauna of the Late Pleistocene. In the summer of 2011, a landslide of sediments revealed yet unexamined fossiliferous positions, and started the current research activity. There were discovered skeletal remains of these 21 taxa of vertebrates between 2011 – 2017 in Barová Cave: bear from the cave bear group (Ursus ex gr. spelaeus), cave lion (Panthera spelaea), wolf (Canis lupus), cave hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea), brown bear (Ursus arctos), lynx (Lynx lynx), wolverine (Gulo gulo), fox, probably red (Vulpes cf. vulpes), marten (Martes cf. martes), alpine ibex (Capra ibex), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), aurochs or bison (Bos primigenius/Bison priscus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), horse (Equus sp.), woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), hare (Lepus sp.), lemming (Dicrostonyx sp.), bank vole (Myodes sp.), jackdaw (Corvus monedula) and probably northern pintail (Anas aff. acuta). Animal osteological material from sectors 2, 3, 4 and R4 from the Under the Ladder test pit in Barová Cave is analysed in detail in this paper. Bears from the group of cave bears completely dominate, the total sum of bones determined as bear bones make up nearly 95% of all determined material. The cave lion bones comprise nearly 3% of the determined osteological material; bones of a wolf represent about 1.2%, bones of cave hyena approximately 0.5% and bones of ungulates approximately 0.2% of all determined material (Tab. 1). From the MNI point of view the bears from the cave bear group dominate too. Bear bones belonged to at least 40 individuals (70.2% of all minimally present individuals) of all age categories (Tabs 1, 2). The predominance of bones of bears from the cave bear group in Barová Cave shows that the cave was mainly used as a bear wintering site. The presence of bear cub bones proved that the cave also served females as a birthing place. Some bones of bears from the group of cave bears and several bones of cave lions, cave hyenas and wolves also show evidence of bite and gnawing marks by carnivores or scavengers (cave lions, cave hyenas, wolves and perhaps cave bears). This suggests that hibernating bears, and more often the cadavers or isolated bones of dead individuals sometimes served as a food source. The seasonality analysis indicates that the time of death varied most frequently near the end of wintering season (spring/summer). The large amount of bear bone material leads to the consideration that the bears from the cave bear group used Barová Cave over a period longer than thousand years.

In the 19th and early to mid-20th centuries, a rush to better understand the European Palaeolithic led to the substantive removal of deposits from limestone caves. In the 21st century the situation has changed. Many caves are now excavated, leaving behind a human-made environment of diminished cave sediments and large spoil heaps, with the latter now targeted by those searching for artefacts missed during the original excavations. In an age in which archaeologists are increasingly attempting to balance their roles as cultural heritage educators and destroyers, the question remains - how much do we know about the taphonomy of these features? In this paper we report results from the excavation of a large spoil heap outside Svedův Stůl Cave, in the Moravian Karst region of Czech Republic. Results show heterogeneous sediment formation (revealed primarily through their field characteristics and ED-XRF and Itrax geochemical analyses) and patterns in artefact distributions (evident through assessment of Iron Age, Neolithic and modern artefacts) and faunal remains. This allows partial context to be provided for some artefacts and a methodology to be developed for excavation of overburden.

In this essay, we focused on the evaluation of isotope analyses (δ13Ccoll and δ15Ncoll) of the first lower molars (m1) of domestic cattle (Bostaurus) from two early medieval Pohansko-Southern bailey (Pohansko-JP) and Kostice-”Zadní hrúd” (Kostice-ZH) sites. The aim of the study is the evidence of the breast-feeding effect of calves and subsequent weaning on the dentine average isotope composition. Results from both sites are compared with the data obtained from recent experimental cattle breeding. Possible differences in the cattle breeding between both studied localities are evaluated. The first lower molars of the domestic cattle (n = 15) were selected for analyses from both sites supplemented by a sample of the compact bone of the shinbone of an adult individual from the Pohansko-JP site. The determination of the ontogenetic age of the analyzed individuals is based on the dentition development stage. For the purpose of isotope analyzes (δ13Ccoll and δ15Ncoll), dentine collagen was extracted from all tooth crowns. The δ13Ccoll dentine values of the m1 of cattle from the Pohansko-JP ranged from -17.75‰ to -21.8‰ (n = 11) with mean value of -19.81 ± 1.03‰. δ15Ncoll values for dentine of all m1 samples from Pohansko-JP range from 6.2‰ to 11.87‰ with mean value of 8.29 ± 1.71‰ (n = 11). The highest δ15Ncoll values were observed primarily in samples of juvenile individuals, with the exception of one adult specimen (10.90 ‰). δ13Ccoll values in m1 of adult individuals from the Kostice-ZH site range from -19.30‰ to -20.91‰ (n = 4). The mean value -19.83 ± 1.01‰ is lower if compared to results from recent experimental breedings. The volume of 15N isotope is significantly lower contrary to those in Pohansko-JP and aforementioned experimental study. It can be assumed that the diet of the cattle in both studied sites was primarily based on C3 plants; however, we cannot exclude a small admixture of C4 plants (millet) in the diet of some observed individuals. The cattle from the Pohansko-JP could be driven to graze from the open meadows up to the ecotones in the vicinity of the forest which is partly supported by the palaeobotanic record. In Kostice-ZH site, the grazing in open meadows was most prevalent. The volume of 15N from the Pohansko-JP site shows that in most cases, calves were not prematurely weaned. In samples from Kostice-ZH, the 15N content in adult individuals was significantly lower contrary to values from Pohansko-JP. A present stage of the knowledge indicates that the cattle (i. e., including mother cows) was probably fed plants characterized by low δ15N values; however, a premature weaning to increase the milk production cannot be excluded.

The origin and nature of seal carcasses scattered around the Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, is examined using robust and novel multidisciplinary analysis. Spatial distribution analysis indicates their predominance at low elevations and on surfaces with negligible slope. The seals died throughout the last century. Dental cement increments indicate that the seals died in late winter, and we interpret this to show an influence of the persistence and break-up of sea ice and the appearance of pools/cracks in the northern Prince Gustav Channel on death. Specifically, after being trapped by a late winter freeze-up the seals search for open water, become disoriented by snow-covered flat valleys and move inland. Carcasses from all age groups of crabeater seal are found on land, but inland movement is less notable for Weddell and leopard seals. Although most carcasses appear to have remained unchanged during the last 10 years due to the cold and dry conditions, a few carcasses that are located in sites of snow accumulation and subsequent melting have undergone enhanced decay. Decaying seal carcasses represent loci of nutrient release in a nutrient deficient environment and are colonized by algae, cyanobacteria, lichens and mosses. This research suggests further useful studies for the future.

Trencianske Bohuslavice-Pod Tureckom is one of the most important Gravettian open-air sites in the Slovak Republic. It is situated inWestern Slovakia, in the middle course of the Vah River, in the area with abundant Upper Palaeolithic settlement. A small (2 m2) amount of revisory research conducted in 2008 had an interdisciplinary character, including detailed sedimentological, stable isotope, seasonality, fired clay pellets, lithic raw materials, pollen and malacofaunal analyses. Stable isotope analyses were used for the first time in Palaeolithic research in Slovakia. The results of most analyses were similar to those obtained from other Gravettian sites in the Middle Danube region. The analyses of sediment and malacofauna indicated cooling in the studied time intervals, Stable isotope analyses indicated the mosaic character of the Gravettian palaeoenvironment.

Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites in Moravia, an eastern region of the Czech Republic, are considered crucial to the understanding of the ecological strategies and seasonal mobility that enabled modern humans to exploit and colonize through the terminal MIS3 period and LGM in the north European plains. This article discusses the series of abiotic factors which could help explain the Gravettian hunter–gatherer ecological strategies in and around Moravia. The model is drawn from observations of the environmental contexts of both stratified sites and surface collections of Gravettian material within the region, and relates the choice of those sites to the hydrogeological, geological and geomorphologic conditions that impacted humans and their prey. Suggestions are made for possible future survey and excavation in the upper course of the Morava and Odra Rivers.

The archaeological site in Klementowice is the north-easternmost settlement point of the Magdalenian technocomplex in Europe. The paper presents the results of geoarchaeological investigations focused on recognition, identification, and interpretation of environmental determinants of the site location. The specific and favourable geographical position of the site in the Late Glacial is distinctly visible at the macroregional scale (at the border of contrasting megaregions – highlands/lowlands with different environmental conditions) as well as the microregional scale (specific local conditions). The site has been known since the early 1980s. In 2007, excavations were resumed and a new, previously unknown concentration of artefacts was discovered. The flint inventory from the site exhibits close analogies with the areas of Moravia and Central Germany. The new data from several thousands of flint artefacts and first discovery of faunal remains (Equus ferus) indicate that there was multi-seasonal hunting camp in this area.

The excavation and palaeoanthropological analysis of the early Upper Palaeolithic site of Dolni Věstonice II has yielded a series of incomplete and isolated human remains, comprising cranial vaults, teeth (including a series from an infant), ribs, arm bones, hand phalanges, leg bones, tarsals, metatarsals and pedal phalanges. Morphologically and morphometrically the elements are similar to those from buried individuals at Dolni Věstonice I and II and Pavlov I, as well as to other European early Upper Palaeolithic human remains. They differ principally in the high percentage of cortical areas of the distal humerus and femur. The Dolni Věstonice 36 infant's teeth may well derive from an undisturbed burial with in situ bone destruction. Geological processes are unlikely to have produced the taphonomic patterns observed, and the preservation and damage patterns of the elements (other than Dolni Věstonice 36) suggest that the original bodies were processed by some combination of scavenging agents. Moreover, the original number of burials at Dolni Věstonice II may have been greater than the four currently known.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation (LA) inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry (MS) were utilized for microspatial analyses of a prehistoric bear (Ursus arctos) tooth dentine. The distribution of selected trace elements (Sr, Ba, Fe) was measured on a 26 mm×15 mm large and 3 mm thick transverse cross section of a canine tooth. The Na and Mg content together with the distribution of matrix elements (Ca, P) was also monitored within this area. The depth of the LIBS craters was measured with an optical profilometer. As shown, both LIBS and LA-ICP-MS can be successfully used for the fast, spatially resolved analysis of prehistoric teeth samples. In addition to microchemical analysis, the sample hardness was calculated using LIBS plasma ionic-to-atomic line intensity ratios of Mg (or Ca). To validate the sample hardness calculations, the hardness was also measured with a Vickers microhardness tester.

This newly discovered and excavated site defines an Upper Palaeolithic activity unit consisting of a roasting pit at the centre of an area 5m across. Although the main task was the processing of two mammoths, there were numerous other wild animals in the assemblage. The occupants used flint knives, made bone tools and modelled in baked clay – on which they left their fingerprints, along with imprints of reindeer hair and textiles. Pavlov VI offers an exemplary picture of the basic living unit that made up the settlement clusters of the Gravettian people in Central Europe.