Archaeologists have uncovered the largest Bronze Age burial site of the Nitra culture near Olomouc in Central Moravia, during their rescue research on the future D35 motorway route between Krelov and Neredin, representatives of the Olomouc Archaeological Centre told CTK today.
The extensive burial site of the Nitra culture, which inhabited the territory of eastern Moravia and south-western Slovakia in the Middle Bronze Age (2100-1800 BC), is one of the most significant discoveries of this research. Archaeologists found 130 graves, making the site the largest from this culture.
The graves contained skeletal remains and burial gifts, such as copper ornaments, bone beads, stone arrows, copper rings and bone awls, said archaeologist Vendula Vranova, the head of the research team. Men and women were buried in different positions and were accompanied by different objects. Men, for example, were given boar tusks and hunting tools, while women had jewellery and antler beads in their graves, she added.
Archaeologists also uncovered a burial site of the Corded Ware culture (2600 BC) at the site, including 17 skeletal graves, four apparently belonging to men who were buried with ceramic vessels, flint tools and axes. In addition, there were circular grooves around the graves, probably the remains of wooden structures that separated the sacred space of the burial site from the surrounding area.
Apart from the rich finds, the experts said the graves of the Nitra culture and the Corded Ware culture were interesting because they had not interfered with each other.
The archaeologists at the site in Krelov identified four different burial periods. “The area was used for burial purposes for more than 3,000 years, from the end of the Late Stone Age until the 9th century, when the Slavic population lived here on the territory of the Great Moravia state,” added Nikola Orlitova, spokeswoman for the centre.
According to archaeologists, the grave of a Germanic warrior with a shield and an iron spear from the 3rd century, the first such discovery in Central Moravia, is another important find. Experts also uncovered seven cremation graves at the burial site, where they found typical metal jewellery associated with the Celts.
The archaeological rescue excavation on the D35 route in the section between Krelov and Slavonin was carried out from August 2023 to April 2024. Now, the found artefacts and skeletal remains will be analysed. Experts should thereby gain new insights into the physical appearance of the inhabitants, their health, nutrition and genetic relationships.
