Publication details
Mladobronzová kumulace lidských skeletů na Cezavách u Blučiny (okr.Brno-venkov) a její environmentální kontext
| Title in English | A Late Bronze Age Accumulation of Human Skeletons in Cezavy near Blučina (Brno-venkov district) and Its Environmental Context |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Památky archeologické |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Archaeology, anthropology, ethnology |
| Keywords | Moravia Middle Danube Urnfield culture anthropology human sacrifices 14C dating natural environment |
| Description | Accumulation K7/90 was uncovered on the southwest edge of the basin dividing the Cezavy knoll from the Výhon elevation. Until now this space had produced no finds, as the original surface from the Bronze Age at a depth of 190–200 cm was covered with accumulation sediment from the surrounding slopes and ground that had slid. Furthermore, there was a repeated occurrence of a water surface on the bottom of the basin, historically documented from the 17th century onward as an occasional lake. New 14C data obtained from the stratified shells of water snails has now confirmed the existence of a lake in the Early Hillfort period and the Early Bronze Age (2 sigma 1732–1531 BC). The lake dried out in the warm and dry subboreal climate, and therefore not even the uncovered situation is the result of deposits made in water. An accumulation phenomenon with dimensions of 170 x 190 cm involves five skeletons of males between the ages of 20 and 55 deposited in overlapping fashion in non-ritual, even anatomically unnatural, positions. Intentional components also included parts of animal bodies (domestic ox, domestic horse) and stones carried intentionally from the river terraces. Artefacts from the site that can be described as intentional include, at least, fragments of two bronze rings, a copper ingot and part of a quern-stone. The diet of the men involved over the long-term in physically demanding work was reconstructed; the study demonstrated the local provenance of the men without migration. Traces of violent treatment were found on four skeletons. Accumulation K7/90 is interpreted as a likely relic of a religious ritual accompanied by, among other things, human sacrifices. This evidence supports the current classification of the knoll as a Late Bronze Age sacred area. |
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