Abstract
Compared to the long-term Late Glacial/Holocene record from the nearby rockshelters, the occupation of the Malý Medvědí Tábor rockshelter was rather episodic. Nevertheless, the site is of domestic character, as suggested by the richness of artefacts, a larger proportion of cores, and the level of their reduction; although the proportion of retouched tools is low.
Fire has been extensively used, as at Údolí Samoty (which helped to preserve fragmentary bone remains at the both sites). If we compare the arboreal species composition of the two sites, we find a few differences.
One of the noticeable differences is the higher frequency of the species associated with a nutrient-rich habitats (e.g. elm, maple, ash). The presence of a nearby watercourse is demonstrated by the rare occurrence of alder.
The other difference is a low abundance of hazelnut shells in the Malý Medvědí Tábor rock shelter, although hazel charcoals are abundant there. The high number of hazelnut shells probably correlates with the frequency, or an annual periodicity, of human occupation in the rock shelters.
However the vegetation generally showed similar features on both sites during the preboreal and boreal periods. Given the presence of a nearby peatbog at Velenice, with the potential for providing a high-resolution record of regional vegetation changes, this new site serves as an important reference point for prehistoric human presence in the Svitávka River valley.