Charles Explorer logo
🇬🇧

Testimony of Archaeological Finds from the Neolithic Rondel in Praha - Ruzyně, Czech Republic

Publication at Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Arts |
2015

Abstract

Over the past three decades, the research of Neolithic rondels has been one of the main subjects within Central European Archaeology. Until now, knowledge from recent excavations about these enclosures from within Bohemia has been limited.

This study deals with a rondel in Praha-Ruzyně from the later Neolithic and includes discussion on Stroked Pottery Culture, the original rondel form and its later adaptations, analyses of finds, dating, and the subsequent in-filling of the rondel ditches. This rondel was researched in 2003 and 2006.

It consists of two concentric stone industry, animal bone and daub) were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed and interpreted, and their spatial distribution was studied. The interpretation of material analyses and their spatial distribution attempts to suggest a tendency of relationships between the formation processes and the later infill of rondel features.

This analysis showed that following the fulfilment of the rondel's primary function, there was a common practice of settlement disbandment and discard of materials. These materials were both intentionally and unintentionally (as a result of natural processes) deposited into the rondel's ditches within a relatively short period of time.

This study builds upon research from another rondel - Vchynice - in northwest Bohemia (Řídký et al. 2012). The main contribution of our study is that enables us to compare the results of finds and spatial analyses with the results from research carried out at other rondel sites.