Soil as secondary product of neolithic occupation of Svratka alluvial plain; case study from Brno - Přízřenice
Abstrakt
Study of buried soil horizons is one of the tools for understanding the environmental record of the past. Soil development is influenced by the climate, background geology, hydrological conditions or intensity of the biological decomposition.
Construction works done in the locality Brno- Přízřenice situated in the inundation zone of the Svratka River during the years 2012 - 2013 uncovered interesting situation in context of past occupation of this area. Approximately 200 cm under the surface there was excavated 50 cm thick dark horizon containing artefacts dated to the Neolithic, Eneolithic up to the Bronze Age.
More than 300 cm thick section is mostly composed of alluvial deposits of the Svratka River. Base of the section is composed of Stagnosols and Fluvisol is developed above the dark horizon and in its upper part is intensively cultivated.
This locality is very interesting due to its position in alluvial zone. This part of the inundation zone was not inundated minimally during the period between the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age.
This fact may be interpreted more as a result of riverbed shifting as well as a consequence of climatic changes resulting into lower precipitation and therefore less common floods. Another interesting aspect is the dark horizon itself which may be macroscopically interpreted as a soil horizon.
The number and state of archaeological remains preserved within this layer suggest the long term occupation and fertilisation of this area.