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Abstract
There are several hundred recorded Early Upper Palaeolithic sites in Moravia, most of which are surface sites. The majority were exposed by agricultural plowing and subsequently discovered by pedestrian surveys whereas most of the stratified sites were found accidentally. Numerous unsystematic attempts in the past to find stratified remnants of sites disturbed by plowing have been unsuccessful. Here we present a methodology for locating stratified Early Upper Palaeolithic cultural contexts based on distribution of surface scatters. This involves pedestrian surveys guided by background research. All Palaeolithic artifacts were recorded using a handheld GPS with particular attention to calcium carbonate crust on artifact surfaces, which can be indicators of nearby stratified deposits. Exploratory test pits were then excavated followed by systematic excavations if the potential for stratified cultural deposits was deemed high.
Using this technique, we have discovered 11 new stratified Early Upper Palaeolithic sites.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks go to two anonymous reviewers whose insightful comments greatly improved this paper and to Lorna Tilley for proofreading and language corrections. The EUP survey project was supported by a grant from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, project No. IAA800010801. Writing of this publication was supported by Grant Agency of the Czech Republic No. 15–19170S. This project was partially funded from the SoMoPro program. Research leading to these results has received a financial contribution from the European Community within the Seventh Framework Program (FP/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. 229603. The research was also co-financed by the South Moravian Region. We would also like to thank the many students who assisted during field surveys and excavations.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Petr Škrdla
Petr Škrdla (Ph.D. 2000, University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic) is a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. His principal research interests are the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition, lithic technologies, and spatial archaeology.
Ladislav Nejman
Ladislav Nejman (Ph.D. 2008, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia) is Visiting Fellow at Australian National University, School of Archaeology and Anthropology in Canberra, Australia. His principal research interests are the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition, Pleistocene palaeoenvironments and palaeoclimates, lithic technologies, and Australian archaeology.
Tereza Rychtaříková
Tereza Rychtaříková (MSc. 2013, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic) is interested in spatial archaeology and Bronze Age lithics. She is currently affiliated with the Institute of Archaeology, Brno, Czech Republic.