Archaeologists have discovered two major burial sites near Olomouc, Central Moravia, in the Czech Republic, during a rescue excavation along the future route of the D35 highway between Křelov and Neředín. One of these sites is the largest burial site linked to the Nitra culture from the Early Bronze Age, dating back to approximately 2100 and 1800 BC. This is now regarded as one of the most important discoveries in the study of the Nitra culture, with a total of 130 graves having been identified.
Gendered Differences in Burial and a Multitude of Burial Goods
The graves revealed a variety of votive goods: copper ornaments, bone beads, stone arrowheads, a copper ring, and bone awls. Some of the graves also showed signs of post-mortem manipulation, indicating that transitional burial rituals may have been performed even after death.
“Thanks to laboratory analyses, we can reconstruct the physical appearance of the inhabitants of that time, their health status, dietary habits, genetic relationships, and migration strategies,” explained lead researcher Vendula Vránová in a press release from the Olomouc Archaeological Centre (ACO).
The burial practices at the Czech Republic site demonstrate distinct gender-based differences, with respect to how men and women were buried. Men were buried with boar tusks and hunting tools, while women were entombed alongside jewelry and antler beads. Clearly, gender-roles played an important role in…
