Peter Barta

The flotation of deposits from two recently excavated Kalenderberg Group cremation graves in Devín-Záhrady (SW Slovakia) yielded a plethora of archaeozoological and archaeobotanical remains, including small, otherwise overlooked, ecofacts. The results of our analysis in the context of contemporary data show that animals clearly constituted an unambiguous part of funerary ritual activities. Pig, fish, red deer, cattle and caprines were all exploited at Devín-Záhrady. These animals represented both food and symbolic offerings, with a preference for pig and fish. Cattle, red deer, pig and caprines astragali found in grave 2 were all associated with one of the urns. The age of perinatal piglets was used to indicate the season when the funerals took place. Plant macro-remains are much less common than bone remains and are not associated with the burial. The results of the analysis change what is known about the array, quantity and way animal and plant offerings from Kalenderberg Group cremation graves were prepared for the burial ritual. Their study also permitted residual and intrusive materials to be detected, allowed reconstruction of the deposit’s formation processes and establishment of the connections (or absence of connections) between these ecofacts to the funeral and/or burial ritual.

Seemingly empty spaces in various archaeological settings have left many unanswered questions. This paper focuses on the appearance, maintenance and possible function of a large empty area situated at the summit plateau of the Iron Age oppidum Bibracte in France. Multidisciplinary research of the infill of the ditch that delimited this area in the 1 st century BC has provided evidence on the primary function and the formation processes of the structure itself, and for the reconstruction of the appearance, maintenance and function of the area it enclosed. The results allow us to gain insight into a variety of topics, including the role of trees, hygiene measures and waste management strategies at this urbanised hilltop centre. This paper demonstrates that multi-proxy analyses provide detailed insight into the function of archaeological features in a local environmental context and the potential of such approaches in archaeology.

Results of dendrochronological research of the residential tower of Trenčín Castle.                        Abstract: This article introduces dendrochronological research of timbers from the residential tower, one of the oldest preserved profane buildings of Trenčín Castle. In its earlier Romanesque stone masonry, remains of five oak beams survived: a central ceiling beam, three supports of parapet walk, and a beam of unknown function. Four of them were successfully dated and produced first chronometric evidence for the construction of the tower. Our research presents the most recent contribution to the historic-architectural and archaeological discussions on chronology of the earliest architectures of this county castle.

Early Bronze Age burial site in Šoporňa. During the course of prior research, 14 inhumation graves were uncovered in Šoporňa in western Slovakia, on the left bank terrace of the river Váh. With the exception of one grave, they had been the object of secondary opening in prehistoric times and as a result, parts of clothing, offerings and the skeletal remains of the bodies were found at different degrees of violation. The result of the analyses is the classification of the artefacts placed in the graves among the bearers of Únětice culture and the interpretation of the cattle, sheep/goat and dog bones as food. The gender of the buried people was determined based on the way in which the body was laid out, by anthropological analysis and DNA analysis. In two of the buried people, DNA analysis showed first-degree kinship; the anthropological analysis ascertained a bad state of health in several individuals. The period of death of two individuals was determined by radio carbon dating to the interval between 1980 and 1860 B.C.E.

At several human cemeteries of Vekerzug culture horses were interred in separate grave pits not directly associated with the human graves. We summarize archaeological absolute dating of horse graves based on typological and chronological setting of artefacts. Majority of them are difficult to date archaeologically due to chronologically insignificant or absent grave goods. The graves with better datable artefacts are from the final 6th to late 5th or early 4th century BC. Two new 14C dates from two horse graves at Chotín (Slovakia) indicate that they come from the mid or 2nd half of the 4th century BC or from the following two centuries. This late date, which is in line with the chronology of similar burials in wider geographical context, changes the interpretation of their origin. It contributes to discussion about the end of Vekerzug culture cemeteries and emergence of La Tène culture in the area of Chotín and beyond.

Remains of inhumed human bodies from a period in which cremation was the strict burial rite norm are a rare yet wellknown phenomenon. In unusual find environments such as caves and swamps, they are commonly linked to symbolic and non-profane aspects of human activities, and the possibility of sacrifices has also been raised. On the other hand, in the environment of common settlements, it is possible to consider a much broader range of interpretational possibilities,
including emergency burials, the consequences of legal acts or as a reflection of the social or ethnic status of individuals buried in this manner. The unique find of a woman with a luxurious set of ornaments from Ivanovice na Hané combines both aspects. Thanks to its specific spatial context and the evidence of the intentional destruction of artefacts, the burial in a common settlement pit can be interpreted with a high degree of certainty as a remarkable event, probably a specific type of sacrifice. As a whole, the assemblage of ornaments with emonstrable imports has no parallel in local contexts and points to the elite status of the individual of local origin. The individual artefacts have good parallels in the hoards of the Gyermely horizon, and thanks to a radiocarbon date from a bone this find provides us with an important contribution to the absolute dating of this find horizon.

In this study we focus on some aspects of the habitation history of Smolenice-Molpír which have previously been overlooked. By means of analyses of three archived and two recently-taken chronometric samples (14C and dendrochronology), we suggest new interpretations of some ecofactual components of the archaeological record, and comment on the archaeological formation processes. Backed up by analyses of artefacts and ecofacts acquired up to 2008, we put forward new hypotheses concerning site use since the earliest Hallstatt habitation until the end of the Early Iron Age settlement.


Keywords: Smolenice-Molpír, Early Iron Age, Late Urnfield Period, Early Middle Ages, archived samples, radiocarbon, dendrochronology, archaeological formation processes, multi-period site, termination of Early Iron Age settlement, grain store, early Scythian arrowhead, Hiebmesser, water cistern

Using a multi-proxy analysis of a postglacial sedimentary sequence from a lowland wetland, we address the possible drivers of change in the wetland
habitats and surrounding landscapes of southwestern Slovakia. A 5 m-deep core in the Parížske močiare marshes was investigated for pollen, plant
macro-remains, molluscs, organic content and magnetic susceptibility. The palaeoecological record extends from the Pleistocene–Holocene transition
(≥11,200 cal. BP) to the 5th millennium cal. BP and was correlated with a macrophysical climate model (MCM) and archaeological data. Our results
show the transformation of an open parkland landscape with patches of coniferous forest to a temperate deciduous forest at the onset of the Holocene.
The record is remarkable for an early occurrence of Quercus pollen and macro-remains around 11,200 cal. BP and its early expansion (10,390 cal. BP)
in the vegetation. Such an early spread of Quercus has not previously been recorded in the region, where Corylus is usually the first to expand among
temperate trees. This unusual development of forest communities was most probably triggered by a short-lived increase in precipitation and decrease in
temperature, as reconstructed by the MCM model. Higher moisture availability and low temperature inhibited Corylus and favoured the spread of Quercus.
Later, the climate became drier and warmer, which, together with fires, supported the expansion of Corylus. Since 7300 cal. BP, human activities became
most likely the dominant influence on the landscape. Deforestation contributed to soil erosion, which halted the accumulation of organic material after
5520 cal. BP, followed by the accumulation of clay sediments.

Terra sigillata from ditch of Roman camp Gerulata II in Bratislava-Rusovce
Rudolf Nádaskay, Jaroslava Schmidtová, and Peter Barta

The article presents assemblage of terra sigillata (TS) acquired in course of rescue excavations (Bratislava City Museum, 2009) of a segment of ditch encircling the Roman camp Gerulata II.  The  majority of 52 fragments dates from the 2nd half of the 2nd century, only three sherds are of earlier manufacture  - one South Gaulish (2nd half of the 1st cent.) and two Middle Gaulish (1st half of the 2nd cent.). The TS assemblage is an important indicator for dating of destruction material filling the ditch. In this respect is particularly important the presence of production of masters Cinnamus and Paternus II often appearing in the destruction strata of Marcomannic wars in Pannonia. Interesting is a piece of Ittenweiler master Verecundus/Cibisus with analogues from Marcomannic wars destruction strata of Upper-Pannonian camps Ad Statuas and Iža. Further, a bowl Drag. 33 with a stamp of master Priscus from our assemblage is an addition to smaller collection by this master found in the same ditch in course of earlier excavations; Priscus is known also from the pottery hoard in Gorsium. After the Marcomannic wars, it was Rheinzabern, what gained the leading role in TS import to Pannonia. However, this post-Marcomannic-wars Rheinzabern production is entirely absent in our assemblage.

This paper sums up results of the most recent project focused on 14C dating of samples from
pre-Roman phases of St. George’s. The project has been triggered by the outcomes of initial chronometric
research of a primary timber published in 2010. New 14C dates narrow the date for construction of the masoned
church, which in Slovakia presents one of the earliest buildings preserved in its entirety.

This article presents the outcome of chronometric research into pre-Romanesque masonry of the
Rotunda of St. George in the Nitrianska Blatnica cadastral zone. The research was conducted by means of
14C measurements of anthropogenic calcite in the primary mortar. The results prompt a specialist discussion
and will also serve as groundwork for further chronometric research.

This contribution presents the results of interdisciplinary heritage research of the ruin of Revište Castle conducted in 2012 in connection with the planned restoration of this monument. Historic architectural investigation, which centred on overground constructions, has brought together with dendrochronological, archive, and petrographic research novel information providing a current view on the building development and chronology of individual phases of the castle complex, as well as on its gradual decline.

The aims of this study were two folds. First we wanted to verify archaeological dating of the two for the medieval period considered “exotic” or luxury fruits - grape pips and peach stone in relation with Great Moravian habitation of the site. Second, our analyses was to comment on the formation processes of the sediment in the river channel excavated in 2012 in the Pl 93.