- Email: [email protected]
Palaeolithic settlement strategies in the Krumlov Forest area (South Moravia, Czech Republic) during MIS 3
Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Quaternary International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint
Palaeolithic settlement strategies in the Krumlov Forest area (South Moravia, Czech Republic) during MIS 3 ka Nerudová Zden Moravian Museum, Anthropos Institute, Zelný trh 6, Brno 659 37, Czech Republic
a r t i c l e i n f o
a b s t r a c t
Article history: Available online 23 July 2011
The Krumlov Forest (SW of Brno, South Moravia) is an area noted for a number of mainly surface Palaeolithic sites dating back from the Lower to Late Palaeolithic. There are also many isolated or undatable finds falling generally within the Old Stone Age. The structure of Palaeolithic occupation within the studied area was investigated considering the character of particular sites (e.g. Moravský Krumlov IV, Vedrovice V), and their distribution with regard to landscape geomorphology. The data were processed using a statistic programme, and visualised by the help of ArcGIS. The analyses indicate that the region was divided into western and eastern parts. In the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic, independent settlement units can be distinguished associated with watercourses, whereas the Upper Palaeolithic occupation was concentrated mainly on the eastern promontories of the Krumlov Forest where many stations overlap in space, and a number exhibit evidence of repeated settlement activity. A completely different structure is present on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands, especially when compared to the character of the Szeletian sites. Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.
1. Introduction The Krumlov Forest area is situated 40 km SW of Brno city (Fig. 1) and is well known for the occurrence of raw material, and extraction of a particular eponymous type of chert (Prichystal, 2009). With regard to the surrounding terrain it is a distinctly elevated area representing a remarkable landscape overlooking the lowland territory of the Dyje-Svratka Vale, comparable to the opposite Pavlov Hills (Fig. 2). The main axis of the ridge is oriented NNE-SSW with maximum elevation of 415 m asl. In terms of geomorphology, the Krumlov Forest area is divided into two parts. The western part ends in steep slopes with the border formed by a deep incision of the Rokytná rivulet. The eastern part of the unit has moderate and separated small ridges. Geological maps show the very complicated character of terrain (Fig. 3). The eastern slopes were formed by Paleogene marine processes, which accumulated sands and cherts. During the Quaternary, the surface was influenced by neotectonic processes and erosion, as well as by aeolian accumulation, and fluvial erosion of sediments. These processes can be recorded in valleys that are usually deep and steep, sometimes with a seasonal watercourse. The Krumlov Forest area is significant mainly for the number of detected Palaeolithic sites. These are bound above all on its eastern E-mail address: [email protected]. 1040-6182/$ e see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2011.07.024
part. In the Neogene gravels, chert, the local raw material can be found (for newest definitions and characteristics, see Prichystal, 2009). Even if of not very high quality (Neruda, 2009), this chert had been very intensively and continuously utilised from the Lower Palaeolithic up to the Late Iron Age. The Krumlov Forest area also is one of the main Early Upper Palaeolithic regions, especially of the Szeletian settlements, in the Czech Republic. The majority of Palaeolithic sites are concentrated on the eastern slopes divided by a series of valleys. Currently over 130 sites are known, but only four have been archaeologically excavated: Vedrovice V (Valoch, 1993), Vedrovice Ia (Oliva, 1993; Neruda and Nerudová, 2005), Moravský Krumlov IV (Neruda and Nerudová, 2010), and Marsovice (Valoch and Seitl, 1988). Most of the Palaeolithic sites are known from surface finds, and these lack any numerical dating (the sites are ranked generally between the Lower and Upper Palaeolithic). This paper presents a partial summarization of some information published earlier relating to the character of settlement strategy in the area of the Krumlovský Les in MIS3, with lesser attention to both older and more recent occupation (Nerudová, 2008a), and a new comparison of certain selected aspects of Szeletian settlement with the Bobrava and the Drahany Uplands micro-regions (Fig. 1). Although the typical landscape pattern and geomorphology of the terrain is identical for all three microregions, within the same temporal horizon there are differences,
62
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
Fig. 1. Moravia (Czech Republic). 1 - Brno city, 2 - Krumlov Forest area, 3 - Bobravsko region, 4 - Drahany Uplands, 5 - Pavlov (Pálava) Hills. Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
collections of the Anthropos Institute). Sites with incomplete (nonverifiable) data (altogether 10 localities) were omitted from the analysis. Thus a representative dataset reflecting the area and the geomorphologic character of the studied territory were acquired (Nerudová, 2008a; Table 1). It was not possible to extend the analysis by palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of the territory, as the existing published data are rather sporadic: they neither cover the entire territory of the Krumlovský Les nor fit the temporal framework observed. The starting point for making up a database was the list of recorded locations of particular sites within the examined area, whereby 139 settlement points were obtained (Figs. 2 and 3). The list was updated with respect to new excavations (e.g. chronological position of selected assemblages, geographic location, amount and composition of industry). The studied sites were described using the following characteristics: absolute coordinates in JTSK format and elevation asl, orientation of sites, dating of finds, total (known) number of pieces of industry, represented raw material types, distance to the next watercourse, and relative relief (for details see Nerudová, 2008a, Table 1). The emergent case table including the above-mentioned variables was processed using the STATISTICA ver.9.1. programme and visualised in the ArcGIS programme. For the analyses, newly developed software was used (Nerudová et al., 2011), enabling mathematical description of the morphological variability of a selected group of artefacts, and statistical evaluation of the parameters. The information was interpreted and visualised with the help of ArcGIS in order to complete the image of the occupation character and settlement strategies during MIS 3 in the Krumlov Forest area. 3. Material studied
Fig. 2. Contour map of analysed area. Black points - analysed Palaeolithic sites, 1 eastern part of the Krumlov Forest area, 2 - western part of the Krumlov Forest area, 3 Pavlov (Pálava) Hills. Digitalisation by Z. Nerudová.
not only in the dimensions of the sites but also in their character and the composition of the lithic industry. On the grounds of new numerical data from the key sites (Neruda and Nerudová, 2010), and on the basis of existence of the same Upper Micoquian/Lower Szeletian technology of chipping in Moravia, it is assumed that its bearers were Neanderthals (the issues of AMH contacts with Neanderthals were recently discussed in detail, see Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). Therefore, a reconstruction of settlement strategy was carried out based on the known data, with the aim to determine the chronological position above all in the undated sites (or finds). 2. Methods - Character of the examined data The Palaeolithic settlement strategy in the Krumlov Forest area was recently investigated from the statistical point of view (Nerudová, 2008a), and using GIS analysis (Nerudová et al., 2011). The analyzed data included map source materials, bibliographic data, and revisions of artefacts (all of them are deposited in the
The number of noted sites differs considerably in particular periods of the Palaeolithic within the region, and their detailed evaluation can be sometimes complicated due to the high concentration of localities, differently dated. For comparison, after a rather sporadic occupation in the Lower Palaeolithic (Fig. 4) the number of detected stations significantly increases in the Middle Palaeolithic. The sites are more varied, and in terms of geography they cover a much wider scope of locations within the area, compared to the preceding period. Most dominant are the Early Upper Palaeolithic stations assigned to the Szeletian culture (Fig. 4). Leaving aside the undated and stray finds, Szeletian is the most frequent culture occurring in the Krumlov Forest area. The proper Upper Palaeolithic occupation, such as Gravettian or Aurignacian, is much less frequent (cf. Nerudová, 2008a). There is no reliable archaeological record for Gravettian occupation. The Krumlov Forest, in contrast to the territory of Pálava (Pavlov) Hills (Figs. 1 and 2), did not offer any suitable ecosystem in the advanced Upper Palaeolithic, and the Upper Palaeolithic hunters were also not really attracted to local raw material sources that were of rather low quality (Neruda, 2009). In contrast to the preceding periods, the Gravettian population in Moravia preferred a different ecosystem with altitude around 200e290 m, in the vicinity of a large watercourse (a river), with access to very high quality silicates, most often originating from Poland. In terms of geomorphology, the Gravettian settlement is tied mainly with the grabens of Moravia, and with the Danube area (Svoboda, 2003). After a rapid increase in concentration of settlements at the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic in the Szeletian, the Krumlov Forest region had been gradually abandoned at the expense of more suitable ecosystems, and the intensity of Palaeolithic occupation considerably decreased. Focusing mainly on the Szeletian occupation and its comparison with demands on settlement strategy in
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
63
Fig. 3. Geological map with analysed Palaeolithic sites (squares). Digitalisation by Z. Nerudová.
Table 1 Szeletian sites using for GIS analysis. The sites numbering correspond to the marks on the Figs. 5e9. Region DU - Drahany Uplands, KL - Krumlov Forest, B - Bobravsko. Analysed_LP - a number of complet analysed leaf points. Site_dimension: 0 - sporadic findings (max 10 pcs of industry), 1 - very small site (max 100 pcs of indutry), 2 - small medium site (max 1000 pcs of industry), 3 - medium site (max 2500 pcs of industry), 5 - big site (more than 5000 pcs of industry). LP (Leaf point) dimension : 0 - cannot been determined, 1 - only small leaf points (less tahn 6 cm), 2 - small and big leaf points, 3 - only big leaf points (over 8 cm). M (morphological) variability of leaf points: - real number (eg. number of all leaf point shapes determined on the site. Max ¼ 15). No.
Site
region
analysed_ LP
site_dimension
LP_dimension
M_variability
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 32 33 34 35 37 39 40 41 42 43
Brat cice 1 Dolní Kounice 1 Dolní Kounice 10 Dolní Kounice 16 Dolní Kounice 2 Dolní Kounice 3 Dolní Kounice 5 Drnovice 1 Drnovice 2 Drnovice 3 Drnovice 4 Drnovice 5 Drnovice 6 Drnovice 7 Drnovice 8 Drysice 1 (Ondratice 5) Drysice 3 (Ondratice 7) Dukovany 1 Dukovany 2 Dukovany 3 Habrovany-Olsany Hajany 1 Hlína u Ivan cic/Ivan cice 1 Jezerany 1 Jezerany 2 Jezerany 3 Jezerany 4 Lhánice 1 Lule c o.Vyskov Marsovice 1 Marsovice 2 Marsovice 6 l Me cany 1
KL KL KL KL KL KL KL DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU B KL KL KL KL KL KL DU KL KL KL KL
9 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 1 1 2 5 0 60 60 1 21 0 2 2 1 0 1
3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 2 1 3 1 0 2 3 2 0 3
6 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 1 1 1 3 0 10 9 1 7 0 2 1 1 0 1 (continued on next page)
64
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
Table 1 (continued ) No.
Site
region
analysed_ LP
site_dimension
LP_dimension
M_variability
44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 54 55 56 57 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 82 84 86 88 89 94 95 96 97 98 99 101 102 103 104 105
Modrice 1 Mohelno Moravský Krumlov 2 Moravský Krumlov 3 Moravský Krumlov 4 Moravský Krumlov 5 Moravský Krumlov 6 Moravský Krumlov 7 Morice Myslejovice m Ne ci cky 2 Neslovice 1 Neslovice 2 Omice Ondratice 1 Ondratice 1a Ondratice 4 Ondratice 10 Opatovice 1 Opatovice 2 Opatovice 3 Orechov 1 Orechov 2 Oslavany 3 Popovice Pravlov 4a Pravlov 4c Pravlov 5 Pravlov 6 Pravlov 8 Radslavice nice Roste Rychtárov-Lhota Sil uvky Sumice Trbousany 1 Trbousany 2 Vedrovice 3a Vedrovice 3b Vedrovice 4 Vedrovice 5 Vedrovice 7 Vincencov-Otaslavice sice 1 Zele sice 2 Zele sice 3 Zele sice 5 Zele sice 6 Zele
B KL KL KL KL KL KL KL DU DU KL KL KL B DU DU DU DU DU DU DU B B KL B KL KL KL KL KL DU DU DU B KL KL KL KL KL KL KL KL DU B B B B B
13 6 2 0 15 0 0 0 1 0 0 43 0 0 12 2 0 0 2 2 0 12 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 29 1 3 0 3 29 1 2 13 0 0 8 0
1 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 0 1 1 5 1 0 5 2 1 1 2 1 0 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 3 1 1 0 2 5 1 1 2 1 1 2 1
2 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 2 0
5 5 1 0 9 0 0 0 1 0 0 12 0 0 5 2 0 0 2 2 0 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 1 3 0 3 9 1 2 6 0 0 5 0
Fig. 4. The number of culturally significant sites with regard to their geomorphological position within the Krumlov Forest area. LP - Lower Palaeolithic, MP - Middle Palaeolithic, KRU - Krumlovian, MQ - Micoquian, AU - Aurignacian, BOH - Bohunician, SZ Szeletian, LaP - Late Palaeolithic.
context of the Middle Palaeolithic and Aurignacian, certain trends changing in time and depending on the microregion exploited can be defined. The Krumlov Forest area has the same micro-regions, evident is the functional diversity between Szeletian and Middle Palaeolithic sites (Fig. 5). The known occupation (Middle Palaeolithic and Szeletian) is concentrated in the eastern part of the Krumlov Forest and relates to the outcrops of chert raw material, whereas the western part of the region shows diversified occupation. The Middle Palaeolithic sites are located only in the west, whereas the Szeletian occupation covers also the northeastern part of the territory and lies between the Middle Palaeolithic sites (Fig. 5). The Aurignacian occupation (which is represented by 9 sites; Fig. 4) is concentrated in a limited area near the raw material sources. Here, similarly as in the previous case, it potentially overlaps with the recorded Szeletian occupation. There is clear evidence of re-occupation of the same localities in the Middle Palaeolithic and the Szeletian (Nerudová, 2008a, 2008b) but no superposition between the Szeletian and Aurignacian is known. The separate spatial as well as chronological positions of these two Early Upper Palaeolithic
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
65
Fig. 5. GIS - density of Szeletian and Middle Palaeolithic sites. Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
cultures are also confirmed by numerical dates (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009, Fig. 2, Table 1). As all Aurignacian sites were detected in the eastern part of the Krumlov Forest area (Fig. 6), Aurignacian settlement traces at the eastern border of the Krumlov Forest indicate one of the movement routes of this culture through the South Danube Region to Central Europe.
For reconstructions of settlement strategies, there are insufficient data concerning the area of the sites, their chronological position, time span, or functional differentiation of the settlement area. Therefore, other types of data, such as variability of a certain type of tool (similarly Uthmeier, 2000) or the kinds of utilised raw materials, were used.
Fig. 6. GIS - density of Szeletian and Aurignacian sites. Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
66
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
GIS analysis distinguished a functional diversity of Szeletian sites based on the relation between the site dimensions, number of leaf points and their size, and variability of shapes and raw material used (Fig. 7). The analysis compared the settlement structure detected in the Krumlov Forest with that on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands (Fig. 1). One of the examined aspects was the relationship between the site dimensions, size of points and their morphological variability (Table 1). In the Krumlov Forest analysis, the chert outcrops were included,
representing the most preferred raw material. The majority of sites situated directly at the outcrops fall within the category of small localities with a low variability of points. Somewhat different from this is the excavated site of Moravský Krumlov IV (Fig. 5, point No. 48), which represents a relatively extensive workshop area with large points. In this case, a relatively high variability of shapes is documented, but this is attributed to the presence of unfinished pieces, in which the proposed shape was not achieved (Fig. 7).
Fig. 7. GIS e analysis of correlation between site dimensions and shape variability of points in the Moravský Krumlov and Bobrava regions (region A) and the Drahany Uplands (region B). A - site dimensions, B - size of leaf points, C - variability of leaf points, D - sources of the Krumlov Forest chert. Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
In the vicinity of these minor sites, smaller stations with minimal numbers of leaf points can be found, as well as several large stations exhibiting common features. Previous analyses suggest settlements with a mingling of many human activities (Fig. 7, point No. 32 - Jezerany I, No. 33 - Jezerany II, No. 97 Vedrovice V). Even if the leaf point dimensions are mostly smaller, the aspect of their variability is significantly dominant. This phenomenon refers to a variable use of leaf points and at the same time to an intense re-sharpening of these tools (Nerudová et al.,
67
2010). Towards the west, rather smaller stations occur, probably of hunting character. Somewhat different characteristics are exhibited by the localities in the Bobravsko Region (Fig. 1) where large collections are not present, and the variability and size of points are smaller. A completely different structure can be observed on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands, with a relatively low variability of shapes but with relatively large points (Fig. 7, point No. 61 Ondratice I, No. 20 - Drysice I). This could be due to the assumed
Fig. 8. GIS - analysis of correlation between site dimensions and variability of raw materials used for the manufacture of leaf points (in %) in the Moravský Krumlov region (region A) and the Drahany Uplands (region B). Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
68
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
different chronological position of these sites, and the related contacts with anatomically modern humans (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). Besides this, a different economic model of raw material distribution might play a role. The accessibility and character of utilised raw materials must have to a certain degree also significantly affected the studied criteria. This is confirmed by the raw material analysis in both regions. Changes are apparent not only between the examined territories but also in a relatively small area between the Krumlov Forest and Bobravsko regions, with marked differences in utilisation of raw materials (only the raw materials from which leaf points were made were analyzed). A completely different composition was recorded on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands (Fig. 8). 4. Results All settlement activity detected is concentrated mainly on the eastern projections of the Krumlov Forest, where many stations overlap in space. A large number show evidence of repeated occupation by the same group of hunters or by the same culture within longer time horizons. The hilltops did not represent any obstacle, so that they were colonised on the natural shortest route across the hills. The area yielded evidence of a continuous occupation from the Lower to the Early Upper Palaeolithic. Many sites, above all those with indistinct lithic finds at elevations of 200e300 m asl, most probably represent the remains of stations scattered secondarily by solifluction or ploughing, which might have been parts of some larger units (Nerudová, 2008a). The occupation continued over the top of the Krumlov Forest and spread west. Here, the concentration of sites is not so apparent. Although there is a wholly different possibility of raw material acquisition in the western part of the forest and further from the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, it seems that the sources of the Krumlov Forest chert played a role, even if not so markedly dominant. One of the most used attributes in settlement characteristics is the position of sites by height. This is varied in the Krumlov Forest area, depending on the site ages. For example, the average elevation of Lower Palaeolithic sites is 260 m asl. The Krumlovian, an industry which has been linked to the Eemian interglacial based on findings from Moravský Krumlov I e brickyard and is contemporaneous with the Warthe glacial (MIS 6), as well as Szeletian stations are situated on average at around 290 m asl. In contrast, Aurignacian localities can be found as low as 250 m asl (Fig. 9). The most frequently occupied locations in the Krumlov Forest area were the hilltops, even if they were not always marked high points (Fig. 10). For example, Trbousany VI is situated on a hilltop at 232 m asl. Particular sites are highly varied in terms of typology: from these locations mostly only very poor collections are known, but there are several exceptions as well e the Aurignacian site of Vedrovice Ia and the Szeletian locality Jezerany II. On the west side of the Krumlov Forest to date, no abundant collection from a hilltop is known, although perhaps half of the sites are situated in such locations. Another important attribute is orientation. In the Krumlov Forest area, it seems that the orientation towards cardinal points was subordinate to a good view of the surroundings. The most frequent type of orientation is to the southeast, some with a moderate deviation towards SSE. This is the case above all in localities on the eastern border of the Krumlov Forest, the number of which is almost as high as that of hilltop sites. On the west side of the Krumlov Forest, there are only three sites (Fig. 10) oriented towards the southeast, which is not conditioned by the landscape configuration. The second most abundant is the group of sites
Fig. 9. The relation between cultural classification and elevation above sea level of analysed sites. LaP - Late Palaeolithic, SZ - Szeletian, KRU - Krumlovian, LP - Lower Palaeolithic, MP - Middle Palaeolithic, BOH - Bohunician, AU - Aurignacian.
oriented towards the south and east. This type of orientation is recorded on the east side of the Krumlov Forest, but it is quite frequent on the west side as well. Differences, however, can be detected in the distribution of otherwise oriented sites. On the east side of the Krumlov Forest, there are localities oriented towards the north or west, whereas on the west side orientations towards the north, west and southwest are absent. An exception is represented by two stations oriented towards the northeast (Dobrínsko I, Moravský Krumlov e city) and another two oriented towards the northwest (Polánka I, Alexovice Ia; Fig. 10). These orientations are most probably conditioned by the solar cycle so that the sites should catch as much as warmth and light after morning and towards evening. Moreover, it seems that the localities in the Krumlov Forest area are also influenced by the character of hills and adjacent valleys. An important role was also played by the distance to water and relative relief, which had to be overcome on the way to water. The Palaeolithic hydrology was reconstructed using old maps, especially the existing maps of the 1st and 2nd Military Survey, covering the area of Czechia, Moravia, and Silesia. The importance of these Military Survey maps lies not only in its precision, scale and detailed military-topographical descriptions, but also in the period of their completion. These give the opportunity to view the area just before the beginning of the industrial revolution, in the period of the full bloom of the cultural baroque landscape and its highest
Fig. 10. Variability of orientations (towards cardinal points) in all studied Palaeolithic sites.
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
diversity. These maps are usable also for the reconstruction of old hydrology. Distances to water are shown individually for the Krumlov Forest sites (see Nerudová, 2008a, Table 1; presented in metres). The shortest distance of 0 m had to be overcome by the people from the settlement at Nové Bránice I. The alternatives of a larger river versus a local creek are complementary; for example, when the river is situated 4100 m away from Vedrovice V, there is a creek in the vicinity (350 m, i.e. maximum 5 min’ walk). In summary it can be said that the average distance to a water source varies between 768 and 2428 m. The average relative relief falls within the interval between 35 and 67 m, in absolute numbers between 0 and 140 m. In general, it can be stated that the Early Upper Palaeolithic sites are concentrated mainly in areas with raw material sources (Ondraticko, Krumlov Forest, Stránská skála regions), and occupy strategic locations on hilltops with a good view of the landscape (Moravský Krumlov II and Moravský Krumlov V - 330 m ASL; Moravský Krumlov IV e 320 m ASL; Moravský Krumlov III -; 340 m ASL). 5. Conclusions The Micoquian has been on the first time clearly documented in the Moravský Krumlov IV (layers 1 and 2; Neruda and Nerudová, 2010) exhibits a clean-cut settlement strategy especially in comparison to other Middle Palaeolithic (Krumlovian and other unspecified Middle Palaeolithic) sites in the Krumlov Forest area. It was situated at higher elevations, and relatively high and far from water sources. Micoquians evidently preferred strategic locations in the countryside. During the Early Upper Palaeolithic, the number of sites increased significantly, especially those dated to the Szeletian, less to the Aurignacian. The Bohunician is represented by only two sites, but these are comparable to other Bohunician sites known from the Brno Basin. The Szeletian is a Central European culture with a strong appearance in the territory of Moravia, western Slovakia and the neighbouring Kraków area of southern Poland. There are also isolated findings of leaf points in Bohemia, Germany, and Austria. The presence of the Szeletian in Hungary is limited to the northeast of the country. The dating of the Szeletian in Moravia is based on two sites e Vedrovice V (Valoch et al., 1993) and the new multi-layered site Moravský Krumlov IV (Neruda and Nerudová, 2010). Szeletian layer 0 from Moravský Krumlov IV has been characterised as a workshop for leaf point production (Neruda and Nerudová, 2010). Other observations broaden the chronological background of the Szeletian and the closely related Jerzmanowician in Poland and similar blade leaf points assemblages in the Northern European Plain (Flas, 2009). Although the main centre of the Bohunician occupancy is the Brno-basin (eponymous site at Brno-Bohunice and workshops at the Stránská skála hill; Svoboda, 2003; Neruda and Nerudová, 2009), recently potential new sites situated outside this region have been identified. Bohunician dates overlap with Micoquian dates (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). The existing data cluster suggests that typical Moravian Aurignacian sites are younger than other sites in the Middle Danube region (Willendorf II, Geissenklösterle). One of important features is their location on a distinct rise high above a watercourse. The composition of the Krumlov Forest chert raw material is different. Szeletian sites are concentrated especially on the eastern slopes of the Krumlov Forest, where they extend in a continuous zone along its projections. Their size and distribution in the landscape suggest a structure with a large site (e.g. Vedrovice V, Jezerany IIa) surrounded by small, perhaps hunting stations, which probably refer to movement of a larger number of people. Large Szeletian sites are concentrated only in the eastern part of the
69
studied region (Figs. 5 and 6). This zone with sites could indicate a communication route along which the Szeletian hunters penetrated or left the territory of Central Moravia. From there, in contrast to the Krumlov Forest, only Upper Szeletian occupation is known (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). Regarding the other cultures, comparable settlement strategies are more evident between the Szeletian and the Middle Palaeolithic (Fig. 5) than between the Szeletian and the Aurignacian (Fig. 6). There is an obvious and distinctive settlement strategy in the Late Palaeolithic sites, which are situated at lower elevations, and closer to small water streams. The collections consist rather of a small number of industries with a considerable share of quartz. What were the factors to motivate settlement of the Krumlovský Les region for such a long period of time, and what were the impacts of the possible post-deposition changes or modern human activity on the degree of preservation of the Palaeolithic sites to the present day? Mainly exposed situations, especially south- to eastoriented but with an access to at least a small watercourse, were attractive for the population. From the climatic viewpoint, the eastern slopes of the Krumlovský Les are advantageous by their markedly more favourable micro-climate (warm with minimum precipitation) than the surroundings, and by a suitable pattern of the terrain, due to which it is possible to maintain visual contact with the Pálava region over 10e15 km distance SE (Fig. 2) or with the Lower Austria region (up to 25 km SSE) with natural routes of large animals. Another important factor for settlement was the availability of local lithic raw material, albeit of a poor quality. For the rather less numerous Aurignacian settlements, its principal utilization is mainly linked with the Szeletian settlement and the production of leaf points. The Krumlovský Les region is also advantageous for the study of settlement strategies in the future, especially due to a minimal human impact on the landscape. The Moravský Krumlov IV site excavations show that in the course of roughly the last 40,000 years the character of the forest in this area was not changed (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). The geomorphology of the terrain protected the Krumlovský Les from either agricultural cultivation or settlement (cf. Benes and Zvelebil, 2005), and a larger deforestation occurred roughly as late as in the last 5e10 years. Disturbance of Palaeolitic layers by more recent prehistoric mining of the Krumlovský Les type chert is corroborated in a few cases (Nerudová, 2008b). Similarly focused studies of micro-regions from the viewpoint of the character and intensity of their population in the Palaeolithic were carried out not only for the area of Moravia and Bohemia, but also Lower Silesia (Wisniewski, 2006) and Germany (Richter, 2006). A really complex study in this respect is the work devoted to the Castilia region in Spain (Diéz-Martín et al., 2008). The dynamics of settlement intensity similar to the Krumlovský Les region was described for the same MIS3 period in the area of the Ukraine and Crimea (Stepanchuk et al., 2009). Intensity and manner of utilisation of the Krumlovský Les landscape is apparently related with obtaining lithic raw material. This is especially noticeable for the studied period of the Szeletian culture, as the currently known southernmost site in Moravia is located precisely at the SE slope of the Krumlovský Les (see Figs. 3 and 8).
Acknowledgements The author would like to express her gratitude to Martin Jones and Lenka Lisá for inviting her to contribute to this special issue of Quaternary International, to Alex Pryor for the corrections of English text, and to the reviewers for an objective assessment of the text. The article was elaborated within the frame of a grant of the Moravian Museum v. o. No. MK00009486202.
70
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
References Benes, J., Zvelebil, M., 2005. A historical interactive landscape in the heart of Europe: the case of Bohemia. In: Ucko, J.T., Layton, R. (Eds.), The Archaeology and Anthropology of Landscape: Shaping your Landscape. Taylor & Francis, London, pp. 74e94. Diéz-Martin, F., Sánchez-Yustos, P., Gómez-González, J.Á, Gómez de la Rúa, D., 2008. Earlier palaeolithic settlement patterns: landscape archaeology on the river duero basin plateaus (Castilla y León, Spain). Journal of World Prehistory 21, 103e137. Flas, D., 2009. The Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician and the limits of Aurignacian expansion on the Northern European Plain. In: Djindjian, F., Kozłowski, J., Bicho, N. (Eds.), Le concept de territoires dans le Paléolithique supérieur européen. BAR International Series 1938, pp. 135e142. Neruda, P., 2009. Experimental Analysis of Cherts from Krumlovský les Region. In: Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z. (Eds.), Moravský Krumlov IV - A Multilayer Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic site in Moravia. Anthropos 29, (N.S. 21). Moravské zemské muzeum, Brno, pp. 91e98 (in Czech with English summary). Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z., 2005. The development of the production on lithic industry in the Early Upper Palaeolithic. Archeologické Rozhledy 57, 263e292. Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z., 2009. Moravský Krumlov IV Open-Air site in the context of Central Europe. In: Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z. (Eds.), Moravský Krumlov IV - A Multilayer Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic site in Moravia). Anthropos 29, (N.S. 21). Moravské zemské muzeum, Brno, pp. 178e213 (in Czech with English summary). Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z., 2010. Moravský Krumlov IV - New Multilayer palaeolithic site in Moravia (Czech Republic). Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 40/2, 155e174. Nerudová, Z., 2008a. Sídelní strategie v oblasti Krumlovského lesa ve starsí dobe kamenné. Památky Archeologické 94, 5e34 (in Czech with English summary). Nerudová, Z., 2008b. Moravský Krumlov IV. Rekonstrukce sídelního areálu. Nerudová, Z., Dusková-Sajnerová, A., Sadovský, P., 2010. Bifaciální artefakty. Odznaky moci, nebo funk cní nástroje? In: Fridrichová-Sýkorová, I. (Ed.), Ecce
Homo. In memoriam Jan Fridrich, Praha, pp. 130e151 (in Czech with English summary). Nerudová, Z., Neruda, P., Sadovský, P., 2011. Srovnávací analýza bifaciálních artefakt u. Památky archeologické. Památky archeologické 102, 21–58. Oliva, M., 1993. Zahájení výzkumu paleolitické stanice Vedrovice Ia. Acta Musei Moraviae, Scientiae Socialis 77, 11e22. ku východní Prichystal, A., 2009. Kamenné suroviny v prave cásti strední Evropy. Brno (in Czech). Richter, J., 2006. Neanderthals and their landscape. In: Demarsin, B., Otte, M. (Eds.), Neanderthals in Europe. Proceedings of the International Conference, held in the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren (September 17-19th 2004), pp. 51e66. ERAUL 117. Liège. Stepanchuk, V.N., Sapozhnikov, I.V., Gladkikh, M.I., Ryzhov, S.N., 2009. Ukrainian Upper palaeolithic between 40/10.000 BP: Current Insights into Environmentalclimatic change and cultural development. In: Djindjian, F., Koz1owski, J., Bicho, N. (Eds.), Le concept de territoires dans le Paléolithique supérieur européen. British Archaeological Research International Series 1938, pp. 63e74. Svoboda, J., 2003. The Gravettian of Moravia: landscape, settlement, and dwellings. In: Vasil’ev, S.A., Soffer, O., Koz1owski, J. (Eds.), Perceived Landscapes and Built Environments. British Archaeological Research International Series, 1122. Oxford, pp. 121e129. Uthmeier, T., 2000. Stone tools,, time of activity", and the Transition from the Middle to the Upper palaeolithic in Bavaria (Germany). In: Orschiedt, J., Weniger, G.C. (Eds.), Neanderthals and Modern Humans e Discussing the Transition: Central and Eastern Europe from 50.000e30.000 B.P. Neanderthal Museum, pp. 133e150. Valoch, K., 1993. Vedrovice V, eine Siedlung des Szeletien in Südmähren. Quartär 43/44, 7e93 (Bonn). Valoch, K., Seitl, L.,1988. Grabung auf der paläolithischen Fundstelle Marsovice II (Bez. Znojmo) in Südmähren. Acta Musei Moraviae - Scientiae Socialis 73, 15e28. Wisniewski, A., 2006. Srodkowy paleolit w dolinie Odry. Wydawnictwo Uniwersyteckie, Wroc1aw.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Quaternary International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint
Palaeolithic settlement strategies in the Krumlov Forest area (South Moravia, Czech Republic) during MIS 3 ka Nerudová Zden Moravian Museum, Anthropos Institute, Zelný trh 6, Brno 659 37, Czech Republic
a r t i c l e i n f o
a b s t r a c t
Article history: Available online 23 July 2011
The Krumlov Forest (SW of Brno, South Moravia) is an area noted for a number of mainly surface Palaeolithic sites dating back from the Lower to Late Palaeolithic. There are also many isolated or undatable finds falling generally within the Old Stone Age. The structure of Palaeolithic occupation within the studied area was investigated considering the character of particular sites (e.g. Moravský Krumlov IV, Vedrovice V), and their distribution with regard to landscape geomorphology. The data were processed using a statistic programme, and visualised by the help of ArcGIS. The analyses indicate that the region was divided into western and eastern parts. In the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic, independent settlement units can be distinguished associated with watercourses, whereas the Upper Palaeolithic occupation was concentrated mainly on the eastern promontories of the Krumlov Forest where many stations overlap in space, and a number exhibit evidence of repeated settlement activity. A completely different structure is present on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands, especially when compared to the character of the Szeletian sites. Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.
1. Introduction The Krumlov Forest area is situated 40 km SW of Brno city (Fig. 1) and is well known for the occurrence of raw material, and extraction of a particular eponymous type of chert (Prichystal, 2009). With regard to the surrounding terrain it is a distinctly elevated area representing a remarkable landscape overlooking the lowland territory of the Dyje-Svratka Vale, comparable to the opposite Pavlov Hills (Fig. 2). The main axis of the ridge is oriented NNE-SSW with maximum elevation of 415 m asl. In terms of geomorphology, the Krumlov Forest area is divided into two parts. The western part ends in steep slopes with the border formed by a deep incision of the Rokytná rivulet. The eastern part of the unit has moderate and separated small ridges. Geological maps show the very complicated character of terrain (Fig. 3). The eastern slopes were formed by Paleogene marine processes, which accumulated sands and cherts. During the Quaternary, the surface was influenced by neotectonic processes and erosion, as well as by aeolian accumulation, and fluvial erosion of sediments. These processes can be recorded in valleys that are usually deep and steep, sometimes with a seasonal watercourse. The Krumlov Forest area is significant mainly for the number of detected Palaeolithic sites. These are bound above all on its eastern E-mail address: [email protected]. 1040-6182/$ e see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2011.07.024
part. In the Neogene gravels, chert, the local raw material can be found (for newest definitions and characteristics, see Prichystal, 2009). Even if of not very high quality (Neruda, 2009), this chert had been very intensively and continuously utilised from the Lower Palaeolithic up to the Late Iron Age. The Krumlov Forest area also is one of the main Early Upper Palaeolithic regions, especially of the Szeletian settlements, in the Czech Republic. The majority of Palaeolithic sites are concentrated on the eastern slopes divided by a series of valleys. Currently over 130 sites are known, but only four have been archaeologically excavated: Vedrovice V (Valoch, 1993), Vedrovice Ia (Oliva, 1993; Neruda and Nerudová, 2005), Moravský Krumlov IV (Neruda and Nerudová, 2010), and Marsovice (Valoch and Seitl, 1988). Most of the Palaeolithic sites are known from surface finds, and these lack any numerical dating (the sites are ranked generally between the Lower and Upper Palaeolithic). This paper presents a partial summarization of some information published earlier relating to the character of settlement strategy in the area of the Krumlovský Les in MIS3, with lesser attention to both older and more recent occupation (Nerudová, 2008a), and a new comparison of certain selected aspects of Szeletian settlement with the Bobrava and the Drahany Uplands micro-regions (Fig. 1). Although the typical landscape pattern and geomorphology of the terrain is identical for all three microregions, within the same temporal horizon there are differences,
62
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
Fig. 1. Moravia (Czech Republic). 1 - Brno city, 2 - Krumlov Forest area, 3 - Bobravsko region, 4 - Drahany Uplands, 5 - Pavlov (Pálava) Hills. Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
collections of the Anthropos Institute). Sites with incomplete (nonverifiable) data (altogether 10 localities) were omitted from the analysis. Thus a representative dataset reflecting the area and the geomorphologic character of the studied territory were acquired (Nerudová, 2008a; Table 1). It was not possible to extend the analysis by palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of the territory, as the existing published data are rather sporadic: they neither cover the entire territory of the Krumlovský Les nor fit the temporal framework observed. The starting point for making up a database was the list of recorded locations of particular sites within the examined area, whereby 139 settlement points were obtained (Figs. 2 and 3). The list was updated with respect to new excavations (e.g. chronological position of selected assemblages, geographic location, amount and composition of industry). The studied sites were described using the following characteristics: absolute coordinates in JTSK format and elevation asl, orientation of sites, dating of finds, total (known) number of pieces of industry, represented raw material types, distance to the next watercourse, and relative relief (for details see Nerudová, 2008a, Table 1). The emergent case table including the above-mentioned variables was processed using the STATISTICA ver.9.1. programme and visualised in the ArcGIS programme. For the analyses, newly developed software was used (Nerudová et al., 2011), enabling mathematical description of the morphological variability of a selected group of artefacts, and statistical evaluation of the parameters. The information was interpreted and visualised with the help of ArcGIS in order to complete the image of the occupation character and settlement strategies during MIS 3 in the Krumlov Forest area. 3. Material studied
Fig. 2. Contour map of analysed area. Black points - analysed Palaeolithic sites, 1 eastern part of the Krumlov Forest area, 2 - western part of the Krumlov Forest area, 3 Pavlov (Pálava) Hills. Digitalisation by Z. Nerudová.
not only in the dimensions of the sites but also in their character and the composition of the lithic industry. On the grounds of new numerical data from the key sites (Neruda and Nerudová, 2010), and on the basis of existence of the same Upper Micoquian/Lower Szeletian technology of chipping in Moravia, it is assumed that its bearers were Neanderthals (the issues of AMH contacts with Neanderthals were recently discussed in detail, see Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). Therefore, a reconstruction of settlement strategy was carried out based on the known data, with the aim to determine the chronological position above all in the undated sites (or finds). 2. Methods - Character of the examined data The Palaeolithic settlement strategy in the Krumlov Forest area was recently investigated from the statistical point of view (Nerudová, 2008a), and using GIS analysis (Nerudová et al., 2011). The analyzed data included map source materials, bibliographic data, and revisions of artefacts (all of them are deposited in the
The number of noted sites differs considerably in particular periods of the Palaeolithic within the region, and their detailed evaluation can be sometimes complicated due to the high concentration of localities, differently dated. For comparison, after a rather sporadic occupation in the Lower Palaeolithic (Fig. 4) the number of detected stations significantly increases in the Middle Palaeolithic. The sites are more varied, and in terms of geography they cover a much wider scope of locations within the area, compared to the preceding period. Most dominant are the Early Upper Palaeolithic stations assigned to the Szeletian culture (Fig. 4). Leaving aside the undated and stray finds, Szeletian is the most frequent culture occurring in the Krumlov Forest area. The proper Upper Palaeolithic occupation, such as Gravettian or Aurignacian, is much less frequent (cf. Nerudová, 2008a). There is no reliable archaeological record for Gravettian occupation. The Krumlov Forest, in contrast to the territory of Pálava (Pavlov) Hills (Figs. 1 and 2), did not offer any suitable ecosystem in the advanced Upper Palaeolithic, and the Upper Palaeolithic hunters were also not really attracted to local raw material sources that were of rather low quality (Neruda, 2009). In contrast to the preceding periods, the Gravettian population in Moravia preferred a different ecosystem with altitude around 200e290 m, in the vicinity of a large watercourse (a river), with access to very high quality silicates, most often originating from Poland. In terms of geomorphology, the Gravettian settlement is tied mainly with the grabens of Moravia, and with the Danube area (Svoboda, 2003). After a rapid increase in concentration of settlements at the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic in the Szeletian, the Krumlov Forest region had been gradually abandoned at the expense of more suitable ecosystems, and the intensity of Palaeolithic occupation considerably decreased. Focusing mainly on the Szeletian occupation and its comparison with demands on settlement strategy in
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
63
Fig. 3. Geological map with analysed Palaeolithic sites (squares). Digitalisation by Z. Nerudová.
Table 1 Szeletian sites using for GIS analysis. The sites numbering correspond to the marks on the Figs. 5e9. Region DU - Drahany Uplands, KL - Krumlov Forest, B - Bobravsko. Analysed_LP - a number of complet analysed leaf points. Site_dimension: 0 - sporadic findings (max 10 pcs of industry), 1 - very small site (max 100 pcs of indutry), 2 - small medium site (max 1000 pcs of industry), 3 - medium site (max 2500 pcs of industry), 5 - big site (more than 5000 pcs of industry). LP (Leaf point) dimension : 0 - cannot been determined, 1 - only small leaf points (less tahn 6 cm), 2 - small and big leaf points, 3 - only big leaf points (over 8 cm). M (morphological) variability of leaf points: - real number (eg. number of all leaf point shapes determined on the site. Max ¼ 15). No.
Site
region
analysed_ LP
site_dimension
LP_dimension
M_variability
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 32 33 34 35 37 39 40 41 42 43
Brat cice 1 Dolní Kounice 1 Dolní Kounice 10 Dolní Kounice 16 Dolní Kounice 2 Dolní Kounice 3 Dolní Kounice 5 Drnovice 1 Drnovice 2 Drnovice 3 Drnovice 4 Drnovice 5 Drnovice 6 Drnovice 7 Drnovice 8 Drysice 1 (Ondratice 5) Drysice 3 (Ondratice 7) Dukovany 1 Dukovany 2 Dukovany 3 Habrovany-Olsany Hajany 1 Hlína u Ivan cic/Ivan cice 1 Jezerany 1 Jezerany 2 Jezerany 3 Jezerany 4 Lhánice 1 Lule c o.Vyskov Marsovice 1 Marsovice 2 Marsovice 6 l Me cany 1
KL KL KL KL KL KL KL DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU DU B KL KL KL KL KL KL DU KL KL KL KL
9 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 1 1 2 5 0 60 60 1 21 0 2 2 1 0 1
3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 2 1 3 1 0 2 3 2 0 3
6 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 1 1 1 3 0 10 9 1 7 0 2 1 1 0 1 (continued on next page)
64
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
Table 1 (continued ) No.
Site
region
analysed_ LP
site_dimension
LP_dimension
M_variability
44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 54 55 56 57 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 82 84 86 88 89 94 95 96 97 98 99 101 102 103 104 105
Modrice 1 Mohelno Moravský Krumlov 2 Moravský Krumlov 3 Moravský Krumlov 4 Moravský Krumlov 5 Moravský Krumlov 6 Moravský Krumlov 7 Morice Myslejovice m Ne ci cky 2 Neslovice 1 Neslovice 2 Omice Ondratice 1 Ondratice 1a Ondratice 4 Ondratice 10 Opatovice 1 Opatovice 2 Opatovice 3 Orechov 1 Orechov 2 Oslavany 3 Popovice Pravlov 4a Pravlov 4c Pravlov 5 Pravlov 6 Pravlov 8 Radslavice nice Roste Rychtárov-Lhota Sil uvky Sumice Trbousany 1 Trbousany 2 Vedrovice 3a Vedrovice 3b Vedrovice 4 Vedrovice 5 Vedrovice 7 Vincencov-Otaslavice sice 1 Zele sice 2 Zele sice 3 Zele sice 5 Zele sice 6 Zele
B KL KL KL KL KL KL KL DU DU KL KL KL B DU DU DU DU DU DU DU B B KL B KL KL KL KL KL DU DU DU B KL KL KL KL KL KL KL KL DU B B B B B
13 6 2 0 15 0 0 0 1 0 0 43 0 0 12 2 0 0 2 2 0 12 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 29 1 3 0 3 29 1 2 13 0 0 8 0
1 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 0 1 1 5 1 0 5 2 1 1 2 1 0 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 3 1 1 0 2 5 1 1 2 1 1 2 1
2 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 2 0
5 5 1 0 9 0 0 0 1 0 0 12 0 0 5 2 0 0 2 2 0 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 1 3 0 3 9 1 2 6 0 0 5 0
Fig. 4. The number of culturally significant sites with regard to their geomorphological position within the Krumlov Forest area. LP - Lower Palaeolithic, MP - Middle Palaeolithic, KRU - Krumlovian, MQ - Micoquian, AU - Aurignacian, BOH - Bohunician, SZ Szeletian, LaP - Late Palaeolithic.
context of the Middle Palaeolithic and Aurignacian, certain trends changing in time and depending on the microregion exploited can be defined. The Krumlov Forest area has the same micro-regions, evident is the functional diversity between Szeletian and Middle Palaeolithic sites (Fig. 5). The known occupation (Middle Palaeolithic and Szeletian) is concentrated in the eastern part of the Krumlov Forest and relates to the outcrops of chert raw material, whereas the western part of the region shows diversified occupation. The Middle Palaeolithic sites are located only in the west, whereas the Szeletian occupation covers also the northeastern part of the territory and lies between the Middle Palaeolithic sites (Fig. 5). The Aurignacian occupation (which is represented by 9 sites; Fig. 4) is concentrated in a limited area near the raw material sources. Here, similarly as in the previous case, it potentially overlaps with the recorded Szeletian occupation. There is clear evidence of re-occupation of the same localities in the Middle Palaeolithic and the Szeletian (Nerudová, 2008a, 2008b) but no superposition between the Szeletian and Aurignacian is known. The separate spatial as well as chronological positions of these two Early Upper Palaeolithic
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
65
Fig. 5. GIS - density of Szeletian and Middle Palaeolithic sites. Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
cultures are also confirmed by numerical dates (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009, Fig. 2, Table 1). As all Aurignacian sites were detected in the eastern part of the Krumlov Forest area (Fig. 6), Aurignacian settlement traces at the eastern border of the Krumlov Forest indicate one of the movement routes of this culture through the South Danube Region to Central Europe.
For reconstructions of settlement strategies, there are insufficient data concerning the area of the sites, their chronological position, time span, or functional differentiation of the settlement area. Therefore, other types of data, such as variability of a certain type of tool (similarly Uthmeier, 2000) or the kinds of utilised raw materials, were used.
Fig. 6. GIS - density of Szeletian and Aurignacian sites. Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
66
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
GIS analysis distinguished a functional diversity of Szeletian sites based on the relation between the site dimensions, number of leaf points and their size, and variability of shapes and raw material used (Fig. 7). The analysis compared the settlement structure detected in the Krumlov Forest with that on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands (Fig. 1). One of the examined aspects was the relationship between the site dimensions, size of points and their morphological variability (Table 1). In the Krumlov Forest analysis, the chert outcrops were included,
representing the most preferred raw material. The majority of sites situated directly at the outcrops fall within the category of small localities with a low variability of points. Somewhat different from this is the excavated site of Moravský Krumlov IV (Fig. 5, point No. 48), which represents a relatively extensive workshop area with large points. In this case, a relatively high variability of shapes is documented, but this is attributed to the presence of unfinished pieces, in which the proposed shape was not achieved (Fig. 7).
Fig. 7. GIS e analysis of correlation between site dimensions and shape variability of points in the Moravský Krumlov and Bobrava regions (region A) and the Drahany Uplands (region B). A - site dimensions, B - size of leaf points, C - variability of leaf points, D - sources of the Krumlov Forest chert. Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
In the vicinity of these minor sites, smaller stations with minimal numbers of leaf points can be found, as well as several large stations exhibiting common features. Previous analyses suggest settlements with a mingling of many human activities (Fig. 7, point No. 32 - Jezerany I, No. 33 - Jezerany II, No. 97 Vedrovice V). Even if the leaf point dimensions are mostly smaller, the aspect of their variability is significantly dominant. This phenomenon refers to a variable use of leaf points and at the same time to an intense re-sharpening of these tools (Nerudová et al.,
67
2010). Towards the west, rather smaller stations occur, probably of hunting character. Somewhat different characteristics are exhibited by the localities in the Bobravsko Region (Fig. 1) where large collections are not present, and the variability and size of points are smaller. A completely different structure can be observed on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands, with a relatively low variability of shapes but with relatively large points (Fig. 7, point No. 61 Ondratice I, No. 20 - Drysice I). This could be due to the assumed
Fig. 8. GIS - analysis of correlation between site dimensions and variability of raw materials used for the manufacture of leaf points (in %) in the Moravský Krumlov region (region A) and the Drahany Uplands (region B). Digitalisation by P. Neruda.
68
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
different chronological position of these sites, and the related contacts with anatomically modern humans (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). Besides this, a different economic model of raw material distribution might play a role. The accessibility and character of utilised raw materials must have to a certain degree also significantly affected the studied criteria. This is confirmed by the raw material analysis in both regions. Changes are apparent not only between the examined territories but also in a relatively small area between the Krumlov Forest and Bobravsko regions, with marked differences in utilisation of raw materials (only the raw materials from which leaf points were made were analyzed). A completely different composition was recorded on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands (Fig. 8). 4. Results All settlement activity detected is concentrated mainly on the eastern projections of the Krumlov Forest, where many stations overlap in space. A large number show evidence of repeated occupation by the same group of hunters or by the same culture within longer time horizons. The hilltops did not represent any obstacle, so that they were colonised on the natural shortest route across the hills. The area yielded evidence of a continuous occupation from the Lower to the Early Upper Palaeolithic. Many sites, above all those with indistinct lithic finds at elevations of 200e300 m asl, most probably represent the remains of stations scattered secondarily by solifluction or ploughing, which might have been parts of some larger units (Nerudová, 2008a). The occupation continued over the top of the Krumlov Forest and spread west. Here, the concentration of sites is not so apparent. Although there is a wholly different possibility of raw material acquisition in the western part of the forest and further from the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, it seems that the sources of the Krumlov Forest chert played a role, even if not so markedly dominant. One of the most used attributes in settlement characteristics is the position of sites by height. This is varied in the Krumlov Forest area, depending on the site ages. For example, the average elevation of Lower Palaeolithic sites is 260 m asl. The Krumlovian, an industry which has been linked to the Eemian interglacial based on findings from Moravský Krumlov I e brickyard and is contemporaneous with the Warthe glacial (MIS 6), as well as Szeletian stations are situated on average at around 290 m asl. In contrast, Aurignacian localities can be found as low as 250 m asl (Fig. 9). The most frequently occupied locations in the Krumlov Forest area were the hilltops, even if they were not always marked high points (Fig. 10). For example, Trbousany VI is situated on a hilltop at 232 m asl. Particular sites are highly varied in terms of typology: from these locations mostly only very poor collections are known, but there are several exceptions as well e the Aurignacian site of Vedrovice Ia and the Szeletian locality Jezerany II. On the west side of the Krumlov Forest to date, no abundant collection from a hilltop is known, although perhaps half of the sites are situated in such locations. Another important attribute is orientation. In the Krumlov Forest area, it seems that the orientation towards cardinal points was subordinate to a good view of the surroundings. The most frequent type of orientation is to the southeast, some with a moderate deviation towards SSE. This is the case above all in localities on the eastern border of the Krumlov Forest, the number of which is almost as high as that of hilltop sites. On the west side of the Krumlov Forest, there are only three sites (Fig. 10) oriented towards the southeast, which is not conditioned by the landscape configuration. The second most abundant is the group of sites
Fig. 9. The relation between cultural classification and elevation above sea level of analysed sites. LaP - Late Palaeolithic, SZ - Szeletian, KRU - Krumlovian, LP - Lower Palaeolithic, MP - Middle Palaeolithic, BOH - Bohunician, AU - Aurignacian.
oriented towards the south and east. This type of orientation is recorded on the east side of the Krumlov Forest, but it is quite frequent on the west side as well. Differences, however, can be detected in the distribution of otherwise oriented sites. On the east side of the Krumlov Forest, there are localities oriented towards the north or west, whereas on the west side orientations towards the north, west and southwest are absent. An exception is represented by two stations oriented towards the northeast (Dobrínsko I, Moravský Krumlov e city) and another two oriented towards the northwest (Polánka I, Alexovice Ia; Fig. 10). These orientations are most probably conditioned by the solar cycle so that the sites should catch as much as warmth and light after morning and towards evening. Moreover, it seems that the localities in the Krumlov Forest area are also influenced by the character of hills and adjacent valleys. An important role was also played by the distance to water and relative relief, which had to be overcome on the way to water. The Palaeolithic hydrology was reconstructed using old maps, especially the existing maps of the 1st and 2nd Military Survey, covering the area of Czechia, Moravia, and Silesia. The importance of these Military Survey maps lies not only in its precision, scale and detailed military-topographical descriptions, but also in the period of their completion. These give the opportunity to view the area just before the beginning of the industrial revolution, in the period of the full bloom of the cultural baroque landscape and its highest
Fig. 10. Variability of orientations (towards cardinal points) in all studied Palaeolithic sites.
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
diversity. These maps are usable also for the reconstruction of old hydrology. Distances to water are shown individually for the Krumlov Forest sites (see Nerudová, 2008a, Table 1; presented in metres). The shortest distance of 0 m had to be overcome by the people from the settlement at Nové Bránice I. The alternatives of a larger river versus a local creek are complementary; for example, when the river is situated 4100 m away from Vedrovice V, there is a creek in the vicinity (350 m, i.e. maximum 5 min’ walk). In summary it can be said that the average distance to a water source varies between 768 and 2428 m. The average relative relief falls within the interval between 35 and 67 m, in absolute numbers between 0 and 140 m. In general, it can be stated that the Early Upper Palaeolithic sites are concentrated mainly in areas with raw material sources (Ondraticko, Krumlov Forest, Stránská skála regions), and occupy strategic locations on hilltops with a good view of the landscape (Moravský Krumlov II and Moravský Krumlov V - 330 m ASL; Moravský Krumlov IV e 320 m ASL; Moravský Krumlov III -; 340 m ASL). 5. Conclusions The Micoquian has been on the first time clearly documented in the Moravský Krumlov IV (layers 1 and 2; Neruda and Nerudová, 2010) exhibits a clean-cut settlement strategy especially in comparison to other Middle Palaeolithic (Krumlovian and other unspecified Middle Palaeolithic) sites in the Krumlov Forest area. It was situated at higher elevations, and relatively high and far from water sources. Micoquians evidently preferred strategic locations in the countryside. During the Early Upper Palaeolithic, the number of sites increased significantly, especially those dated to the Szeletian, less to the Aurignacian. The Bohunician is represented by only two sites, but these are comparable to other Bohunician sites known from the Brno Basin. The Szeletian is a Central European culture with a strong appearance in the territory of Moravia, western Slovakia and the neighbouring Kraków area of southern Poland. There are also isolated findings of leaf points in Bohemia, Germany, and Austria. The presence of the Szeletian in Hungary is limited to the northeast of the country. The dating of the Szeletian in Moravia is based on two sites e Vedrovice V (Valoch et al., 1993) and the new multi-layered site Moravský Krumlov IV (Neruda and Nerudová, 2010). Szeletian layer 0 from Moravský Krumlov IV has been characterised as a workshop for leaf point production (Neruda and Nerudová, 2010). Other observations broaden the chronological background of the Szeletian and the closely related Jerzmanowician in Poland and similar blade leaf points assemblages in the Northern European Plain (Flas, 2009). Although the main centre of the Bohunician occupancy is the Brno-basin (eponymous site at Brno-Bohunice and workshops at the Stránská skála hill; Svoboda, 2003; Neruda and Nerudová, 2009), recently potential new sites situated outside this region have been identified. Bohunician dates overlap with Micoquian dates (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). The existing data cluster suggests that typical Moravian Aurignacian sites are younger than other sites in the Middle Danube region (Willendorf II, Geissenklösterle). One of important features is their location on a distinct rise high above a watercourse. The composition of the Krumlov Forest chert raw material is different. Szeletian sites are concentrated especially on the eastern slopes of the Krumlov Forest, where they extend in a continuous zone along its projections. Their size and distribution in the landscape suggest a structure with a large site (e.g. Vedrovice V, Jezerany IIa) surrounded by small, perhaps hunting stations, which probably refer to movement of a larger number of people. Large Szeletian sites are concentrated only in the eastern part of the
69
studied region (Figs. 5 and 6). This zone with sites could indicate a communication route along which the Szeletian hunters penetrated or left the territory of Central Moravia. From there, in contrast to the Krumlov Forest, only Upper Szeletian occupation is known (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). Regarding the other cultures, comparable settlement strategies are more evident between the Szeletian and the Middle Palaeolithic (Fig. 5) than between the Szeletian and the Aurignacian (Fig. 6). There is an obvious and distinctive settlement strategy in the Late Palaeolithic sites, which are situated at lower elevations, and closer to small water streams. The collections consist rather of a small number of industries with a considerable share of quartz. What were the factors to motivate settlement of the Krumlovský Les region for such a long period of time, and what were the impacts of the possible post-deposition changes or modern human activity on the degree of preservation of the Palaeolithic sites to the present day? Mainly exposed situations, especially south- to eastoriented but with an access to at least a small watercourse, were attractive for the population. From the climatic viewpoint, the eastern slopes of the Krumlovský Les are advantageous by their markedly more favourable micro-climate (warm with minimum precipitation) than the surroundings, and by a suitable pattern of the terrain, due to which it is possible to maintain visual contact with the Pálava region over 10e15 km distance SE (Fig. 2) or with the Lower Austria region (up to 25 km SSE) with natural routes of large animals. Another important factor for settlement was the availability of local lithic raw material, albeit of a poor quality. For the rather less numerous Aurignacian settlements, its principal utilization is mainly linked with the Szeletian settlement and the production of leaf points. The Krumlovský Les region is also advantageous for the study of settlement strategies in the future, especially due to a minimal human impact on the landscape. The Moravský Krumlov IV site excavations show that in the course of roughly the last 40,000 years the character of the forest in this area was not changed (Neruda and Nerudová, 2009). The geomorphology of the terrain protected the Krumlovský Les from either agricultural cultivation or settlement (cf. Benes and Zvelebil, 2005), and a larger deforestation occurred roughly as late as in the last 5e10 years. Disturbance of Palaeolitic layers by more recent prehistoric mining of the Krumlovský Les type chert is corroborated in a few cases (Nerudová, 2008b). Similarly focused studies of micro-regions from the viewpoint of the character and intensity of their population in the Palaeolithic were carried out not only for the area of Moravia and Bohemia, but also Lower Silesia (Wisniewski, 2006) and Germany (Richter, 2006). A really complex study in this respect is the work devoted to the Castilia region in Spain (Diéz-Martín et al., 2008). The dynamics of settlement intensity similar to the Krumlovský Les region was described for the same MIS3 period in the area of the Ukraine and Crimea (Stepanchuk et al., 2009). Intensity and manner of utilisation of the Krumlovský Les landscape is apparently related with obtaining lithic raw material. This is especially noticeable for the studied period of the Szeletian culture, as the currently known southernmost site in Moravia is located precisely at the SE slope of the Krumlovský Les (see Figs. 3 and 8).
Acknowledgements The author would like to express her gratitude to Martin Jones and Lenka Lisá for inviting her to contribute to this special issue of Quaternary International, to Alex Pryor for the corrections of English text, and to the reviewers for an objective assessment of the text. The article was elaborated within the frame of a grant of the Moravian Museum v. o. No. MK00009486202.
70
Z. Nerudová / Quaternary International 294 (2013) 61e70
References Benes, J., Zvelebil, M., 2005. A historical interactive landscape in the heart of Europe: the case of Bohemia. In: Ucko, J.T., Layton, R. (Eds.), The Archaeology and Anthropology of Landscape: Shaping your Landscape. Taylor & Francis, London, pp. 74e94. Diéz-Martin, F., Sánchez-Yustos, P., Gómez-González, J.Á, Gómez de la Rúa, D., 2008. Earlier palaeolithic settlement patterns: landscape archaeology on the river duero basin plateaus (Castilla y León, Spain). Journal of World Prehistory 21, 103e137. Flas, D., 2009. The Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician and the limits of Aurignacian expansion on the Northern European Plain. In: Djindjian, F., Kozłowski, J., Bicho, N. (Eds.), Le concept de territoires dans le Paléolithique supérieur européen. BAR International Series 1938, pp. 135e142. Neruda, P., 2009. Experimental Analysis of Cherts from Krumlovský les Region. In: Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z. (Eds.), Moravský Krumlov IV - A Multilayer Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic site in Moravia. Anthropos 29, (N.S. 21). Moravské zemské muzeum, Brno, pp. 91e98 (in Czech with English summary). Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z., 2005. The development of the production on lithic industry in the Early Upper Palaeolithic. Archeologické Rozhledy 57, 263e292. Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z., 2009. Moravský Krumlov IV Open-Air site in the context of Central Europe. In: Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z. (Eds.), Moravský Krumlov IV - A Multilayer Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic site in Moravia). Anthropos 29, (N.S. 21). Moravské zemské muzeum, Brno, pp. 178e213 (in Czech with English summary). Neruda, P., Nerudová, Z., 2010. Moravský Krumlov IV - New Multilayer palaeolithic site in Moravia (Czech Republic). Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 40/2, 155e174. Nerudová, Z., 2008a. Sídelní strategie v oblasti Krumlovského lesa ve starsí dobe kamenné. Památky Archeologické 94, 5e34 (in Czech with English summary). Nerudová, Z., 2008b. Moravský Krumlov IV. Rekonstrukce sídelního areálu. Nerudová, Z., Dusková-Sajnerová, A., Sadovský, P., 2010. Bifaciální artefakty. Odznaky moci, nebo funk cní nástroje? In: Fridrichová-Sýkorová, I. (Ed.), Ecce
Homo. In memoriam Jan Fridrich, Praha, pp. 130e151 (in Czech with English summary). Nerudová, Z., Neruda, P., Sadovský, P., 2011. Srovnávací analýza bifaciálních artefakt u. Památky archeologické. Památky archeologické 102, 21–58. Oliva, M., 1993. Zahájení výzkumu paleolitické stanice Vedrovice Ia. Acta Musei Moraviae, Scientiae Socialis 77, 11e22. ku východní Prichystal, A., 2009. Kamenné suroviny v prave cásti strední Evropy. Brno (in Czech). Richter, J., 2006. Neanderthals and their landscape. In: Demarsin, B., Otte, M. (Eds.), Neanderthals in Europe. Proceedings of the International Conference, held in the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren (September 17-19th 2004), pp. 51e66. ERAUL 117. Liège. Stepanchuk, V.N., Sapozhnikov, I.V., Gladkikh, M.I., Ryzhov, S.N., 2009. Ukrainian Upper palaeolithic between 40/10.000 BP: Current Insights into Environmentalclimatic change and cultural development. In: Djindjian, F., Koz1owski, J., Bicho, N. (Eds.), Le concept de territoires dans le Paléolithique supérieur européen. British Archaeological Research International Series 1938, pp. 63e74. Svoboda, J., 2003. The Gravettian of Moravia: landscape, settlement, and dwellings. In: Vasil’ev, S.A., Soffer, O., Koz1owski, J. (Eds.), Perceived Landscapes and Built Environments. British Archaeological Research International Series, 1122. Oxford, pp. 121e129. Uthmeier, T., 2000. Stone tools,, time of activity", and the Transition from the Middle to the Upper palaeolithic in Bavaria (Germany). In: Orschiedt, J., Weniger, G.C. (Eds.), Neanderthals and Modern Humans e Discussing the Transition: Central and Eastern Europe from 50.000e30.000 B.P. Neanderthal Museum, pp. 133e150. Valoch, K., 1993. Vedrovice V, eine Siedlung des Szeletien in Südmähren. Quartär 43/44, 7e93 (Bonn). Valoch, K., Seitl, L.,1988. Grabung auf der paläolithischen Fundstelle Marsovice II (Bez. Znojmo) in Südmähren. Acta Musei Moraviae - Scientiae Socialis 73, 15e28. Wisniewski, A., 2006. Srodkowy paleolit w dolinie Odry. Wydawnictwo Uniwersyteckie, Wroc1aw.