Jan Horák

University of Hradec Králové · Department of Archaeology

We are devastated by the untimely passing of our dear friend, colleague, teacher and member of the IANSA Editorial Board. A person who significantly influenced the development of contemporary science has left us. Even for us, his friends and colleagues, it is not easy to define the main area of his scientific interest, for Ladislav Šmejda had alway...

This study presents the results of a multi-element and multivariate geochemical analysis of a deserted medieval settlement and its agricultural landscape, including a monastic (Cistercian) manorial farm, situated in the Czech Republic. We used LiDAR survey and historic maps to detect relict landscape features and identify past changes in land use-p...

The geochemical signal of anthropogenic soils reflects past settlement activities. The soils which are a part of an archaeological archive at a multi-phase hillfort Chotěbuz-Podobora were formed under the significant influence of Early Iron Age and Medieval occupation and various subsequent factors at different parts of the hillfort. The hillfort l...

This chapter exposes multiple contextual layers in the historical background of the famous Ossuary at Sedlec in the Czech Republic. The Cistercian monastery of Sedlec was founded in the twelfth century and its importance soon increased together with the expansion of silver mining in the nearby town of Kutná Hora. According to a later legendary narr...

Our research on spatially bounded Iron Age enclosure of the Viereckschanze type in southern Bohemia made it possible to distinguish the anthropogenic influence of the Iron Age from modern human activities. We collected over 456 samples from 200 cores to a depth of up to one metre. Samples were measured using pXRF to determine the content of the fol...

We present a geochemical analysis of a specific Iron Age type of site known as the Viereckschanze-a square enclosure located in Bělčice, southern Bohemia. We performed soil coring from the topsoil to ca 100 cm depth, with 200 cores (divided into 456 samples). The samples were measured using portable XRF and the final dataset comprised 16 elements (...

This study presents the results of a multi-element and multivariate geochemical analysis of a deserted medieval settlement and its agricultural landscape, including a monastic (Cistercian) manorial farm (a possible grange), situated in the Czech Republic. We used LiDAR survey and historic maps to detect relict landscape features and identify past c...

Past human activities can be reflected in the elemental composition of contemporary soils. We asked whether it is possible to distinguish prehistoric residential and ritual activities based on the elemental composition of the soil. Specifically, we addressed the question of whether the Neolithic long barrows were built near the residential areas. W...

An ancient tell is a multi-period archaeological site, where anthropogenic, and natural sedimentation processes took place. Although a tell is primarily an anthropogenic type of geomorphological feature, it is affected by natural processes as well. This contribution discusses how these processes can be determined within the context of archaeologica...

Rapidly changing climate, growing inequalities, migration, and social changes pose a great challenge to social sciences and humanities. They are facing a question of their role and contribution in the modern world. Among them, archaeology and history seem to be especially entitled to provide insights into the modern-day problems because they study...

Site formation processes at ancient tells in the southern Levant have been the focus of several micromorphological studies, contributing to the differentiation of anthropogenic remains from long-term natural sedimentation, occurring post-abandonment. This paper discusses how the study of sedimentary processes and chemical compositions of sediments...

How long decomposed buried human bodies affect soil elemental composition is so far not well-known. Using portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, we determined the elemental composition of sandy necrosols from a Corded Ware Culture (ca 2800-2500 BCE) graveyard, Chudeřín, Czech Republic. The elemental compositions of soils in the grave infills wer...

This paper focuses on the combination of geochemical methods and old map analysis to study landscape and settlement development. It is well known that historical land use of abandoned rural settlements affects soil chemistry and vegetation composition. We wanted to find out whether it is possible to distinguish various historical land uses when we...

Can less than a hundred years of past settlement activities in former European settlements substantially increase the concentration of elements and result in the formation of African Dark Earth soil is a question not addressed. We performed multi–element analysis of Africa Dark Earth soil from a late 19th to mid–20th century CE former German–Togola...

Archaeological Dark Earth soil is a category of archaeological anthrosols that has gained much attention because it exhibits higher nutrient content and organic matter stocks and a characteristic dark colour, and enables higher crop yields in comparison to neighbouring soil. However, much is unknown about the chemical properties of Archaeological D...

Past human activities can be reflected in the elemental composition of contemporary soils. We asked how much historical land-use identified according to historical maps is reflected by the multi-elemental signatures of soils in an originally medieval village abandoned after WWII. Using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, we determined the content of 2...

Medieval vegetation–human–climate interactions were studied from a sediment profile situated in the centre of a short-lived medieval village located above 800 m a.s.l. on the ridge of the Krušné Mts., NW Bohemia, Central Europe. Analyses of pollen, seeds/fruits, micro- and macro-charcoals, diatoms and concentrations of microelements in connection w...

Geochemical research in the area of deserted medieval village

Abstrakt: Předkládaná studie shrnuje výsledky revizního geodetického zaměření, povrchových sběrů a geofyzikálního průzkumu sídliště v poloze Dubina, k. ú. Jevany, na Černokostelecku. Nově bylo doku-mentováno několik drobnějších povrchových tvarů, například relikty pece v trojdílném domě, a také ko-munikační systémy, které provazovaly lokalitu s oko...

Medieval settlement activities lead to the enrichment of nutrients in archaeological soils. The fundamental question we ask is whether large-scale mapping of soil horizons can be used to interpret former medieval activities. A portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) was used to map the content of elements in soils over an area of 104.4 ha a...

Lovětín was a medieval village located in the Bohemian-Moravian Upland (Czech Republic). It existed approximately between the 14th and the 16th century and was comprised of up to 20 farmsteads. Arable farming based on a short-fallow cultivation system was its main means of subsistence. The fields of the village consisted of two main field areas (12...

The today's Klánovický les/Klánovice Forest is situated on an area where three villages and their economic hinterland were situated in the High and Late Middle Ages, mainly fields and partly permanent pastures and meadows. The article presented deals with the deserted village of Hol, the relicts of which have been well preserved on the surface. The...

Human settlement activities have caused changes in soil chemical properties that might remain preserved in the soil archive for a very long time. These traces might be close to irreversible on the timescale of known civilizations. Our study explores the potential of an extensive mapping of the multi-elemental composition of soil and buried sediment...

Human settlement activities are connected with the accumulation of nutrients in archaeological soils. We address the question of whether the large-scale mapping of the elemental composition of the topsoil in contemporary rangeland can be used for the detection of ancient settlement activities. Using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), we mapped th...

Spindelbach was a Waldhufendorf type of village, i.e. every household could manage its own fields independently of other households. Our study has importance for research on the economic and social development between the Medieval and Modern Era and for studies of human impact. Performing soil and geochemical mapping, we have identified four geoche...

The study brings new insights into the topic of the contamination characteristics of the mining region of Kutná Hora (Central Bohemia). The previous meta-analysis of the contamination studies showed that there could be a surprisingly low spatial range of contaminated river sediment downstream of Kutná Hora. The study should answer the question as t...

Purpose Kutná Hora was a centre of medieval mining and remains an important contamination source in the present day. Surprisingly, very little attention has been paid to the associated contamination. Although some studies have been performed, the majority of information regarding contamination is only accessible in the archives and no overview has...

The study brings results of research of Spindelbach – a late medieval village from the Ridge of Ore Mountains on the border of Czechia and Germany. The village was a candidate of site with non-agrarian economic activities. It was a Waldhufendorf type of village. It meant that every household could manage its fields independently on other households...

We examined whether it is possible to relate concentrations of trace elements in alluvial sediments with records concerning the intensity of mining, and use them as a means of dating. We conducted our research in the medieval mining district of the town of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic. Samples were collected under the pond dam and analysed for...