Research Center for Paleolithic and Paleoethnology

The new Upper Paleolithic sites at southern part of the Moravian karst


During last 10 years, five new open-air sites were discovered near Mokrá.

Mokrá - lom (quarry) I
The section consists a Holocene soil and loessic horizon continually grading into brown soil. Artifacts lie in the area between the lower soil and loess; some were already in the loess. The collection of 36 inventorized artifacts is composed of 9 types (25 %), 3 partly retouched artifacts, and 10 other non-retouched blades. The group of types is composed of three backed microblades, one borer, two burins, and an endscraper combined with a point. 13 microchips (from resharpening of tools) were found in the excavated area. With one exception (a chert of Olomucany type), all other artifacts were made from northern flint. Surface collection from the vicinity of the site yielded a borer, backed microblade, and one flake. The other accumulation of finds (some meters in the eastern direction) was destroyed during quarying. Another endscraper and borer together with two blades are of Neolithic age.

The tent is located near the site I

Mokrá - lom II
With the same stratigraphy as site I, site II possesses artifacts found in loess, in sediment grading from loess to soil, and in the upper part of the soil. The collectoin is composed mainly of flakes and fragments made from glaciflints of lower quality. The tools include a steeply retouched sidescraper, burin on the truncation, chissels, artifact with concave truncation and notch, another artifact with a notch, and a fragment of the bifacialy retouched artifact.

Mokrá - lom III
One sidescraper and several another artifacts were found in the eastern part of the Mokrá limestone quarry. This site was already destroyed by the exploitation of limestone.

Mokrá - lom IV
This surface site lies on an area of 100x200 m. Both raw material and typological spectra are comparable to site II.

Mokrá - lom V
A collection of artifacts was excavated from sediment among the limestone blocks. The artifacts are probably made from Cretaceous spongolite chert and the collection is composed of series of the backed microblades, some of them with straight truncation (suggesting a Magdalenian age), one borer, one endscraper, and four burins. A rest represent small flakes and fragments.

Mokrá - lom V. The general view to the 1998 excavation.
Mokrá - lom V: 1998 excavation. Selected pictures.
 

Summary
These small sites lie near the complex of caves around the Říčka river. The distance between the Pekárna cave and sites I-II, and IV-V is about 1 km. These stations can be interpreted as summer camps of Pekárna hunters (sites I and V), or specialized hunter-site (hunting or butchering place).
Both chronological and cultural interpretation of the sites II, III, and IV are still not clear. 


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