Staletá Praha 33, 2/2017, 94-134 | DOI: 10.56112/sp.2017.2.03

Comparison between the burial grounds on the right bank of the Prague pre-location agglomeration in the 9th and 10th century and the burial ground in the Clementinum area
Zum Begraben im rechtsufrigen Teil der VorlokationsAgglomeration Prags im 9. und 10. Jahrhundert. Das Gräberfeld im Areal des Prager Klementinums

Jan Havrda, Anna Žďárská

NPÚ, ú. o. p v Praze

Early medieval burial areas on the right bank of the Vltava river in the historic centre of Prague present the earliest evidence of the early medieval human activities in this part of the Prague basin. This article offers an overview of the earliest known burial grounds in this area with greater attention paid to the funeral areas on the lowest terrace level. The newly discovered burial ground at the western part of the Karlova street is described in detail. Altogether 11 graves were revealed, some of them with grave goods and jewellery. On four selected graves 14C dating was applied and comparison with contemporary cemeteries in the Prague basin regarding their structure and organisation is presented. This newly discovered funeral area was situated tightly above the river on the lowest Old Town terrace level, in the neighbourhood of the proposed earliest wooden bridge across Vltava, which supports a hypothesis, that this burial ground was destined for the inhabitants of the fortified left bank settlement below the Prague castle.

Keywords: Prague - Old Town - early medieval period - burial ground - jewel - grave goods - archaeology - 14C dating

Grants and funding:

Práce vznikla v rámci plnění výzkumného cíle NPÚ Archeologie. Nové historické prameny k dějinám území ČR financovaného z institucionální podpory MK na dlouhodobý koncepční rozvoj výzkumné organizace.

Published: December 15, 2017