15 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists uncovered largest Bronze Age burial site of Nitra culture in Czech Republic

Archaeologists have uncovered the Nitra culture’s largest Bronze Age burial site near Olomouc in Central Moravia, during their rescue research on the future D35 motorway route between Krelov and Neredin.

Representatives of the Olomouc Archaeological Centre told the Czech News Agency (CTK) that the biggest discovery of the research was the large burial site of the Nitra culture, which inhabited eastern Moravia and southwestern Slovakia during the Middle Bronze Age (2100-1800 BC). Archaeologists found 130 graves, making the site the largest from this culture.

The Old Bronze Age in Moravia is represented by two cultural groups, the Únětice culture and the Nitra group.

Nitra Culture belongs to the oldest cultures of the Bronze Age in Moravia and its representatives are characterized by the gradual introduction of bronze production, an alloy of already used copper with tin, which resulted in a metal of better strength and hardness.

The graves contained skeletal remains and burial gifts, such as copper ornaments, bone beads, stone arrows, copper rings and bone awls, said archaeologist Vendula Vranova, the head of the research team.

Aerial view of the graves. Photo: Olomouc Archaeological Centre

Men and women were buried in different positions and were accompanied by different objects. Men, for example, were given boar tusks and hunting tools, while women had jewelry and antler beads in their graves, she added.

Additionally, a burial site of the Corded Ware culture (2600 BC) was discovered by archaeologists. It contained 17 skeletal graves, four of which appeared to be those of men who were interred with axes, flint tools, and ceramic vessels. Furthermore, the graves were surrounded by circular grooves that were most likely remnants of wooden structures that divided the surrounding area from the burial site’s sacred space.

The graves of the Nitra and Corded Ware cultures were intriguing, according to the experts, despite the wealth of discoveries, because they had not tampered with one another.

The archaeologists at the site in Krelov identified four different burial periods. “The area was used for burial purposes for more than 3,000 years, from the end of the Late Stone Age until the 9th century, when the Slavic population lived here on the territory of the Great Moravia state,” added Nikola Orlitova, spokeswoman for the center.

Germanic warrior's shield knop. Photo: Olomouc Archaeological Centre
Germanic warrior’s shield knop. Photo: Olomouc Archaeological Centre

Researchers also uncovered seven cremation graves at the burial site, where they found typical metal jewelry associated with the Celts. The grave of a Germanic warrior with a shield and an iron spear from the third century is also noteworthy, as it is the first of its kind in Central Moravia.

From August 2023 to April 2024, an archaeological rescue excavation was conducted along the D35 route in the area between Krelov and Slavonin. The skeletal remains and artifacts that were discovered will now be examined. As a result, experts will have more information about residents’ physical characteristics, health, nutrition, and genetic relationships.

Cover Image Credit: Olomouc Archaeological Centre

Related Articles

Archaeologists discovered a sunken prehistoric fort in Clew Bay island

1 April 2024

1 April 2024

A sunken prehistoric fort has been discovered on Clew Bay island off the north Mayo coast, Ireland. It has been...

Archaeologists find rare treasure in Suzdal of Russia

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The twentieth season of fieldwork brought an unexpected discovery to the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences....

Archaeologists Unearth Roman Archive of Ancient City of Doliche

20 November 2023

20 November 2023

Archaeologists from the Asia Minor Research Center at the University of Münster have uncovered the municipal archive in the ancient...

1,800-year-old Bronze military medal with Medusa head found in southeastern Turkey

5 October 2022

5 October 2022

A military medal believed to be almost 1,800 years old has been found by archaeologists in Turkey. The discovery was...

Three-Year-Old Discovers 3,800-Year-Old Canaanite Seal at Archaeological Site of Tel Azekah

2 April 2025

2 April 2025

At the site of the famous battle between David and Goliath, a three-year-old girl named Ziv Nitzan discovered a scarab-shaped...

5000-year-old stoneware workshop found in Iran

24 January 2023

24 January 2023

Iranian archaeologists found the ruins of a stoneware workshop estimated to date back to the 3rd millennium BC, during their...

1,400-year-old coins found in a piggy bank in ancient city of Hadrianopolis

3 January 2024

3 January 2024

Archaeologists unearthed a collection of 10 coins believed to date back nearly 1,400 years, retrieved from what appears to be...

Negev desert archaeological site offers important clues about modern human origin

22 June 2021

22 June 2021

The archaeological excavation site at Boker Tachtit in Israel’s central Negev desert offers evidence to one of human history’s most...

Maltaş Temple Revealed

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

Phrygian Valley, 10 meters high monument with Phrygian scriptures inscriptions on it discovered. The unearthed Maltaş monument is actually the...

Neanderthals of the North

13 May 2022

13 May 2022

Were Neanderthals really as well adapted to life in the cold as previously assumed, or did they prefer more temperate...

Venice of the Pacific: The mysterious Micronesian ruins of Nan Madol

12 July 2022

12 July 2022

Sometimes art and architecture challenge our perceptions of what was formerly thought to be feasible and what our forefathers were...

A 4000-year-old Fabric Found in a Cave of Skulls in the Judean Desert is the Oldest Dyed with Insect Dye

15 July 2024

15 July 2024

Researchers discovered an ancient textile dyed with kermes (Kermes vermilio) in Israel’s Cave of Skulls that dates back to the...

Archaeologists discovered floor mosaics with early Christian designs in Roman town of Marcianopolis, in Bulgaria

16 January 2024

16 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered floor mosaics with early Christian designs and nearly 800 artifacts in the archaeological reserve of Marcianopolis in Devnya,...

The Big Universe Coming Out from the Dust “in Esna Temple”

7 February 2021

7 February 2021

While the Esna Temple has been waiting to renew and breathe again for a long time, it has recently experienced...

Doune Pistols: The Spark That Ignited a Revolution Returns Home

5 May 2025

5 May 2025

A remarkable piece of Scottish history has returned to its roots as a collection of ten exquisite 18th-century pistols, crafted...