Early Bronze Age Burial Grounds in Plotiště nad Labem and their Importance in the Settlement of the Region

Abstract

Burial activities from the Early Bronze Age (c. 2200–1700/1650 BC) were found at three sites in Plotiště nad Labem (Hradec Králové district). The Plotiště nad Labem A site was investigated in the 1960s and a total of 50 graves and three settlement features with human skeletons were discovered. Two skeletons in settlement features were found at the Plotiště nad Labem B site. Ten graves were discovered at the beginning of the 20th century at the Plotiště nad Labem C site. With the exception of the finds from site C, which were published by L. Domečka in 1911, the graves and settlement features from Plotiště nad Labem have never been published in a comprehensive manner. The article presents all the facts that have been compiled concerning Early Bronze Age burial activities in Plotiště nad Labem after more than half a century of research, processing the finds not only from an archaeolo- gical perspective but also with the help of modern scientific methods. An anthropological analysis was performed on the preserved skeletons, and the pathology and diet of the deceased were also analysed in detail. The significance of the burial site in Plotiště nad Labem in the region is underscored by the mapping of other burial activities from the Early Bronze Age throughout the entire Hradec Králové region.