Archaeologists from Brno are continuing their research at the Pálava locality on Tabulová Hill. This densely populated area, which flourished around 1000 BC, gradually faced decline and subsequent extinction. According to researchers, this could be related to military conflict. This is confirmed by research conducted by experts involved in the RES-HUM project.
South Moravia – In the last three years, several mass finds of bronze objects have been made in Pálava. These finds are helping researchers determine why a densely populated central location on Tabulová Hill, surrounded by smaller settlements and a nearby burial ground, disappeared during the Bronze Age. "In the last three years, we have discovered several deliberately stored deposits of bronze objects. One of them even contained fragments of bronze armor, only the second known example in the Czech Republic. We didn't expect such finds, because the area has been largely looted by plunderers," said archaeologist Aleš Navrátil from the Brno City Museum, who initiated geological surveys using metal detectors, known as prospecting.
Chemical analyses of the metals reveal the alloys from which the artifacts were made. "This allows us to understand what raw materials people used, whether they recycled metals, or whether the site functioned as a regional production center," explains Karel Slavíček from the Institute of Geological Sciences at the Faculty of Science.
Analysis of metal artifacts from Pálava revealed great variability in the alloys used. "The ingots and tools contain varying proportions of tin, lead, arsenic, and antimony. However, when we compared multiple sites, it turned out that their composition did not differ between locations. The decisive factor was not the location, but the size of the ingots and the function of the objects. Small ingots—metal semi-finished products intended for further processing—had a more uniform composition and often had an increased tin and lead content. It seems as if there was a relatively stable recipe for them," says Jan Petřík from the Institute of Geological Sciences at the Faculty of Science, describing the results of the analyses. Experts consider the collection of all finds as a whole to be the most valuable source of information, from which a great deal can be learned about life in the Bronze Age. They also consider objects that document the production of bronze items to be valuable. "These include a stone casting mold and a number of pieces of bronze, which are typical waste products from casting into molds," says Navrátil.
Experts from Masaryk University and the Brno City Museum have been involved in research at the Pálava location, and volunteers have also played a significant role in the project. The specific findings and evaluation of a series of surveys using metal detectors from 2008 to 2022 in Pálava were published by researchers almost two years ago in an article entitled Life on Pálava Hills in the Urnfield period through the perspective of a metal-detecting survey . The study deals with approximately seven hundred finds from the Bronze Age and, to a lesser extent, from the Iron Age. The volunteer project is still ongoing and continues to yield new discoveries. The ever-increasing number of finds is a big surprise for researchers. They had assumed that the area had been looted by metal detectorists. "The first visit to the site in 2008 clearly confirmed the looting. We therefore decided to make use of those searchers who use their hobby for the benefit of archaeology. Initially, several individuals participated in the project, but by 2022 there were already 30 volunteers. We are currently working in a team of about fifty people," added Navrátil.
Prospecting has contributed significantly to our knowledge of life in Pálava during the Bronze Age. Together with previous research by Jiří Říhovský, a prominent Moravian researcher at the State Archaeological Institute, experts can now piece together a relatively clear picture of this important and densely populated site on Tabulová Hill. "Where Říhovský dated the settlement of the fortified settlement on Tabulová hora to the Urnfield period, we were able to model the development of the intensity of settlement in the area throughout the Bronze Age thanks to hundreds of metal finds. We can trace its heyday around 1000 BC, its gradual decline, and its subsequent demise, which may have been related to some kind of military conflict. Such a comprehensive picture is not at all common for Bronze Age sites. And as recent searches suggest, we are far from finished expanding our knowledge," adds Navrátil.
Metal detectorists have been visiting Pálava since the 1990s. Czech law stipulates that archaeological research, including detector surveys, may only be carried out by archaeological institutions, and detectorists may only move around the site with the knowledge of archaeologists. "These rules must be observed in Pálava, especially since it is a protected landscape area and Tabulová Hill has the status of a cultural monument. Treasure hunters who go to loot archaeological sites are doing so illegally. However, enforcement is problematic, as it is not within the power of archaeologists to constantly monitor the site," concludes Navrátil.
The finds mentioned above are stored in the Regional Museum in Mikulov, where they are available to researchers and featured in themed exhibitions.
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