Funerary Practices Among Central European First Farmers in the Light of New Radiocarbon Dates: The Case of Southern Moravia/Western Slovakia

Abstract

This paper examines the temporal dynamics of Linearbandkeramik (LBK) mortuary practices in south-eastern Czechia and western Slovakia, focusing on the emergence and development of funerary traditions. New radiocarbon dating of Moravian sites, including Vedrovice (with the large cemetery Široká u lesa, the settlement graves at Sídliště, and the small cluster of burials at Za dvorem), Brno-Starý/Nový Lískovec, Těšetice-Kyjovice-Sutny, as well as the Slovakian cemeteries of Nitra-Horné Krškany and Nitra-Mlynárce are presented and modelled. Our findings reveal that LBK mortuary practices were largely contemporaneous, beginning with the establishment of cemeteries, closely followed by settlement graves, and culminating in secondary deposition of bones and the transition to later Neolithic mortuary practices. The chronological framework aligns with existing models, indicating continuous LBK funerary practices in the timespan 5315–5035 cal BC, which underscores the influence of cultural exchange and migration from the Balkan–Anatolian area. Additionally, we identified temporal trends among individuals’ lifeways and mortuary treatments, as well as significant patterns concerning the foundational burials of non-adults in settlement graves. This revised chronology provides a more reliable basis for future interpretative work based on accurate chronological attributions.