Czech dig uncovers 7,000 years of settlement before highway construction
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Archaeologists working in the Czech Republic near Přerov discovered evidence of human settlement stretching back 7,000 years during a survey ahead of highway construction.
The team investigated a seven-kilometer stretch of land planned for the D55 highway between Kokory and Přerov, revealing traces of 16 long wooden houses from early farming communities. Researchers found remains from the Neolithic period through the Middle Ages, examining 1,879 features and 65 graves. The largest concentration of finds came from the Kokory.
Podsedky area, where the team identified longhouses linked to the Linear Pottery culture, one of the first farming groups in central Moravia. While the wooden structures themselves have disappeared, archaeologists located storage pits, ovens, and other remnants of daily life. They also uncovered burial grounds from the Bronze Age, including 18 cremation graves containing copper ornaments, bone beads, and tools.
Late in the fieldwork, the team identified a previously unknown site near Dluhonice containing a grave from the Corded Ware culture, complete with pottery, copper, and stone tools. The Archaeological Center Olomouc carried out the excavation for the Czech road authority, and specialists will now conserve and study the finds before transferring them to the Olomouc Regional Museum. Marek Kalábek will present the discoveries to the public on October 17 at the Archaeological Center Olomouc.
