© Antropark 2006, Author and Illustrations © Libor Balák

Updates Antropark 2012, Author and Illustrations © Libor Balák

Kontakt - Libor Balák:  antropark@seznam.cz

Translated and modified by Ladislav Nejman after discussions with the author.

This is the website of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Archaeology in Brno, The Center for Paleolithic and Paleoethnological Research.

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HOLOCENE  CULTURES  II.

The period of cultures which commonly processed metals (Holocene – geological period of the last 10 000 years)

Late Bronze Age

The scene of a group of warriors originated under the direction of archaeologist Milan Salaš and Prague Museum experts.

Late Bronze Age is linked with frequent use of bronze, not only for making jewellery, but also tools, weapons and armour. The mining of ore and its processing reached its peak. Mythology with boat themes and Sun symbols is being expressed through art. Burials show unusual practices, where some people were sacrificed, their meat was cooked and apportioned, much like animals intended for consumption. An example of such a major sacrificial place is Blučina u Brna.

Early Iron Age – Hallstatt culture (750 – 450/400 B.C.)

Crafts and trade boomed during this period. It is named after Hallstatt locality in central Austria. A reconstructed image based on expert advice shows a Hallstatt settlement with a wood workshop in the foreground.

Reconstruction of a skeletal burial 111(HK), Vojkovice 1994

Barrows with cavernous wooden structures and rich grave goods are known from this time. An 18-20 year-old girl, whose body was decorated with items imported from distant Eturie (modern-day Italy). Ordinary people, as in today's world, had to settle for cheap imitations of the highly prized fashionable wares. The work originated in co-operation with archaeologist Martin Golec.

This period is named after the well-known Celtic burial-ground in La Tene, Switzerland. La Tene period lasts until 5th century B.C. It is associated with Celtic culture and ends with the beginning of the Roman period.

Celtic warrior from Blučina

The excavation in Blučina u Brna is also known for the burial of this Celtic warrior. While his bones and weaponry are deposited in a museum, his soul will rejoice in Valhal and will enjoy a more happier, colourful and beautiful life.

Free Celtic fighter is a Spirit still intimate with indigenous nations and is bound up with nature and shamanism. Thus he cannot resist a disciplined army for too long, which is commanded by someone unbelievably powerful.

The Roman Era lasted for the first four centuries (A.D.) in central and northern Europe when Germanic tribes settled the area north of Danube. The territory which was not under Roman control is called Barbaricum (north of Rhine and Danube).

The painting pictures iron smelting in crock furnaces.

The Migration Period (300 - 500 A.D.)

This period is characteristic for tribal migration and shifting power centres in Europe.

The tomb of a Germanic magnate from the Migration Period, Blučina u Brna. A clasp on the shoulder, suspended beard-cutting tweezers, ornamental girdle ironwork with a buckle inlaid with semi-precious stones. His cutting weapons and latchets are similarly decorated. This work was possible thanks to consultations and material provided by archaeologists Luděk Galuška and Milan Salaš.

Early Middle Ages (600 – 1250 A.D.)

A part of this period is in the Czech Republic associated with Ancient Moravia but also with short territorially expansionary period known as Great Moravia.

The painting of a Moravian magnate with a superbly decorated grasp of a scimitar.

Famous, exquisitely-made articles of this culture include jewellery, studs and ear-rings; examples of the unique skills and creative flair of the ancient artists.

Bird's eye viewof the Ancient Moravian fortified settlement at Pohansko. Behind the monumental walls are people, houses and horse enclosures. (This reconstruction is based, in a large part, on geophysical data.)

Fortified prince court. Cemetery is adjacent to the church. A small three-dimensional model was built prior to this reconstruction.

In this yard, we can see a church funeral.

Numerous stakes standing side by side in lines illustrate textile manufacturing factory. The female weavers in the picture are slaves.

Part of a river bridge and a road leading to the gate is visible outside the walls. The gate was excavated during the archaeological excavation. Originals of pictorial reconstructions can be viewed at Zámeček na Pohansku near Břeclav in southern Moravia. The following archaeologists helped with compiling material for the creation of paintings revisiting Ancient Moravia: Jiří Macháček, Jana Vignatiová, Josef Unger and Luděk Galuška.

The photograph depicts archaeologists of an international team led by Dr. Jiří Macháček uncovering part of a stone wall from a rampart at Pohansko.

WWII aircraft battle brings us into a well-documented time due to the availability of written documents, technical plans, photographs, films, and also living observers. The image of a human battle using modern technology is, in principle, not all that different to the war scenes depicted in Mesolithic rock art scenes.

Sorrel black-and-white images, technical documents and records enable colour picture reconstructions of specific events. The reasoning is the same as in the case of ancient cultures; so they are not forgotten and so we can learn the fascinating stories of our ancestors, which helps us to understand our own culture and to find ourselves.