For several decades, the Institute of Archaeology in Prague has used non-destructive geophysical methods to research fortifications. New cooperation between archaeologists and geophysicist as part of a Czech-Polish project resulted in a more systematic and targeted survey of early medieval fortifications. The results of this cooperation were presented at a workshop Use of non-destructive and destructive methods in archaeological research of early medieval hillforts, held in Prague in 2019. The mainpart of this article contains different examples of geophysical prospecting used in connection with archaeological research into the early medieval fortifications in Bohemia. Selected examples illustrate various conditions, combinations and possibilities of application of non-destructive geophysical methods. In several cases, the results of geophysical measurements can also be supplemented by the results of archaeological research or surveys.
The article describes the discovery of a skeletal grave in 2015 in Nezabylice (NW Bohemia, Chomutov district) at a cremation burial ground, which was dated to stage B1 of the early Roman period according to characteristic metal objects. Today, only four dozen similarly dated skeletal graves are registered in Bohemia, which, together with the early date of acquisition, makes them one of the rarest and most difficult to recognize archaeological monuments in this area. In the given situation, every recently researched skeleton grave from the early Roman period brings a wealth of new and important information about this distinctive phenomenon of burial rite among the Elbe-Germanic tribes.
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