People “on the Margin”: A Medieval Cemetery in Český Brod – Malechov (Central Bohemia)

Abstract

Six graves situated on the edge of the settled town suburb of Český Brod have been dated to the 2nd half of the 15th century. The group of graves situated outside the regular cemetery, and with one exception reverently buried individuals, raised the question regarding its interpretation. Anthropological study identified six men of different age with many post-traumatic changes on the bones, excessive physical strain and numerous other pathologies. DNA-based examination ruled out the possibility that they were members of minority groups (Jews, Gypsies). People buried on this site are interpreted as people in a marginal position in contemporary society. IANSA 2017 ● VIII/1 ● Online First Jan Frolík, Petra Stránská, Jitka Votrubová, Barbora Emmerová, Daniel Vaněk: People “on the Margin”: A Medieval Cemetery in Český Brod – Malechov (Central Bohemia) Online First genetics), based mainly on the verification of a possible relationship between the buried individuals. Anthropology could give the essential knowledge about the physical condition of the buried, their illness or injuries. The selection of the samples for DNA analysis was based on visual observations of the skeletal remains. It was decided to use only intact teeth as these provide a very high success rate (Katzmarzyk 2007). 2. Description of the Site and Finds 2.1 Description of the Terrain The terrain at the site was rather simple. The subsoil consisted of weathered rock (red or rusty mudstone) at a depth of 0.9– 1.2 m below the roadway surface. The individual graves (A, B, C, F and G) and also two shallow pits (feature D with a depth of 0.17 m and feature E with 0.42 m) were deepened Figure 1. Český Brod – Prokopa Velikého Street, excavated area marked with a black circle on the Cadastral contour map. IANSA 2017 ● VIII/1 ● Online First Jan Frolík, Petra Stránská, Jitka Votrubová, Barbora Emmerová, Daniel Vaněk: People “on the Margin”: A Medieval Cemetery in Český Brod – Malechov (Central Bohemia) Online First into the subsoil and had the same backfill (red-brown clayey silt [45%] with interlayers of grey clayey silt [45%] and a small amount of charcoal and daub). The pit features and graves were covered with a single layer – dark-grey sandyloamy soil [80%] with stones (mudstone [15%], pebbles [3%] and small brick fragments [2%]) – of a thickness of 0.2–0.5 m. This layer was covered with a pavement of quarry stones and dark-brown soil up to 0.3 m in thickness, which had survived only in the northern half of the trench pit. At some spots there was a charcoal interlayer below this pavement and above it the 0.3-metre-thick sand bedding of the current pavement. The terrain was disturbed by modern excavations (the holes from former old and recent sewerage work). The trench dug for the cables that had partially disturbed graves A and B, and also feature E, was situated approximately in the centre of the uncovered area. 2.2 Stratigraphy The stratigraphic situation of the found features and graves is extremely simple. The subsoil consists of rock, into which the individual features were deepened. This situation proves the clearing of the terrain, consisting of the original soil’s removal. The features are up to three times superimposed. For example, settlement feature D has been disturbed by grave G, which was subsequently covered or disturbed by graves A and F. At the same time, grave A has disturbed grave B (the skull from this grave was moved into the backfill of grave A). We encountered a double superposition in the case of graves C2 and C1. Settlement feature E holds a solitary stratigraphic position; we consider that its distance to the closest grave G precludes a possible mutual contact (the surface between them was disturbed by sewerage work). Interestingly, the graves show a double superposition, which proves that the area was not just used once for burial, but used repeatedly – at least for a short time. The graves and the other features were superimposed by a single settlement layer, which itself was covered by the modern road pavement. The pavement covered the section containing graves A, B, F and G. Above the pavement, finally, the whole surface was superimposed by today’s roadway and its bedding. According to their orientation, the graves can be divided into two groups: graves B, C1, C2 and G (thus all the stratigraphically-older graves + grave C1) are oriented northwest-southeast. However, the younger graves, A and F, are aligned southwest-northeast, which may reflect two different burial periods. The graves can be dated on the grounds of the finds in the backfill of their grave pits, mainly from the ceramic fragments. The youngest elements belong to the 15th century (vessel fragments with glaze on their inside and roller-stamp decoration); most of the graves show a mixture of fragments from the 12th to 15th centuries. Pottery from older features Figure 2. Český Brod – Prokopa Velikého Street, in front of house No. 407; excavated area with graves highlighted: light grey – the younger graves A and F; dark grey – the other graves; drawn by P. Pinc, digitized by D. Dvořáček. 0 1 m IANSA 2017 ● VIII/1 ● Online First Jan Frolík, Petra Stránská, Jitka Votrubová, Barbora Emmerová, Daniel Vaněk: People “on the Margin”: A Medieval Cemetery in Český Brod – Malechov (Central Bohemia) Online First that were disturbed by the digging of the original grave pits had come into the graves. Graves G (containing ceramics decorated with roller stamp and glaze on the inside) and grave B (without any ceramic fragments) are the oldest. With the only exception of grave A, the general position of the buried individual conforms to the usual habit. The person in grave A, according to the position of their hands, had been irreverently thrown into the pit. The absence of the remains of any items of clothing (buttons, belt buckles or shoes) shows that the deceased were either naked or wrapped, for example, in only a blanket. There are no traces of coffins (the occasional finds of nails do not prove their existence) and the position of the skeleton in grave A excludes the existence of a coffin. The terrain situation does not clearly show whether the grave group was complete or only formed part of a larger group; it did not continue westwards, northwards or eastwards, in the area of the excavated roadway. The burials could have continued below the house (the margin of the trench pit was formed by some digging for former sewerage work); however, we are lacking convincing evidence. It is not at all clear if the graves were in some way marked at the surface. Multiple burials in one pit (C1 and C2) and the spatial delimitation of graves A, B, G and F could be used as arguments for a marking on the surface. On the other hand, the mutual relation between the grave pairs B+G and A+F points to the opposite conclusion. Within the scope of the topography of Český Brod, the grave group is situated on a main arterial road leading to the former royal, and now regional, towns of Kouřim and Kolín; in view of the terrain configuration and the position of the Kouřimská brána (Kouřim Gate), this road must have had, more or less, the same course in the past. According to research undertaken in 2006–2007, the Kouřimské předměstí (Kouřim Suburb) spread along this way or road since at least the 13th century and the inhabited area ended nearby to the graves. So the graves were thus situated at the margin of a suburb. The common inhabitants of Český Brod were buried in the churchyard of St Gotthard (in the town centre), and, after 1560, at the Trinity Chapel south-east of the town centre (Poche et al. 1977, 210–211), which chronologically excludes the grave group in question. 2.3 Description of Individual Graves 2.3.1 Grave A Oblong grave pit with rounded corners (preserved length: 1.75 m, max. width: 0.45 cm, depth: 0.52 m – Figure 3). The lower part of the pit was destroyed by the sewage connection work. The skeleton was stretched out, with outstretched legs, the right arm was bent at the elbow and laid across the chest and the left arm framed the head. The lower half of the lower limbs was missing (right leg from the knee downwards, left leg in the ankle). Orientation: south-west (head), north-east; backfill: red-brown loamy earth (30%) with smaller stones (mudstone 70%); finds: pottery fragments, imprints of plaster/mortar, building material, a bronze wire, a coin (bags 1205 and 1206) and human bones (bags 1209–11). The other human bones had been lifted in the course of the excavation for the sewage work (bags 1238 and 1239 – without any differentiation between graves A and F). A human skull (bag 1208 – see grave B) was found in the backfill (above the skeleton). Figure 3. Český Brod – Prokopa Velikého Street, in front of house No. 407; graves A and F, drawn by P. Pinc, digitized by D. Dvořáček. 0 1 m IANSA 2017 ● VIII/1 ● Online First Jan Frolík, Petra Stránská, Jitka Votrubová, Barbora Emmerová, Daniel Vaněk: People “on the Margin”: A Medieval Cemetery in Český Brod – Malechov (Central Bohemia) Online First 2.3.2 Grave B Oblong grave pit with rounded corners (preserved length: 0.95 m, max. width: 0.7 m, depth: 0.52 m). The lowest part of the grave pit was preserved as an unclear imprint in the east wall of the trench dug for a sewage connection, so the original length of the grave pit can be estimated at 1.95 m. The lower half of the grave pit was destroyed by the sewage work (Figure 4). The skeleton was stretched out with slightly bent arms. The skull was missing (moved during the excavation of grave pit A into its backfill – see above). The lower part of the skeleton, including the pelvis, is lost; orientation: west-north-west (head), east-south-eastwards; backfill: cf. grave A; finds: only human bones (bags 1212 and 1213). Additional human bones had already been found during the excavation for the sewage connection (bag 1241). 2.3.3 Grave C1 Oblong grave pit with rounded corners (preserved leng