The geopolitical area of the Carpathian Basin was situated on the boundaries of the classical Greek and Latin literacy in the 9th century. There are no internal written sources dating back to the mentioned period characterizing the societies inhabiting the area. That is the reason why the political and social situation can be observed indirectly only via external written sources and archeological methods. The Avar Khaganate was completely annihilated by the wars between the Avars and Franks and the campaigns of the Bulgars from the hypothetical political map of the 9th century Europe. Nevertheless, the internal political crisis undoubtedly contributed to the swift disintegration of Avaria, vaguely described in the primary sources. The evidence of narrative texts and archeology, however, suggest that these processes did not bring dramatic changes in the "ethnic" composition of the Carpathian Basin population. The introductory chapters of this thesis give an overview on a set of written sources and tendencies in modern archaeological research. The research part of the thesis investigates not only the possible concepts of the continuous presence of Avars in the 9th century Central Europe, but also the questions about the chronology of the Carpathian Basin settlement by the Magyar tribes. Taking into...

Possibilities of the recognize of the influences from the Great Moravia on the beginnings of the state of Přemyslides (On the ground of the archeological excavations on the Prague Castle and Uherské Hradiště) Abstract I have processed the epoch of the 9th century and the beginnings of the 10th century from four excavations in Prague Castle and four excavations in Uherské Hradiště. Prague Castle: 1) three layers of the wooden construction in the clayey rampart with small rocky walls indoor and the frontal wall were discovered in the Institute of the noblewoman; 2) the earlier moat and later vallum with frontal moat, rocky frontal wall and clayey rampart with wooden constructions were investigated in the Middle wing; 3) five periods of the settlement were investigated in the Informations Center: first line of the postholes, second the earlier moat, third big postholes, forth wallum with frontal moat, and clayey rampart with wooden constructions, finaly extension of the frontal rocky wall with the rock with the engraving; 4) the foundation of the log cabin was investigate in the Imperial Stables. In Uherské Hradiště: 1) a dead arm of Morava river and the remains of settlement was investigate in the Otakar lane. The aerlier layers were divided from the later by a layer of flood deposits. Important find is the...

Title: The Origins of Education in Great Moravia and its Subsequent Manifestations Author: Mgr. Radovan Vlha Department: Czech Language Department Supervisor: prof. PhDr. Radoslava Kvapilová Brabcová, CSc. Abstract The thesis focuses on the origins and manifestations of the education on the territory of Great Moravia. The main research method is the analysis of historical source texts, archaeological artefacts and analogical comparison with the situation in 9th century Europe. The growth of education in Great Moravia commenced with the arrival of Constantine and Methodius mission, which proceed from the Byzantine conception of education. The mission picked up the threads of Bavarian missionaries' work, which is proved by the widely professed Christianity prior to the year 863. Initially, the education centres of western missionaries were used with new premises being built later; Sady near Uherske Hradiste being considered the most important. Scholars with aristocratic backgrounds were educated in these centres. The curriculum consisted predominantly from Old Church Slavonic, prayers, theology and music, sometimes accompanied with Latin. The development of the craft industry requisite for the building of churches, decorating jewellery with Christian motives and production of books was directly connected to...

7 ABSTRACT The occurrence of enthesopathies is associated with muscle insertion sites and physical activities. The aim of this work is focused on two basic target areas. In the methodical section, I tested two methods of enthesopathy evaluation (Crubézy, 1988; Villotte, 2006) and I monitored the influence of age and physical stress on the incidence of enthesopathies in a documented skeletal collection from Greece. The main aim was then the evaluation of enthesopathies in the Great Moravian population from the settlement agglomeration Mikulčice-Valy (9th -10th century) using the selected method and the subsequent interpretation of the results attained, taking into consideration the archaeological facts relating to the given locality. Based on the observed degrees of concordance between the repeated evaluations, I used Villotte's method (2006) for final evaluation. I proved the correlation between the prevalence of enthesopathies and age in individuals from a recently documented skeletal collection. I was unable to demonstrate the influence of physical activity on the incidence of enthesopathies. This is apparently due to the small number of individuals with manual and non-manual occupations. In individuals from the Mikulčice settlement agglomeration, I recorded a demonstrable difference between individual...

Le travail s'est concentré sur la mesure des valeurs des isotopes stables du carbone (δ13C) et de l'azote (δ15N) dans un groupe de 189 adultes des deux sexes et 74 animaux. Le groupe étudié était représenté par différents ensembles de populations (les centres du pouvoir vs. l’arrière-pays) et périodes : la Grande-Moravie (IXe – Xe siècles) et la période de « late Hillfort » (XIe siècle). L'analyse a également concerné un groupe d’immatures âgés de moins de six ans. Les données isotopiques du groupe des adultes indiquent que l'alimentation de la population de la Grande-Moravie était basée sur les ressources terrestres riches en plantes dites en C4. Des différences dans la proportion des protéines animales ont été observées au niveau de l'alimentation des habitants des centres et de leur arrière-pays. Des modifications diachroniques ont été observées au niveau de l'alimentation – l'alimentation du groupe de la période de late Hillfort était caractérisée par une consommation significative de plantes en C4. Les données isotopiques du groupe des immatures indiquent que la population de la Grande-Moravie ne connaissait aucune norme obligatoire pour la durée de l'allaitement maternel. Les résultats de cette étude démontrent que la société de la Grande-Moravie présentait un taux élevé de stratification socio-économique. Les changements diachroniques observés indiquent que malgré le développement apparent de la population au XIe siècle, la qualité des conditions de vie accuse une aggravation par rapport à la période de la Grande-Moravie. Les statistiques ont démontré l'impact de la qualité de l'alimentation sur l'état de la dentition de la population de la Grande-Moravie. / In this study carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic values were measured in a sample of 189 adult individuals of both sexes and 74 animals representing different socio-economic contexts (power centers versus the hinterlands) and chronology: the Great Moravian (9th -10th century AD) versus late Hillfort (11th century AD) period. A sample of 41 sub-adults aged 0–6 years was also selected for isotopic analyses.Isotopic data of the adult sample showed that the Great Moravian population had a terrestrial diet with a substantial proportion of C4 plants. Dietary analysis revealed statistically significant differences in the consumption of animal protein between power centers and the hinterlands. Diachronic changes in the diet were observed: the diet of the 11th century sample was characterized by higher consumption of C4 plants.For sub-adults, the isotopic results suggested there was not solely one established norm for the duration of breastfeeding in the Great Moravian population. These results confirmed that Great Moravia represented a highly stratified society socio-economically. The diachronic change in dietary behavior suggested that even after the apparent recovery in the 11th century, Moravian society did not reach its original level of welfare. The quality of diet significantly influenced dental health in the Great Moravian population sample.

We studied the dietary behavior and health status of a population that lived in the context of rapid change, including the development of the economic and political structures of states, the adoption of Christianity as well as the subsequent disruption of social structure and the recovery of society. Carbon (δ13 C) and nitrogen (δ15 N) isotopic values were measured in a sample of 189 adult individuals of both sexes and 74 animals representing different socio-economic contexts (power centers versus the hinterlands) and chronology: the Great Moravian (9th -10th century AD) versus late Hillfort (11th century AD) period. A sample of 41 sub-adults aged 0-6 years, representative of both Great Moravian power centers (Mikulčice) and its rural hinterlands (Josefov), was selected for isotopic analyses of breastfeeding and weaning behavior. Data on growth and frequency of nonspecific stress indicators (cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, and endocranial lesions) were analyzed in a sub-adult group. In adults, we focused on dental health (caries, periapical lesions, dental wear, and periodontal disease), the presence of cribra orbitalia and estimated adult stature. Isotopic data of the adult sample showed that the Great Moravian population had a terrestrial diet with a substantial proportion of C4 plants....

The objective of this study was the assessment of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in early medieval Great Moravian population sample - Rajhrad. Linear enamel hypoplasia represents the disruption of enamel matrix secretion during the growth of the tooth crown, which is related to a generalized growth disturbance. This is why it is considered as a nonspecific stress marker. The incidence of LEH could reflect stress factors during the life of early medieval population. The aim of this study was to asses the frequency and timing of the LEH. The incidence of LEH was supposed to be high because of poorer nature of this cemetery. The results of our study could confirm or falsify this assumption and determine relation between LEH and socio-economic status. The timing of LEH was estimated from regression equations consisting of distance from LEH to CEJ (cemento-enamel junction) and crown height of upper and lower canines. 108 individuals from approximately 4 - 15 years were observed. The frequency was high according to the assumption - 88 %. That confirms poorer life conditions. The range of mean age of LEH formation was from 2,94 - 4,72 years in individuals with multiple LEH incidence. The mean age of single LEH formation was approximately 3,98 years. The earliest onset of LEH in the pooled sample occurred...

This study is focused on dietary reconstruction according to stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in bone and tooth collagen. The material used for this study is represented by set of 46 skeletons of adult individuals from 6th church's burial site in Mikulčice, which belong to the Great Moravian era (9th -10th century). Isotopic values are discussed in relation to the formation of social roles and health status. The presence and eventually degree of severity of some non-specific stress indicators and pathologies (Cribra orbitalia, presence of tooth caries, caries intensity, linear enamel hypoplasias, dental wear and length od femur) was observed. The results of isotopic analysis suggest, that diet in this population sample was based on terrestrial sources, both animal and plant protein. Plants in Great Moravian diet belonged to C3 and C4 group. C4 group of plants in Mikulčice was represented by millet (Panicum miliaceum), which supports the hypothesis of "Millet - typical crop of old Slavs" (Reitsema and Kozlowski, 2013). Millet was consumed mainly in childhood. Significant differences between diets of high social class and rest of population was found with people of higher social rank consuming more animal protein. These differences were created in childhood and persisted to adulthood....

This Master's thesis focuses on the influence of socioeconomic status on the morphology of the mandible of individuals from the early medieval burial area in Mikulčice. This hillfort was an important center of power of the Great Moravian Empire with a stratified society. This work compares 2 different approaches on how to divide the inhabitants. The first of them is the division of individuals according to the location of graves into individuals from the castle, sub-castle, and hinterland. The second approach is the division of individuals according to the richness of grave equipment into individuals with rich and poor grave equipment. A different social status is associated mainly with different diets. Therefore, the attachments of the masticatory muscles are the most affected areas. A total of 132 individuals (59 males and 73 females) were analyzed. The material was evaluated by methods of geometric morphometrics. The used methods were CDP DCA, GPA, two-sample t-test, PCA, MANOVA, and SVM. Sexual dimorphism was observed in all sub-groups of the Mikulčice population. Men have larger mandibles with rami wider apart. The biggest differences are between individuals from the castle, the smallest between individuals with rich grave equipment. The distribution of individuals based on the location of...

The thesis addresses the monuments of Great Moravian church architecture and is based on the material accumulated during the past century. It analyzes the influence of different architectural styles, the hypotheses by different scholars and the existing contradictions between them. The thesis covers a selection of church buildings many of which possess a special spiritual value. Special attention is paid to the hypothesis of the construction date and architectural sources of Ste. Catherine church in Tamovice. Of special interest are the interviews and consultations with leading Czech and German researchers, historians and archeologists carried out while working on the thesis.