Archaeologists have excavated what may be the largest prehistoric burial mound in Europe while working alongside a highway in the Czech Republic.
According to a statement translated from the University of Hradec Králové (UHK), this burial mound is approximately 190 meters long, nearly double the length of an American football field, and about 15 meters wide at its widest point, extending along an axis from northeast to southwest.
Researchers believe it dates back to the fourth millennium BC, making it one of the earliest burial sites ever discovered in Europe.
This period coincides with the time of the Funnelbeaker culture, which inhabited the region from 3800 to 3350 BC, named after the distinctive ceramic vessels that were often included as grave goods in their burials.
The largest and oldest burial mound ever found in Europe. (Photo: UHK Archaeology Department).
Petr Krištuf, an archaeologist at UHK, stated: “This burial is the longest prehistoric mound not only in the region but possibly in all of Europe.“
According to UHK’s Facebook page, in addition to the two primary graves within the mound, likely belonging to high-status members of the prehistoric community, around 30 other graves dating to the same period have also been found nearby.
The Highway Project Uncovers Europe’s Oldest Graves
This burial site was discovered during an archaeological excavation next to the highway between the city of Hradec Králové and the village of Sadová, approximately 88 km east of Prague.
The burial mound is no longer visible above ground as it lies within a densely cultivated area that has been flattened at some point. However, archaeologists found evidence of a ditch surrounding the burial mound. Similar ditches around other burial mounds in the area contain postholes from wooden fences, but such evidence has yet to be found at this site.
Both central graves contain the skeletons of solitary individuals lying on their left sides with their heads facing north. One of these individuals was buried in a pit with drainage channels on each side and posts at the corners. This person was interred with a ceramic vessel, likely intended as grave goods, and the second central grave also contained five used flint pieces.
Prehistoric Burials
Researchers are still analyzing the site, focusing on the traces of four ancient graves discovered within the mound, hoping to determine whether those buried there were related to the high-status individuals in the central graves.
Archaeologists suggest that the original grave was built at this location and that other graves were subsequently constructed there over generations.
Researcher Krištuf noted: “Initial results indicate that a massive burial mound has existed here for centuries and that local funeral and ritual activities took place nearby. It was an important ceremonial site at that time.”
