Added September 18, 1998. Updated December 13, 2000, 17:25 hours.

The First OCR Dates from the Czech Republic

To ascertain the feasibility of employing the new Oxidizable Carbon Ratio (OCR) soil dating method in Central Europe, and to gain the first insights into the local pedogenesis and "absolute" chronology, soil samples were taken during the test excavation.

The area sampled by the test pit indicates abandonment as the living area sometime after 3250 BC. This would coincide with the presumed demise of the (TRB) at the southern fringes of its distribution. The Southern TRB was apparently gradually replaced by the Austro-Hungarian Baden culture, whose influences are observable as far away as Switzerland by 3400 BC.

The OCR results are listed in Table 1. The first occupation ascertainable from the test pit predates 3742 BC and most likely occurred around 3812 BC. It seems to belong to the Funnel Beaker culture (TRB). It suggests that the Rmíz stone faced rampart, the oldest such feature found in Central and North Europe, could date to about 3800 BC. This makes it equivalent to the first stone walls reported in France.

In addition to information about the earliest and latest occupation at Rmíz, an apparent three prepared house floors and one (trash / burial) pit came to light. The features belong to cultural activity dated between ca. 3812 and 3250 BC. The upper floor dates to about 3542 BC, the second to ca. 3662 BC and the lowermost to about 3742 BC. The pit feature contains organic material that date to 3812 BC, and contains slightly older organic 3827 BC capping the feature. The site was abandoned after 3250 BC as indicated by washed in soil deposits capping the cultural soil deposits.

References and Credits

Activity Report of the 1998 Czech-American Rmíz Research Project

Oxidizable Carbon Ratio (OCR Web)

Please send comments or questions to Max.Baldia.