Title: The Preservation State of Human Bones From the Early Medieval Burial Ground in Valaliky (Eastern Slovakia) in the Context of Natural Influences – PDF
Abstract: Archaeological research of the burial ground in Valaliky (Košice-okolie district) uncovered 280 graves from the Early Middle Ages. One of the results of the analyses is an overview of the preservation state of skeletal remains, which is highly variable. This paper aims to identify the factors that influenced the degree of preservation of skeletal remains. It evaluates the influence of biological (age, sex), cultural (several features of the burial rite: depth of the burial pit, presence/absence of a coffin) and natural factors (soil pH, geological and pedological substrate, placement of graves within the local environment). The results of the analyzed sample revealed a statistically significant relationship between the age of the individual and the degree of preservation of skeletal remains, with worse preservation confirmed in juvenile individuals. Gender was not proven to be a significant factor. Another element was the influence of soil pH, but it was reliably demonstrated only in a set of adult individuals. In this case, lower pH values proved to be a negatively influencing factor. Statistically significant relationships were not confirmed among the other variables monitored. The obtained results indicate a combined influence of paleodemographic and environmental factors on the degree of preservation of osteological findings.
Authors: TÁBIOVÁ, Miriama – BORZOVÁ, Zuzana – VITOVIČ, Ladislav – CHEBEN, Michal – VOJTEČEK, Marek – LUŠTÍKOVÁ, Lucia – LIESKOVSKÝ, Tibor
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17846/SHN.2026.30.1.3-30
Publication order reference:
Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Faculty of Arts, Department of Archaeology,
Hodžova 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovak Republic,
Miriama Tábiová – mail: miriama.tabiova@gmail.com
Zuzana Borzová – mail: zborzova@ukf.sk – corresponding author
Ladislav Vitovič – State Geological Institute of Dionyz Štur, Mlynska dolina 1, 81704 Bratislava, Slovak Republic, mail: ladislav.vitovic@geology.sk
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Akademicka 1, 949 21 Nitra, Slovak Republic,
Michal Cheben – mail: michal.cheben@savba.sk
Marek Vojteček – mail: marek.vojtecek@savba.sk
Lucia Luštíková – mail: lustikova@saske.sk
Tibor Lieskovský – Slovak University of Technology, Department of Theoretical Geodesy and Geoinformatics
Radlinskeho 11, 810 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic, mail: tibor.lieskovsky@gmail.com
Source: Studia Historica Nitriensia, year: 2026, vol.: 30, number: 1, pages: 3-30
Keywords: Burial; Early Middle Ages; Anthropology; Taphonomic Processes; Soil Properties; Geology; Eastern Slovakia;
Language: English
Funding: Slovak Research and Development Agency: Contract no. APVV-22-0151,
Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic: Contract no. VEGA 2/0167/24,
Funded by the EU Next Generation EU through the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia under the project No. 09I03-03-V02-00038.