Early Medieval 'Non-ritual' Burial of a Woman from Modra near Velehrad (Uherske Hradiste Region)

In January 2019 a remarkable feature was explored during an archaeological rescue excavation in the village Modra near Velehrad (Czech Republic). It was an oval-shaped pit with a diameter of approx. 210 x 170 cm and a preserved depth of 60 to 65 cm. Animal bones were found in the filling of the pit, most of which belonged to domestic animals - a dog, a horse, a pig and an ox. On the upper level of the pit filling, the skeleton of an adult individual was lying in a non-ritual position on its stomach, the skull was found against the wall of the pit about 60 cm from the cervical vertebrae of the spine. The skull of a domestic horse was also discovered in contact with the skeleton (partially covering it). Using the method of radiocarbon dating, the bones of the dog, the horse and the human individual were dated to the end of the 8th c. and the first third of the 9th c.