Archaeologists working ahead of construction of the D55 motorway in the Czech Republic have uncovered an extensive prehistoric landscape, including nearly 1,900 archaeological features, dozens of graves and the remains of enormous houses built by some of Europe’s earliest farming communities.
The discoveries were made along a stretch of less than seven kilometres between Kokory and Přerov during a major rescue excavation carried out by the Olomouc Archaeological Centre.
Led by archaeologist Marek Kalábek, the fieldwork ran from September 2025 until 29 July 2026 and revealed evidence of human occupation spanning thousands of years.
Archaeologists investigated 1,879 settlement features, 65 stone and Bronze Age graves and a human burial within one of the settlements.
The scale of the discoveries confirmed the archaeological importance of the landscape through which the new motorway will pass.
Unknown archaeological site discovered
Before excavation began, researchers expected to encounter 12 archaeological sites along the route. All 12 were confirmed, while another previously unknown site was discovered in the Dluhonice area.
Some of the most extensive remains emerged at Kokory–Podsedky, where archaeologists recorded 974 features.
Among them was evidence of a settlement associated with the Linear Pottery culture, dating back approximately 7,000 years.
The discoveries provide a glimpse into the lives of the early farming communities that transformed Central Europe during the Neolithic period.
Archaeologists identified the floors of long timber houses alongside storage pits, ovens and other features associated with everyday settlement life.
Some of the prehistoric houses were remarkably large, reaching up to 36 metres in length.
Dozens of prehistoric graves
Burial grounds discovered during the motorway excavations have also provided important evidence about communities occupying the region during the Bronze Age.
At the Rokytnice–Za Oborou and Rokytnice–Podlesí sites, archaeologists uncovered two burial sites dating from the Early Bronze Age as well as 18 burials belonging to a later phase of the Bronze Age.
Another burial discovered in the Dluhonice area contained pottery, ceramic vessels, a bronze object and a stone tool.
Together, the settlements and cemeteries demonstrate that the landscape around Kokory and Přerov was repeatedly occupied and used by communities over a remarkably long period.
Excavation ends, but investigation continues
Although archaeological fieldwork along this section of the D55 has now finished, researchers still face months of work examining the material recovered from the excavations.
The finds will undergo cleaning, conservation and documentation at the Olomouc Archaeological Centre before specialists begin their detailed analysis.
Once that process has been completed, the archaeological material is expected to be transferred to the Museum of Archaeology of the Olomouc Region.
Sources : Archaeological Center Olomouc
