The Hallstatt Funeral
In 1872, archaeologist Jindřich Wankel excavated the entrance hall of Býčí Skála Cave and uncovered a scene of extraordinary violence from the Iron Age. The deposit, dated to the Hallstatt period around 575–450 BCE, contained the remains of approximately 40 individuals. Wankel's initial account described a central male skeleton, presumed to be a chieftain, surrounded by the skeletons of 40 women. His interpretation was that of a nobleman's burial, accompanied by his sacrificed retinue.
The arrangement was complex and grisly. Severed hands and skulls were found placed on a small stone altar. Many skeletons were missing heads, hands, or feet. The site also held the remains of horses and the remnants of three or four ornate chariots. The quantity of artifacts was large, including hundreds of bronze bracelets, thousands of amber and glass beads, iron weapons, and bronze vessels. One important finds, discovered a few years earlier in 1869, was a bronze statuette of a bull that gives the cave its name, "Bull Rock Cave".
Later analysis has modified Wankel's original conclusions. The skeletons were female; they included men, women, and children. The cause of the mass death remains debated. Theories range from a ritual sacrifice to an attack on people hiding in the cave or even a catastrophic explosion of natural gas.
A Prehistoric Industrial and Ritual Center
The Býčí Skála cave system is the second-longest in Czechia, with a known length of over 13 kilometers. It was used for more the infamous Hallstatt deposit. Archaeological evidence shows human activity spanning from the Paleolithic period, 100,000–10,000 BCE, to the Middle Ages. Inside the cave, researchers have found evidence of a major Hallstatt-period metal workshop, complete with furnaces, an iron anvil, and hammers, showing industrial activity took place deep underground.
The cave's long history includes other important finds. A Neolithic charcoal drawing, shaped like a grill and measuring 30x40 cm, was discovered on a cave wall. Radiocarbon dating established its age at 5,200 years old. The cave also contained evidence of Paleolithic settlement from the Magdalenian culture. During World War II, the Nazis built an underground factory in the cave's entrance, causing irreparable damage to parts of the archaeological layers. Today, modern science views the cave as a site used for production, burials, and various ritual activities over time.