The Tombs of Forefathers: Neolithic Long Barrows in Ritual Landscapes

Neolithic long barrows in Bohemia were long neglected by archaeologists due to their destruction by modern intensive agricultural activity.This new analysis, resulting from a threeyear interdisciplinary research project, of the phenomenon of Neolithic long barrows in Bohemia and Central Europe presents entirely new findings and data and tackles a number of previously unresolved questions.New discoveries, based primarily on remote sensing and targeted excavations, together with the revision of earlier archaeological records, allow us to define more accurately the construction and chronological development of these monuments, and to advance our knowledge of the southeastern boundary of this phenomenon's spread together with reconstruction of the social and religious significance of these monuments for the agricultural communities of Central Europe.At the sacred places defined by the long barrows, ceremonies and rituals took place over millennia that confirmed the cohesion of the living w