Unrecognized Taphonomy as a Problem of Identification and the Scale of Contamination of Archaeobotanical Assemblages – the Example of Prague – Zličín Migration Period Burial Ground

Migration Period graves (Vinařice group, 5th century and the turn of 5th and 6th century AD) in Prague Zličín during 2005–2008. From a total number of 173 excavated graves with 176 burials, 74 were sampled for archaeobotanical analyses, and these are the subject of this contribution. All of the researched graves were robbed shortly after the time of burial. The archaeobotanical approach was applied through three methods: macroremains analysis; anthracology – xylotomy; and pollen analysis. The samples had low densities of plant macroremains, and contained many residuals and contaminants which had penetrated the graves’ infill. Only a fragment of the pollen samples was positive. Knowledge about the penetration of intact features by earlier and later plant remains was of major importance in the development of the methodology used for this research in the graves.