The Bronocice Pot

There's a whole lot of different types of pot in this world. But none can compare to the Bronocice Pot. If you want a high on history, just have a gander at the Bronocice Pot. The Bronocice Pot comes down to us  from the Funnelbeaker Culture, which we'll discuss in the next Podcast, Neolithic Part II. The pot was found in Bronocice, Poland and was a major find for the Funnelbeakers that stretched from the Netherlands to the west, Scandinavia to the north (specifically Sweden, Denmark and Norway) and Poland to the east. But the heart of the Funnelbeaker Culture was in Germany and Bohemia (modern day Czech Republic). The Funnelbeaker Culture was defined by their distinctive pottery. The Bronocice Pot is a type of this pottery, but has importance because of its decorations.

The pot is decorated with what appears to be a wagon being pulled by some type of draught animal. It dates to some time between 3635 BC - 3370 BC, making it among the earliest drawings of a wheeled vehicle. This gives it a great status as a Neolithic invention. In the middle of the wagon drawing is a circular pot, that probably represents the harvest that the wagon is carrying. Basically, because of its early date, the Bronocice Pot deserves great granddaddy status in the evolution of vehicles, and all that that entails. The picture on top is the actual pot, in reconstructed form. The picture to the right is a rendition of the drawing of the earliest wagon. You can't tell by the drawing but it was likely a precursor to the ultimately cool 1967 Ford Country Squire. It probably had seats in the back so kids could sit and watch the cars come up behind it. Stationwagons should be brought back to save the American Auto industry. Who needs an efficient smart car when you can have the coolness of wood paneling?

The Cannibals of Předmostí

Předmostí is located in the Moravia, part of the modern day Czech Republic. In the late 19th century it was discovered to contain a number of Cro-Magnon skeletons. It is believed to have been a burial ground for early modern humans and contained the remnants of at least 20 individuals. The skeletal remains and what they were buried with are consistent with the vast majority of Cro-Magnon discoveries elsewhere in Europe. The one difference is that some people believe that the partial burials of some human remains indicate a Cannibalism among the  Předmostí people. Delicious.

The Cannibalism explanation, though a popular one, is widely discredited by most experts. Since neither you or I are experts (I'm assuming no experts are reading this, but that might be undo modesty on my part), we'll go ahead an go with the Cannibal theory. When the  Předmostí people weren't headhunting and serving up Roast Human with Bramboráky and Knedlíky (potato pancakes and a bread side dish), they were probably eating roasted mammoth, fox, hare, wolf or bear. Like other Cro-Magnon sites there is indication of early dogs as well. So there you have it, the earliest Czechs enjoyed hunting and gathering, living in caves, burying people (rather than burning them after death) and had a taste for human flesh. That pretty much sums it up.