The excavator’s introduction

The site of Pavlov I remained unknown until the last excavation seasons at Dolní Věstonice I, and the history of research developed in a simple manner. Already the first season 1952, in a surface zone at the eastern margin of the wine-yard, near a crossroad below the village, brought to light surprising results. A deposit of mammoth skulls around a hearth and the related evidence, suggest a tent-like structure. Further excavation (1953) investigated a rich and ashy cultural layer against the slope, bellow the youngest loess cover. The layer was composed of several horizons; the upper ones frequently penetrated the lower ones. This observation suggests repeated stays at the spot.

Previous experience from Dolní Věstonice enabled to develop a specific excavation method. The princip was to unearth larger areas and to separate them by a 1 m² grid of narrow section blocs. The whole content of the cultural layer, rich in microlithic tools and small objects, has been sieved.

Apart from a series of excavation field reports, it was possible to publish several specific finds and assemblages. However a complex presentation of this site, excavated over 21 seasons, with 60.000 inventorized objects and a total of 1.000.000 objects (excluding faunal remains), is still missing. Already the first two excavation seasons show that Pavlov I is closely related to the well-known site of Dolní Věstonice I, it completes the previous evidence, and it is even more rich in archaeological material.