Archaeological research conducted last year in the ancient Kateřinská cave in the Moravian Karst revealed snail shells that had been manually shaped and used as decorative items. According to radiocarbon analysis, these historical artefacts are more than 8,000 years old, dating back to the end of the Middle Neolithic period.
“The prehistoric origin of the ornaments was evident at the time of discovery. This confirmation significantly enriches our knowledge of this extremely useful research,” says Petr Zajíček, a specialist at the Czech Cave Administration (SJ ČR).
Since 2016, epigraphic and archaeological research in Kateřinská Cave has not only involved the Cave Administration, but also Palacký University in Olomouc (as the main academic authority), the Moravian Museum in Brno and the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (which conducts carbon sampling and radiocarbon dating).
“Radiocarbon dating of freshwater animals and plants is problematic, and the results may be up to 700 years older than they actually are,” said Zajíček. “Therefore, the age of the ornaments could align with earlier Neolithic archaeological finds discovered at the cave entrance, as well as prehistoric charcoal drawings, of which there are currently 15 in the old part of Kateřinská Cave.”
Three ornaments were made from the shells of the freshwater snail Theodoxus danubialis by grinding a hole in one side of the shells, which were probably used as beads, either strung on a cord or sewn onto clothing or headgear as pendants.
The ornaments were found during a probe of an unnamed corridor, in the cultural sediment layer at a depth of 0–15 centimetres. Previous excavations in this area also uncovered evidence of a medieval coin-forging workshop, as well as medieval and prehistoric pottery, stone tools and fragments of a bas-relief of an unclear age. Similar to others in the old section of the Kateřinská Cave, a Neolithic charcoal drawing on a wall was also dated in this corridor. These are considered to be some of the oldest known cave drawings in the Czech Republic. Some of them can be viewed on a guided tour of the cave and are presented in an exhibition at the entrance.
The Kateřinská Cave is located near the Skalní Mlýn information centre, at the bottom of the deep Suchý Žleb gorge. Open to the public since 1910, the cave features electric lighting and a 580-metre circuit showcasing attractions such as the Bamboo Grove, containing metre-high stalagmites, and the Witch formation, which also appears in the cave’s emblem. The Main Dome, measuring 95 metres long by 44 metres wide, is the largest underground space accessible to the public in the Moravian Karst.
Kateřinská Cave is open year-round except from December to February, when it is closed due to bat hibernation and limestone protection. From April, it is open daily except Mondays, from 9 am to 4 pm, with tours departing every hour.
