Marble from Neolithic quarries at the Bílý Kámen Hill near Sázava (Central Bohemia, Czech Republic) and its petrographic-geochemical characterization

Abstract

The longest known prehistoric quarries for non-siliceous (non-flint) rocks in continental Europe were discovered on the Bílý Kámen Hill in central Bohemia (Czech Republic) already in the period between the World Wars. Due to post-war events, this has been all but forgotten, and awareness of this important locality still exists only in the local research community. Its research potential has not yet been exhausted. The article presents the first exact mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the raw material extracted in these prehistoric quarries. The raw material is fundamentally different from some of the marble artefacts from nearby workshops. The aim of this research is to create a solid foundation for the future detailed study of prehistoric artefacts made from marble and to review the deep-rooted idea of their distribution within the oldest agricultural communities in Central Europe.