Rescuing Libkovice or the Anthropological Adventure of UPWr Students

In pop culture, archaeologists are depicted like Indiana Jones – adventurers racing against time, solving ancient mysteries, and incidentally saving the world. Anthropologists, on the other hand, have become a staple in crime series, such as the popular American "Bones", where even the smallest details of a victim's life can be read from their remains (of course, before they were murdered). In reality, the work of these scientists is much slower.

Discoveries often involve ceramic vessels rather than lost treasures, and most bones examined by anthropologists hold no secrets. However, this does not mean the work isn't fascinating. Because it is. And it's also important. It is thanks to them we know how our ancestors lived and what the world looked like 200, 500, or 1000 years ago.

Since the work in Libkovice started with researchers from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, members of the Student Scientific Club of Anthropologists „Juvenis" have joined the scientists, participated in excavations, and learned the intricacies of an anthropologist's work. This year I had the opportunity to join this team for a few days and, along with the students, observe the work of anthropologists Prof. Barbara Kwiatkowska and Katarzyna Biernacka from our Institute of Environmental Biology and archaeologists from the Czech team.

Monday, July 24. Early in the morning, we visit the archaeological site in Nezabylice, where archaeologists from the University of Rzeszów, work. On-site, among the golden wheat fields, we see unearthed cremation urns and ceramic vessels from the 1st and 2nd centuries. It's hard to believe that they have been so well preserved under just a few dozen centimeters of soil cultivated with heavy machinery for years. Dr. Agnieszka Půlpánova-Rzeszczyńska tells us about one of the largest cemeteries in the Czech Republic from the Roman period, emphasizing that the uniqueness of this place is evidenced by numerous burials of warriors, with an unusually high number of swords and umbos (the central part of the shield) in the graves.

After a short visit, we're off to Libkovice, an extinct village located in the northwestern Czech Republic. As Piotr Konczewski, an archaeologist from the Institute for the Protection of Archaeological Monuments of Northwestern Czech Republic in Most, explains, this village existed for over 800 years. Only at the end of the 20th century, in connection with plans to expand a nearby brown coal mine, the residents were resettled, and the town was leveled. Therefore, work at this site constitutes a rescue mission. The area is soon to be destroyed by the operation of an open-pit mine, and the traces of this unique village will be erased forever.

The scientists working here have a unique opportunity to be part of extensive archaeological research that will help us learn the history of the town and its surroundings. There are also other archaeological sites in the area now belonging to the mine. The hills, covered in meadows, hide relics from times as far as the Paleolithic.

Delving into the history of this place, I also learn that the Czech teams can boast a considerable number of finds from the Neolithic, Eneolithic,, and Bronze Age, and even related to the Celtic population – there are burials with equipment, thousands of post pits, and a settlement in the shape of a square surrounded by a palisade with four gates. It seems that this was a very popular, likely fertile area, teeming with life for thousands of years. Until recently, a stream flowed there. Traces indicate that it was previously a river on which transport flourished.

As Piotr Konczewski says, settlement in this area essentially continues to this day, and archaeological research dates back to the 20th century. There were numerous fights here during World War II – concrete constructions for anti-aircraft artillery guns could still be found in the mine area a few years ago. The research sector, over which scientists from UPWr, along with the Institute for the Protection of Archaeological Monuments of Northwestern Czech Republic in Most and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, are working, includes relics of a medieval church dedicated to St. Nicholas and a surrounding cemetery where residents of Libkovice, who died from the end of the 12th to the mid-19th century, were buried.

There were two churches at the site. The first, a medieval one, was demolished, and a modern one was built in its place. – Today, only parts of the foundations remain. Inside the walls of the old church are preserved medieval burials, while others are inside the walls of the cemetery. We also come across burials outside the boundaries of consecrated land. This is how heretics, suicides, or unbaptized children were buried, i.e., all those who for some reason could not be buried in consecrated ground – explains Piotr Konczewski.

During the conversation, we look at the documentation conducted by the team, which describes other interesting finds discovered along with the bones – crosses, some of which come from distant pilgrimages, religious ornaments made of animal bones, buttons, rosaries, and even medieval silver coins from the 14th and 15th centuries. On the coffins, images of the crucified Christ and totenkopfs, i.e., skulls with crossed shin bones made of pressed sheet metal, were sometimes affixed.

– We also found several cases of children and unmarried women buried in crowns resembling wreaths, called totenkrone. Mortal crowns, or crowns of death, were made of metal and intertwined with real plants. We mainly come across boxwood, which has partially survived to this day – says Kamila Kuraszewicz, a graduate of UPWr, who now works as an anthropologist for the Institute for the Protection of Archaeological Monuments of Northwestern Czech Republic in Most.

Two disciplines are better than one

That day the weather doesn't favor us, as it rains intermittently – sometimes drizzling and sometimes pouring. Hiding from another downpour, I talk with Katarzyna Biernacka, an anthropologist from UPWr, who is part of the team of scientists working in Libkovice.

– On the Czech side, the team consists mainly of archaeologists, who are well-versed in monuments, the historical context of this place, and objects found here. However, our role as anthropologists, i.e., specialists in human biology, and in this case, bone remains, is to provide additional support to the Czech team. Our task begins at the moment of finding a burial. Together with the archaeologists, we clean and document the remains, which are then transported to the laboratory. That's where the archaeologist's work ends, and ours begins entirely – says Katarzyna Biernacka, emphasizing that in research such as in Libkovice, interdisciplinarity is important – the collaboration of archaeologists with anthropologists.

– We complement each other's knowledge. We are interested in burials, so our analysis of the area might not be accurate enough, while archaeologists do a great job describing the site and burial place. Together we create a complete analysis of the population or community we study – says the anthropologist, adding that if they wouldn't do this, the history of this place would be lost. – The local residents know about the people buried here, but when they are gone, the history of Libkovice will come to an end. Thanks to our work, the memory of this place, of these people will remain – adds Katarzyna Biernacka.

Learning while assisting in the mission

Scientists from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences have been working at this archaeological site since 2019, since the beginning of the excavations. From the very start, they have also been accompanied by human biology students from the Scientific Club of  Anthropologists „Juvenis", for whom a trip to the excavation site is a chance to get to know the work of an anthropologist from the inside. From talking to the students, I learned that although not all of them plan to become anthropologists, such a trip is invaluable to them.

– We have a lot of freedom in our work, although of course, we operate under the supervision of experienced archaeologists and anthropologists. However, with each passing day, we become more and more independent. We also become accustomed to the realities of work at excavation sites, as the first discovery of bones was emotional. Working with Kacper on the first burial, we were very excited. When we wanted to extract the bone material, we were constantly reminded that it needed to be further exposed and handled gently. Now we work steadily and know what to do, although finding children's remains still makes us emotional – says Kinga Gielarowska, a second-year master's degree student in human biology, adding that work partly at the excavation site and partly in the lab has shown them not only the physical aspect of this profession but also its strict organization, which is evident in the documentation required for each find, including human remains.

Kacper Budera, a second-year undergraduate student in human biology, emphasizes that during the trip they learned a lot, especially about paleopathology – the knowledge of diseases and changes visible on the bones of the deceased. So far in classes, they had only dealt with normal human anatomy.

His colleague Paulina Turczynowicz agrees – The experience gained in the laboratory is, among other things, a huge review of bone anatomy, in which I now feel much more confident. Contact with bone material, different from didactic material, has made it easier for me to recognize anatomical elements of the skeleton. If someone decides to become an anthropologist, this kind of trip is great for future work – says the student.

Kinga chose human biology because she is interested in humans – But not in the medical aspect but as a whole. Medical students study humans in terms of how to treat them. And I would like to find out how the human species was created, how it can be studied both in life and after death, to learn everything that is associated with it – says Kinga, who is also interested in criminology and says this is the field she would like to link her future with. She is currently educating herself in the field of anthropogenesis, the science of the origin, developmental path, and biological processes that led to the creation of the Homo sapiens. She would like to become an educator, to popularize knowledge in the field of anthropogenesis.

Alicja Kotuła, who is considering a doctorate after her master's studies, timidly mentions a career in science – Biology is my passion. That's why human biology was my first choice and it's with it that I want to connect my future. The trip to Libkovice is an opportunity for us to gain experience with the material we will work with in the future. Especially for me and Kinga, since most of our undergraduate studies were remote, during the pandemic. We missed out on most of the practical classes and learned everything only in theory – explains Alicja.

The laboratory is where anthropologists rule

On the second day, we visit the lab. This is where the work of an anthropologist picks up pace. During excavations, one can preliminarily determine the sex and age of the individual. However, it is in the laboratory that the secrets hidden in the bones are discovered. Remains meticulously collected from squares mapped out on the archaeological site are first photographed, described, marked, and then collected in precisely described paper bags. This well-protected material is then brought to the lab.

Sometimes these are complete skeletons, and sometimes mixed remains of several or more individuals. In such cases, based on the number of complete examples of one bone, the minimum number of individuals buried in a given ossuary is determined. For example, five right tibias mean that at least five people were buried there.

Working on analyzing a skeleton, Prof. Barbara Kwiatkowska tells me what can be learned from detailed and thorough anthropological expertise. She explains that based on the bones, one can learn about the life of the Libkovice community. From the analysis of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen taken from teeth, we know that the residents ate a lot of salt water fish, which could have been imported by river transport.

Their diet also consisted largely of wheat, rye, and barley. The same can be read from their worn teeth, which had to cope with coarsely ground grains. Physiological stress markers, on the other hand, indicate whether the individual experienced periods of famine and scarcity. They also testify to poor living conditions. Various kinds of changes observed on the bones can provide information about the workload of physical labor – the so-called musculoskeletal stress. The analysis also reveals the ailments that plagued the individual, determining his biological condition.

– Based on the skull, we can determine, among other things, the sex and age of the person at the time of death. There are many diagnostic features, but generally speaking, the female skull is more delicately built than the male one. The eye sockets in males are lower and wider, while in females they are higher and narrower. Our frontal bones also have a different structure. Men have a more sloping forehead and more prominent brow ridges. Their jaw is more massive, with clearer muscle attachments. Sex can also be determined based on the shape of the pelvis. Meanwhile, the age at the time of death can be determined, for example, by looking at the stage of development of the long bones associated with the growth and ossification of the epiphyses. In children, the order of eruption of deciduous and permanent teeth is also taken into account, while in adults, the degree of wear of the tooth crown surfaces is considered – explains Prof. Barbara Kwiatkowska, and Katarzyna Biernacka adds that it is also possible to estimate the height of the individual, which is a good indicator of his quality of life – We use specific algorithms for this – says the anthropologist.

– However, there are individuals who have such a mix of features that it is not possible to unequivocally determine just by looking at one bone who we are dealing with. Men were generally more muscular than women, as a result of which the muscle attachments are more visible on the bone. However, if a woman worked hard, for example in the fields, her bones could also take on such an appearance – adds Kamila Kuraszewicz, emphasizing the importance of assessing several elements of the skeleton. The team also looks for interesting anomalies and traces of diseases or pathologies that may have occurred among the villagers. Annual reports are compiled from such collected data, which will be used to create interdisciplinary scientific publications after the research is completed.

The many years of joint research between anthropologists and archaeologists from Poland and the Czech Republic will result in a publication about the village of Libkovice and its inhabitants. Once their history is put on paper, the machines belonging to the mine will consume the area of the former St. Nicholas Church and its associated cemetery, and the bones will rest in a new place. This time forever.

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