In 2022, Masaryk University purchased an unfinished facility comprising several buildings close to the archaeological site in Těšetice, Znojmo County. Experts from the Department of Archaeology and Museology of the Faculty of Arts recently introduced the current plans for the construction of a new research station to the management of the university, representatives of the Ministry of Education for science, research and innovations, as well as local officials. The new facility will replace the current station which is no longer deemed adequate.
“The current buildings no longer meet the current needs with respect to modern-day research and teaching. The university has purchased a facility which is now scheduled for actual use. It should provide resources for students and researchers from the Faculty of Arts, as well as from other departments of Masaryk University for their cooperation with archaeologists in the interdepartmental research into prehistoric agriculture,” says Head of the Department of Archaeology and Museology Jiří Macháček.
Currently in the stage of planning and construction, the new research station represents significant progress, says the head of the archaeological station, Peter Tóth from the Department of Archaeology and Museology. “Its concept is based on the integration of state-of-the-art methods and technologies which enable comprehensive study of the prehistoric society and its treatment of the environment. Future labs, depositories, and experimental fields will provide perfect conditions for interdisciplinary research that links archaeology with life sciences,” Tóth explains.
The current research station in Těšetice-Kyjovice is a unique archaeological facility with more than fifty years of experience. Its systematic research and interdisciplinary approach has allowed for the discovery of numerous key finds, including the first thoroughly researched roundel in Central Europe. The site played a key role in understanding settlements during the Neolithic era and the development of early agrarian societies in the region. The department’s activities, research, and achievements attract the general public as well as other experts in the field. The most recent finds include a grave of a six-year-old child dating to the Late Stone Age, e.g. approximately 5000 BC. It was discovered by the students of archaeology during a test dig.
Masaryk University Rector Martin Bareš, Vice-Rector Radim Polčák and Dean of the Faculty of Arts Irena Radová visited the sites to try what the job of an archaeologist entails, joining the excavation works of a home of the earliest farmers dating to 5200–5000 BC.
“We did not just want to present what our work in the field actually entails. We wanted to present the station in Těšetice as a place where excellent research and teaching has taken place for more than sixty years and which, thanks to new investments, strives to become a research and teaching facility of the future, with historic, present-day and future bonds with the local community and the region as a whole,” Jiří Macháček adds.
According to Vice-Rector Radim Polčák the new research station in Těšetice-Kyjovice has the potential to become the flagship of Czech archaeology and a centre of excellence Europe-wide. “Our investment into this project is expected to yield significant scientific results and improve the reputation of Masaryk University. It will also contribute to the development of the entire Central European region,” Polčák says.
Thanks to the new station the Department of Archaeology and Museology of the Faculty of Arts will be able to fulfil its mission with respect to science and the education of new generations of experts, but also to foster relations with the local community in Těšetice and play a key role in the development of the South Moravian Region, thereby fulfilling the so-called “third role” of universities. “Thanks to the support from the university, the Faculty of Arts and the local municipality we can build and operate a facility that will shape the future of archaeology and ensure the study of new knowledge of our roots and the development of the human society,” Tóth adds.