Bylany (archaeology)

Bylany is a Danubian Neolithic settlement located around 65 km (40 miles) east of Prague in the Czech region of Bohemia. Excavation began in 1956 and work continues today.

It covered a large area of around 6,500 square metres and was primarily occupied during the fifth millennium BC. Successive long houses were rarely placed on top of or overlapping each other, and archaeologists were able to excavate the site and easily identify around 130 buildings which could be attributed to 25 successive phases, each lasting a presumed 20 years or so and in 3 distinct focal areas. This works out at around ten contemporary long houses at any one time. At least four periods of hiatus or abandonment of settlement have also been suggested. The settlement was associated with two rondel enclosures.

This intact phasing has been invaluable in analysing the emergence of the Linearbandkeramic culture as more than 100,000 pottery fragments have been recovered.