Palaeolithic settlement strategies in the Krumlov Forest area (South Moravia, Czech Republic) during MIS 3

The Krumlov Forest (SW of Brno, South Moravia) is an area noted for a number of mainly surface Palaeolithic sites dating back from the Lower to Late Palaeolithic. There are also many isolated or undatable finds falling generally within the Old Stone Age. The structure of Palaeolithic occupation within the studied area was investigated considering the character of particular sites (e.g. Moravský Krumlov IV, Vedrovice V), and their distribution with regard to landscape geomorphology. The data were processed using a statistic programme, and visualised by the help of ArcGIS. The analyses indicate that the region was divided into western and eastern parts. In the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic, independent settlement units can be distinguished associated with watercourses, whereas the Upper Palaeolithic occupation was concentrated mainly on the eastern promontories of the Krumlov Forest where many stations overlap in space, and a number exhibit evidence of repeated settlement activity. A completely different structure is present on the eastern slopes of the Drahany Uplands, especially when compared to the character of the Szeletian sites.