How Were Neolithic Ditches Filled In? Deposition Study of Two Enclosures from Bohemia JAROSLAV R ˇ ÍDKÝ,MARKÉTA KONC ̌ ELOVÁ,RADKA S ˇ UMBEROVÁ,PETR LIMBURSKÝ AND PETR KVĚTINA Institute of Archaeology CAS, Prague The aim of this study is to analyse the correlation between finds and ditches, the duration of ditch fills, and the manner of the demise of Late Neolithic rondels (Kreisgrabenanlagen) in the Czech Republic. Two comparable long-term projects are discussed here: Kolín (central Bohemia) and Vchynice (north- west Bohemia). Qualitative, quantitative, and spatial analyses of the different categories of finds (pottery fragments, lithics, daub, and faunal remains) from the ditch fills show that only finds from the bottom layers of the ditches were contemporary with the primary function of the rondels. However, the bottom layers often only contained a few artefacts. The richest parts of the ditches, the middle and upper layers, from both sites illustrated similar characteristics: after the rondels lost their primary function, the ditches were filled by both natural and cultural agents over a long period. As a consequence, some pre- vious, and widely accepted, interpretations of the relationship between individual areas of rondels and their relationship with surrounding features, as well as the relationship of the finds from ditch fills to rondel function and chronology, need to be revisited. Keywords: Late Neolithic, Central Europe, circular enclosures, rondels, formation processes, deposition INTRODUCTION Late Neolithic rondels (also known as circular enclosures or Kreisgrabenanlagen) are monumental forms of structures that, during the period of around 4900–4500 BC, became a geographically widespread phenomenon extending throughout the entire area of central Europe, from Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia and Middle Franconia down through Saxony) and Poland to the Czech Republic, Slova- kia, Austria, and west Hungary (Literski & Nebelsick, 2012: 434). They are considered to be evidence of changes taking place within the social hierarchy of the human settlements, both in relation to the society as a whole and with regard to individuals. The rondels certainly provide clear evidence of an increase in social com- plexity in terms of the emergence of territoriality within basically tribal forms of social organization (Sherratt, 1990: 147; Parkinson & Duffy, 2007: 113–14). Collateral explanation for building the monumental structures may lie in general needs for the absorption of energy pre- viously spent in agricultural pioneering. European Journal of Archaeology 17 (4) 2014, 579–601 © European Association of Archaeologists 2014 DOI 10.1179/1461957114Y.0000000063 Manuscript received 17 December 2013, accepted 9 April 2014, revised 19 March 2014