Examining the Role of Bell Beaker Archery through Techno-Functional and Osteological Analyses: Reinvestigating the Hoštice-I Cemetery (Czech Republic)

International audienceThis paper combines lithic and osteological research in order to reexamine the Hoštice-I cemetery with respect to archery. These studies focus on questions concerning the role of Bell Beaker archers and the presence of habitual and functional archery practice. Specifically, a techno-functional analysis of lithic artefacts examines the ways of production and the presence of use-wear on archery-related items, namely bracers and arrowheads, with the goal of assessing the involved know-how and the likelihood of these objects having been functional pieces of equipment. The osteological analyses further evaluate previously established determinations of possible specialised archer occupations with regard to the specific context of the Hoštice-I cemetery. The findings of these independent research projects support hypotheses linking Bell Beaker archery to a more social ideology rather than to a functional practice. The combination of these studies allows for the contextualisation of the Hoštice-I cemetery within the broader context of the Bell Beaker Culture’s Eastern Complex