Composition and provenance of raw material used for the production of Palaeolithic chipped stone industry in Nad Kačákem Cave (Bohemian Karst, Czech Republic)

Nad Kačákem Cave, located in the Bohemian Karst (Czech Republic), has been investigated by archaeologists since the late 19th century. Archaeological finds are known only from a part of the cave, the Entrance Corridor. The oldest excavated archaeological horizon yielded a valuable collection of chipped stone industry. Published radiocarbon data indicate a calibrated radiocarbon age of c. 43–42.5 cal ka BP for this horizon. The assemblage is dominated by artefacts made of a dark grey to black fine-grained volcanic rock – andesite. A detailed petrographic comparison with volcanic rocks occurring within a 100 km radius from the cave identified two possible sources: Upper Cambrian andesite of the Křivoklát-Rokycany Volcanic Complex or, more probably, Upper Cambrian/lowermost Ordovician andesite of the Strašice Volcanic Complex. Lithics were knapped from pebbles rounded by transport in a stream. No suitable andesite pebbles were found in streams and fluvial sediments in the near vicinity of the cave. Nevertheless, they are abundant in streams within 20–30 km of the cave. This indicates that the cave dwellers were able to select suitable andesite pebbles at such a distance.