Introduction: Modern Construction Meets Ancient History Modern urban expansion often serves as an unexpected gateway to the past. Over the last 25 years, several major construction projects on the southeastern edge of Košice—including the relocation of road 1/50 and the building of the OPTIMA I and PEMA commercial centers—uncovered extraordinary archaeological treasures. Specifically, excavations at the Košice-Galgovec I-III and Červený rak sites between 1997 and 2001 revealed traces of intense, multi-stage Neolithic settlement. These vital rescue excavations allowed researchers to piece together the spread of early farming civilizations in the Košická kotlina basin and eastern Slovakia.

Before the Farmers: Paleolithic and Mesolithic Roots Long before the first seeds were sown, the terraces of the Myslavský potok stream were inhabited by ancient hunter-gatherers. Relics of anatomically modern humans from the Upper Paleolithic Aurignacian culture (before 34,000–28,000 BC) have been found on the right-bank terrace. Gravettian hunter-gatherers later occupied the area between 28,000 and 20,000 BP. Furthermore, geometrically shaped obsidian tools found at the nearby Košice-Barca I site confirm a Mesolithic presence just before the dawn of agriculture.

The Dawn of Agriculture: The Proto-Linear Stage The Neolithic revolution reached the region around the 6th millennium BC, as people migrated from the North Balkans and northeastern Hungary. The oldest farming settlements in Košice belong to the Proto-Linear stage of the Eastern Linear Pottery culture, dated by AMS radiocarbon methods to 5540–5410 BC.

• A monumental discovery from the Červený rak site in 1980 was a massive, 108 cm tall storage jar.
• This jar is elaborately decorated with plastic bands depicting zoomorphic and anthropomorphic motifs, specifically bulls and human figures (orants).
• These decorations are highly significant: as early farmers moved into new ecological zones, they were forced to transition from breeding sheep and goats to raising cattle and pigs, a shift that profoundly influenced their spiritual and abstract thinking.

Expansion and Settlement: The Barca III Group Following the initial phase, the early stage of the Eastern Linear Pottery culture was dominated by the Barca III group, roughly dating to 5400–5300 BC.

• Settlements expanded significantly, with important finds located across the residential areas of Košice-Barca, Košice-Šaca, and surrounding villages.
• The Barca III people primarily crafted medium and thick-walled pottery, such as pedestalled bowls, spouted vessels, and large storage jars.
• They decorated their vessels with wide grooves forming linear patterns, ellipses, lobular motifs, and meanders.

Village Life and Craftsmanship: The Tiszadob Group As society advanced, the Tiszadob group emerged (approximately 5300–5140 BC), marking a period of stabilized settlement along the Myslavský potok stream.

• Archaeologists uncovered the remains of above-ground houses, such as "Feature 2/97," which measured 3.9 by 5.6 meters and featured wattle-and-daub walls built around wooden stakes.
• Their domestic life centered around deep sunken pits and large oval hearths.
• Botanical remains indicate these farmers cultivated einkorn and emmer wheat, and ground their flour using lower grinding stones made of shale.
• Tiszadob potters were highly skilled, producing thin-walled, finely polished bowls decorated with intricate engraved geometric lines. They also crafted rare "face-decorated vases" used in cultic rituals.
• For their tools, they relied heavily on local limnosilicite stone (making up nearly 59% of their tools) and regional obsidian (36%) sourced from the Zemplínske vrchy hills.

The Transition to the Bükk Culture The end of the Tiszadob group heavily influenced, and partially overlapped with, the beginning of the renowned Bükk culture (around 5300–5210 BC).

• The Bükk culture brought technological advancements, notably seen at the Červený rak site, where archaeologists uncovered rectangular kilns designed specifically for firing pottery.
• These kilns featured bowl-shaped bottoms lined with quartz pebbles and thick layers of charcoal.
• The Bükk people also expanded their diet; alongside wheat and cattle, they consumed barley, peas, and fish, as proven by fish scales found in the soil.
• In their toolmaking, they drastically shifted their preference, with obsidian comprising over 84% of their chipped stone industry.

Ultimately, these excavations prove that long before the modern streets of Košice were laid, the microregion was a vibrant, innovative, and culturally rich agricultural center that played a crucial role in the prehistoric development of Central Europe.

Source: Kaminská, Ľubomíra. "Prehistory of Košice - settlement in the Neolithic." THE CITY and HISTORY, vol. 9, 2020, 2, pp. 62-96.