The Coming of the Slavs and Samo: The First Slavs in the Czech Lands

In the 6th century, the culture of the first Slavs appears in the Czech lands. We look at what the finds from Roztoky near Prague, Březno near Louny and southern Moravia say about their arrival, what Procopius and Jordanes wrote about the Slavs, and what DNA from bones now shows. According to the Frankish Chronicle of Fredegar, the Slavs chose the merchant Samo as their king and around 631 defeated the Franks at Wogastisburg, a place whose location is unknown. The episode ends with the hillforts of the 8th century and the Frankish campaigns into Bohemia in 805 and 806. The legend of Forefather Čech was first written down by Cosmas in the 12th century. Česká verze (Czech original):    / @dejinyceskychzemi   CHAPTERS 0:00 An envoy before Samo 2:29 A legend and the first traces 5:43 Roztoky: everyday life 8:53 Where they came from: DNA evidence 11:12 The Avars and the merchant Samo 14:06 Wogastisburg 16:48 Samo's “empire” 18:59 The eighth century: hillforts and Charlemagne 21:06 What to take away SOURCES • Fredegar: Chronicle, book IV, chapters 48 and 68. Ed. Bruno Krusch, MGH SS rer. Merov. 2 (1888), pp. 144–145 and 154–155 – https://www.dmgh.de/mgh_ss_rer_merov_... • Annales regni Francorum entries for 805, 806 and 822 – https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/annal... • Kosmas: Chronica Boemorum, book I, chapter 2 – https://www.dmgh.de/mgh_ss_rer_germ_n... • Archaeological Atlas of the Czech Republic: Roztoky near Prague, early medieval settlement – https://www.archeologickyatlas.cz/cs/... • Salač (ed.) – Droberjar et al.: Archeologie pravěkých Čech 8, Doba římská a stěhování národů – https://www.arup.cas.cz/wp-content/up... • Jelínková: K otázce datování počátků kultury s keramikou pražského typu na Moravě – https://app2.ssc.avcr.cz/ARUB-prehled... • Profantová – Stolz: Chronologie a význam hradiště Rubín u Podbořan ve světle nových raně středověkých nálezů – https://digilib.phil.muni.cz/sites/de... • Schulz – Zlámalová et al.: Ancient genomes provide evidence of demographic shift to Slavic-associated groups in Moravia – https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.c... • Gretzinger et al.: Ancient DNA connects large-scale migration with the spread of Slavs – https://www.nature.com/articles/s4158... • Košta: Příběh bitvy u Wogastisburku (631/2) – https://www.archeologienadosah.cz/sit... • Eggers, Martin: Samo – „Der erste König der Slawen“. Eine kritische Forschungsübersicht – https://www.bohemia-online.de/index.p... (PDF: https://www.bohemia-online.de/index.p...) IMAGES Photographs and reproductions: Wikimedia Commons. Maps and graphics: own work, base map Natural Earth. CC BY-SA 3.0 (photographer: what the picture shows) • “Radek Linner”: Pohansko near Břeclav today • “PHGCOM”: Gold solidus in the name of King Dagobert I CC BY-SA 4.0 (photographer: what the picture shows) • “Digiart1”: Říp Mountain today • “Gortyna”: Březno open-air museum, modern reconstructions of huts and a pottery kiln • “Zde”: Prague-type vessel; Prague-type urn from a cremation grave • “Silar”: Prague-type pot; Avar fitting with a griffin; Late Avar-style strap end • “Bjoertvedt”: Avar gold jewellery • “Wolfgang Sauber”: Bronze ornaments from Avar graves at Mödling • “Palickap”: Úhošť hill near Kadaň; Mikulčice-Valy • “Petr Kinšt”: Rubín hill near Podbořany • “Pavel Fric” (manuscript detail, ÖNB Cod. 473, fol. 161r): Annales regni Francorum Public domain: manuscripts of Fredegar and Cosmas; paintings by Josef Mathauser, Alphonse Mucha, Raymond Monvoisin, Émile Signol and Albrecht Dürer; later book illustrations and editions of Procopius and Jordanes; Oath to Samoslav and battle illustration by Anton Gareis / Antonín Machek; Frankish and Avar belt fittings. The narration is AI-voiced (ElevenLabs).