Marek Vlach

@arub.cz

Research Centre for the Roman and Migration Period
Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno

Marek Vlach


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https://researchid.co/marekvlach

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Archeology, Multidisciplinary, Computer Science Applications, Anthropology
15

Scopus Publications

351

Scholar Citations

10

Scholar h-index

11

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Climate variability and Germanic settlement dynamics in the Middle Danube region during the Roman Period (1st–4th Century CE)
    Marek Vlach, Balázs Komoróczy, Max Carl Arne Torbenson, Jan Esper, Rudolf Brázdil, et al.
    Plos One, 2025
    Climatic variability inevitably impacted past societies and acted as a driver of change. The combined analyses of the archaeological record and written documentary sources, together with high-resolution climate reconstructions, remain rare. In this work, we compare evidence of change at the Germanic settlements (residential areas) of Iron Age Germanic societies in the Middle Danube region (the region of Moravia in the Czech Republic, Lower Austria and the Záhorie region in Slovakia) and reconstruct the effect of agroclimatic conditions during the first four centuries CE. Based on data from 773 residential areas with temporal identification, we demonstrate a coherent relationship between spatiotemporal changes in Germanic settlement structures and agroclimatic conditions. A nearly exponential increase in settlement structure during the 1st and half of the 2nd century CE coincided with improved agroclimatic conditions, whereas the subsequent settlement structure decline during the Late Roman Period temporally overlapped with agroclimatic deteriorations. Documented peak in cessations of residential areas in the late 2nd century CE appears unrelated to regional agroclimatic conditions and was instead caused by the Marcomannic Wars. We argue that separating periods of agroclimatic importance and insignificance is the first step towards identifying possible causal environmental drivers of settlement dynamics and societal change in the Middle Danube region.
  • Preservation of stable isotopic composition in charred grains: Implications for paleoenvironmental and archeological research
    Natálie Pernicová, Otmar Urban, Josef Čáslavský, Jana Apiar, Marek Vlach, et al.
    Journal of Quaternary Science, 2025
    The charring process can preserve archaeobotanical remains, providing valuable insights into past climates, agricultural practices, and plant growth conditions. However, the impact of charring on stable isotopes, especially at temperatures above 300°C, remains poorly understood. To investigate this, wheat (einkorn, emmer) and millet grains were experimentally charred at 300°C, 450°C, and 550°C for 15 min to 48 h under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Consequently, the stable isotopic ratios of carbon (13C/12C; δ13C), nitrogen (15N/14N; δ15N), and oxygen (18O/16O; δ18O) were determined in fully charred grains with a blackened pericarp, visually comparable to archeological remains. Our results indicate that δ13C values are well preserved in charred grains, showing minimal shifts (<0.55‰ for wheat and <0.2‰ for millet), while δ15N values retained species‐specific differences, with moderate variations (<1.31‰ for wheat and <0.68‰ for millet) influenced by charring conditions. In contrast, δ18O values showed high variability in experimentally charred grains, limiting their reliability for interpretative use. These findings underscore the potential of carbon and, to a lesser extent, nitrogen isotopes in charred grains, for reconstructing ancient growth conditions and improving the understanding of formation processes in archeological research.
  • Past and Future Climate-Driven Changes of Agricultural Land in Central Europe
    M. C. A. Torbenson, J. Esper, R. Brázdil, U. Büntgen, J. E. Olesen, et al.
    Geophysical Research Letters, 2024
    Europe is expected to experience major climatic shifts during the 21st century but the impact on agricultural productivity from such changes is uncertain. Here, we combine proxy, instrumental, and model data to assess interannual to multi‐centennial changes in central European agroclimate over the past 2,000 years and projections into the near future. Whereas early 21st century conditions are rare but not fully unprecedented, more than half of the area that was considered highly productive throughout the Common Era in central Europe currently falls outside of that definition. This trend will likely continue as even the most conservative climate projections push central Europe outside the range of past natural variability of changes to agroclimatic zones. Reconstructed extremes prior to the instrumental record align well with contemporary documentary records of societal upheaval. Forecasted changes to the main agroclimatic drivers require substantial adaptation in land use and agricultural management strategies of considerable costs.
  • NETWORK MODELING OF THE SPREAD OF DISEASE
    Marek Vlach
    Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Network Research, 2023
    The presence of various epidemic diseases can be expected within past human populations. They are well attested through vivid narratives of literary-rich civilizations such as the Roman empire as well as the 2020 pandemic. Traditionally, much of the study of such phenomena has been anchored in paleopathological evidence from skeletal remains. Nevertheless, like the integration of methodological tools such as social network analysis in archaeological studies, network concepts have become important for modeling in epidemiology. Epidemiological modeling has developed various methodological approaches after nearly a century of development. Early approaches were dominated by so-called compartmental models that used various forms and concepts of population structure, which have been gradually complemented with analyses of more complex structures through network analyses. Heterogeneous contact patterns of connections have already proven that the structure of communication networks significantly conditions the resulting epidemic dynamics and its impact. Therefore, methodological intersections between network analyses and epidemiological models render great potential for future studies of past epidemics. Formalization of the featuring entities (e.g. individuals, communities, or entire cities) through their position within a multilevel social network provides a framework to analyze our qualitative and quantitative assumptions about disease transmission. Despite the presence of empirical paleopathological datasets, independent validation of network models using this data is still scarce. New possibilities in pathogen identification—e.g. genomics—could help to bridge future gaps between our theoretical models and empirical data.
  • The Antonine Plague: Evaluation of its Impact through Epidemiological Modelling
    Simulating Roman Economies Theories Methods and Computational Models, 2022
  • Settlement strategies in Eastern Central Europe during the maximum extent of the last glacial ice sheet
    Petr Škrdla, Marek Vlach, Ladislav Nejman, Jaroslav Bartík, Yuri E. Demidenko, et al.
    Quaternary International, 2021
  • Revision of archaeological components on the site Drnholec “Holenická pole” in South Moravia via various non-destructive or lesser invasive methods
    Prehled Vyzkumu, 2021
  • Petrophysical and geochemical characterization of sediments filling V-shaped ditches of Roman camps in Moravia, Czech Republic: Filling processes and the role of pedogenesis
    Zuzana Lenďáková, Ondřej Bábek, Balázs Komoróczy, Marek Vlach, Claus‐Michael Hüssen, et al.
    Geoarchaeology, 2020
    The infilling of defense structures (ditches) of the Roman temporary camps in South Moravia (Czech Republic) were studied quantitatively to characterize the ditch‐filling processes, role of pedogenesis, and the effect of geological setting. Samples of soil and sediment were taken from ditch profiles at three sites in South Moravia, Czech Republic (Pasohlávky, Přibice, and Charvátská Nová Ves) and three shallow control cores located in close vicinity to the ditches. Physical and chemical parameters (grain size analysis, magnetic susceptibility, element geochemistry, and sediment color analysis) were measured in combination with lithological descriptions. The primary infilling processes were colluviation and pedogenesis, largely controlled by the nature of the geologic substrate in which the ditches are excavated. The dependence of the magnetic susceptibility to iron ratio on grain size are highlighted as a useful proxy of detecting depositional processes within the ditches. High values of the Fe‐normalized magnetic susceptibility together with the frequency‐dependent magnetic susceptibility indicate a strong magnetic enhancement of the upper parts of the ditch filling, particularly in the top soil. This study demonstrates the potential for specific chemical and physical proxies to characterize the depositional history of Roman ditches when limited to coring.
  • New metal and glass finds from the Late Iron Age in South Moravia (CZ). The contribution of citizen science to knowledge of the La Tène settlement structure in the Břeclav Region
    Petra Goláňová, Balázs Komoróczy, Matěj Kmošek, Eva Kolníková, Marek Vlach, et al.
    Prehled Vyzkumu, 2020
    The ‘Celts Beneath the Pálava Hills’ exhibition was installed at the end of the summer of 2020 at the Regional Museum in Mikulov. The museum prepared the exhibition in cooperation with the Moravian Museum and the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno. Along with other unique exhibits, an assemblage of 70 metal artefacts stored in Dolní Dunajovice in the study collection of the Research Centre for the Roman and Great Migration periods of the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, was chosen to be displayed for this event. The article presents 47 small artefacts made of copper alloys, 18 coins and five glass artefacts from 17 cadastral units, which enriched the exhibition with a variety of characteristic LT C and D1 finds. They do not form a complete collection, as their common denominator is that they were found in 2011–2017 solely by metal detectorists working together with the archaeologists from the workplace where the finds are stored. These never-before-published artefacts and the qualities of each deserve to be presented both to the public and the professional community. These artefacts include finds which, in the context of the Late Iron Age of south Moravia, are unique objects (including two bronze figurines) that are significant contributions to the clarification and differentiation of the topography of the La Tene settlement structure in the studied region.
  • 14C Dating of the Roman military interventions in the middle Danube barbarian world
    Balázs Komoróczy, Marek Vlach, Claus-Michael Hüssen, Ján Rajtár
    Radiocarbon, 2019
    The Roman-barbarian interactions along the riverine borderline of the Middle Danube Limes exhibit a wide range of forms, from peaceful contacts and trading activities to full-scale military conflicts. The direct evidence of the latter type of events represents a specific source of archaeological information—generally referred to as temporary camps. The regions of Moravia, SW Slovakia and Lower Austria currently encompass more than 30 verified Roman military field installations. The specifics of these archaeological contexts and the present unsatisfactory state of knowledge have raised the necessity of approaching the given questions with advanced techniques, not least with respect to their chronological position. Along with multiple methods and analytical procedures of relevant natural sciences (geophysics and geochemistry, archaeobotany, microstratigraphy, etc.), radiocarbon (14C) dating has also been involved in order to further establish the chronological position of temporary camps because the archaeological data provide limited possibilities in this respect. In multiple cases, the method has augmented traditional dating techniques and allowed more precise and secure establishment of the chronological position of the field camps of the Roman army.
  • Modelling the routes and spatial aspects of the Roman military campign against Marobuduus
    Prehled Vyzkumu, 2018
  • Demography modelling and simulation of the barbarian populations of the “marcomannic⇝ settlement structures of the middle danube region
    Prehled Vyzkumu, 2018
  • GIS application in Roman military invasion survey within barbarian territories during the Marcomannic wars -introduction into problems and perspectives
    Roman Frontier Studies 2009 Proceedings of the Xxi International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies Limes Congress Held at Newcastle upon Tyne in August 2009, 2017
  • Preliminary interpretation of wehrmacht field fortification features near pasohlávky (Brno-Venkov district)
    Jiří Zubalík, Balázs Komoróczy, Miroslav Lukáš, Marek Vlach
    Archaeologia Historica, 2017
  • How were the ditches filled? Sedimentological and micromorphological classification of formation processes within graben-like archaeological objects
    L. Lisá, B. Komoróczy, M. Vlach, D. Válek, A. Bajer, et al.
    Quaternary International, 2015

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • e-Jahresbericht 2025 des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts–RGK
    B Athanassov, T Birndorfer, G Dimitrov, A Gramsch, M Grünewald, ...
    2026
  • Climate variability and Germanic settlement dynamics in the Middle Danube region during the Roman Period (1 st –4 th Century CE)
    M Vlach, B Komoróczy, MCA Torbenson, J Esper, R Brázdil, U Büntgen, ...
    PLoS One 20 (7), e0325139 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Preservation of stable isotopic composition in charred grains: Implications for paleoenvironmental and archeological research
    N Pernicová, O Urban, J Čáslavský, J Apiar, M Vlach, B Komoróczy, ...
    Journal of Quaternary Science 40 (4), 645-656 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Past and future climate‐driven changes of agricultural land in central Europe
    MCA Torbenson, J Esper, R Brázdil, U Büntgen, JE Olesen, ...
    Geophysical Research Letters 51 (24), e2024GL112363 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 8
  • Tursko: depot starší doby bronzové ze středních Čech
    M Ernée, L Smejtek, J Kmošek, D Daněček, M Fikrle, JE Kočergina, ...
    Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences , 2024
    2024
  • Germanic Communities of the'Marcomannic'Settlement Zone: Structure and Dynamics
    M Vlach
    Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • 512 Network Modeling of the Spread of Disease
    M Vlach
    The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Network Research, 512-527 , 2023
    2023
  • Multiproxy Approach Towards the Complex Understanding of the Germanic Chiefdom Societies of the Middle Danube Region during the Roman Period. An outline of the research project
    J Malíšková, M Vlach, B Komoróczy, A Szabová, S Sofka
    Dynamiques des peuplements, des territoires et des paysages. Bilan et … , 2023
    2023
  • RAŽBY GAIA JULIA CAESARA NA MORAVĚ.
    M VLACH, T ZEMAN
    Folia Numismatica , 2023
    2023
  • Developing best practices for an open library of archaeological ABM modules: lessons learned from other initiatives.
    A Angourakis, F Riede, I Romanowska, P Verhagen, M Saqalli, ...
    28th European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) Annual Meeting , 2022
    2022
  • The Mušov region–a complex scene of Roman-Germanic interactions during the Marcomannic wars
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach
    Rome and the Barbarians An Interplay Between Two Worlds. Łódź: Wydawnictwo … , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 8
  • The Antonine Plague: Evaluation of its Impact through Epidemiological Modelling
    M Vlach
    Simulating Roman Economies: Theories, Methods, and Computational Models, 69-108 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 8
  • Settlement strategies in Eastern Central Europe during the maximum extent of the last glacial ice sheet
    P Škrdla, M Vlach, L Nejman, J Bartík, YE Demidenko, T Rychtaříková
    Quaternary International 581, 164-174 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 11
  • Využití záznamu oddělených spekter a interpretačních možností multispektrálních dat v kontextu protohistorie středního Podyjí
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach, M Zelíková, J Sedláček
    Příspěvky k poznání barbarských komunit (Archeologie barbarů 2016 a 2018), 35-50 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 1
  • Archaeological footprints of a superpower in hostile territory Recent research on the traces of Roman military activities in the barbarian region north of the Middle Danube
    CM Hüssen, B Komoróczy, J Rajtár, M Vlach
    Experiencing the Frontier and the Frontier of Experience: Barbarian … , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 1
  • Petrophysical and geochemical characterization of sediments filling V‐shaped ditches of Roman camps in Moravia, Czech Republic: Filling processes and the role of pedogenesis
    Z Lenďáková, O Bábek, B Komoróczy, M Vlach, CM Hüssen, J Rajtár
    Geoarchaeology 35 (5), 729-747 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 5
  • Experiencing the Frontier and the Frontier of Experience
    A Rubel, HU Voß
    2020
  • The Antonine plague and impact possibilities during the Marcomannic Wars
    M Vlach, M Erdrich, B Komoróczy, P Madejski
    Marcomannic Wars and Antonine Plague. Selected Essays on Two Disasters that … , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 12
  • Marcomannic Wars and Antonine Plague: Selected Essays on Two Disasters that Shook the Roman World
    M Erdrich, B Komoróczy, P Madejski, M Vlach, UM Curie-Skłodowskiej
    Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Brno , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 1
  • A companion to the archaeological sources of Roman military interventions into the Germanic territory north of the Danube during the Marcomannic Wars
    B Komoróczy, J Rajtár, M Vlach, CM Hüssen, M Erdrich
    Marcomannic Wars and Antonine Plague. Selected essays on two disasters that … , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 25

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • How were the ditches filled? Sedimentological and micromorphological classification of formation processes within graben-like archaeological objects
    L Lisá, B Komoróczy, M Vlach, D Válek, A Bajer, J Kovárník, J Rajtár, ...
    Quaternary international 370, 66-76 , 2015
    2015
    Citations: 32
  • A companion to the archaeological sources of Roman military interventions into the Germanic territory north of the Danube during the Marcomannic Wars
    B Komoróczy, J Rajtár, M Vlach, CM Hüssen, M Erdrich
    Marcomannic Wars and Antonine Plague. Selected essays on two disasters that … , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 25
  • Využití GIS pro výzkum římského vojenského zásahu na barbarské území ve střední Evropě v době markomanských válek-Úvod do problematiky a perspektivy
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach
    Archeológia barbarov, 247-289 , 2009
    2009
    Citations: 20
  • Nové sídlištní nálezy z mladší a pozdní doby římské ze Sudoměřic
    M Vlach
    Masarykova univerzita, Filozofická fakulta , 2006
    2006
    Citations: 15
  • Dokumentace, publikace a interpretace detektorových nálezů na příkladu spon typu Jobst 4F
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach, M Zelíková, E Droberjar
    Římské a germánské spony ve střední Evropě (Archeologie barbarů 2012). Spisy … , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 14
  • The Antonine plague and impact possibilities during the Marcomannic Wars
    M Vlach, M Erdrich, B Komoróczy, P Madejski
    Marcomannic Wars and Antonine Plague. Selected Essays on Two Disasters that … , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 12
  • New metal and glass finds from the Late Iron Age in South Moravia (CZ). The contribution of citizen science to knowledge of the La Tene settlement structure in the Břeclav Region
    P Goláňová, B Komoróczy, M Kmošek, E Kolníková, M Vlach, ...
    2020
    Citations: 12
  • Archeologická stopa (vel) moci na nepřátelském území 1
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach
    Živá archeologie 19, 35-41 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 12
  • Settlement strategies in Eastern Central Europe during the maximum extent of the last glacial ice sheet
    P Škrdla, M Vlach, L Nejman, J Bartík, YE Demidenko, T Rychtaříková
    Quaternary International 581, 164-174 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 11
  • Projekt interdisciplinárního výzkumu římských krátkodobých táborů ve středním Podunají (Interdisciplinary research project of the Roman temporary camps in the Middle Danube region)
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach, CM Hüssen, L Lisá, Z Lend’áková, S Groh
    Sociální diferenciace barbarských komunit ve světle nových hrobových … , 2014
    2014
    Citations: 11
  • 14C Dating of the Roman military interventions in the middle Danube barbarian world
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach, CM Hüssen, J Rajtár
    Radiocarbon 61 (2), 515-530 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 10
  • Revize stavu archeologických komponent v trati Drnholec „Holenická pole “pomocí prospekčních a málo invazivních výzkumných metod
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach, M Zelíková, J Sedláček, P Růžičková
    Přehled výzkumů 60 (2), 9-56 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 9
  • Demography modelling and simulation of the barbarian populations of the “Marcomannic” settlement structures of the middle Danube region
    M Vlach
    Přehled výzkumů 59 (2) , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 9
  • Past and future climate‐driven changes of agricultural land in central Europe
    MCA Torbenson, J Esper, R Brázdil, U Büntgen, JE Olesen, ...
    Geophysical Research Letters 51 (24), e2024GL112363 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 8
  • The Mušov region–a complex scene of Roman-Germanic interactions during the Marcomannic wars
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach
    Rome and the Barbarians An Interplay Between Two Worlds. Łódź: Wydawnictwo … , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 8
  • The Antonine Plague: Evaluation of its Impact through Epidemiological Modelling
    M Vlach
    Simulating Roman Economies: Theories, Methods, and Computational Models, 69-108 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 8
  • Detektorový nález římsko-provinciálního prolamovaného kování z Pavlova, Jihomoravský kraj
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach, M Hložek, J Čižmářová, N Venclová, G Březinová
    Moravské křižovatky–Střední Podunají mezi pravěkem a historií. Brno, 767-784 , 2014
    2014
    Citations: 8
  • Basis of the International Research Project of the Roman Military Camps in the Barbarian Territory to the North of Carnuntum
    S Groh, B Komoróczy, M Vlach, H Sedlmayer
    LIMES XXII. Proceedings of the 22nd International Congress of Roman Frontier … , 2012
    2012
    Citations: 8
  • K možnostem identifikace a poznání pohřebišť z doby římské na Moravě
    D Vachůtová, M Vlach
    Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci , 2011
    2011
    Citations: 8
  • Absolutchronologische Daten aus römischen temporären Lagern im markomannischen Siedlungsraum im Mitteldonaugebiet
    B Komoróczy, M Vlach, CM Hüssen, J Rajtár
    Auf den Spuren der Barbaren–archäologisch, historisch, numismatisch … , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 7