Tomas Klir

Positions:
2019–present Head of the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University
2009–present Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts, Charles University
2005–2009 Researcher, Faculty of Arts, Charles University
2004–2005 Officer, National Heritage Institute in Prague

Stays abroad:
09/2013–06/2014 Centre for Quantitative Economic History, Faculty of Economics,
University of Cambridge, UK (Anglo-Czech Educational Fund)
09–12/2007 Aaarhus University (Ph.D. Danish School of Archaeology)
02–06/2003 Universität Wien (Aktion Tschechische Republik – Österreich)

Teaching activities:
2009–present Faculty of Arts, Charles University

Memberships of scientific societies:
2009–present Ruralia, the Jean-Marie Pesez conferences on medieval rural archaeology.
National representative (Czech Republic).

EDUCATION

2020 ‘Docent’ in archaeology (associate professor), Faculty of Arts, Charles University
2003–2008 Ph.D. in archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University
1997–2003 Master in history and archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University

RESEARCH INTERESTS

archaeology, rural archaeology, social history, economic history, geography, onomastics, peasant studies, Middle Ages

Scopus Publications

The Flemish hide as a constitutive element of field patterns in East-Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the problem of its alternatives — a case study on Bohemia (Czech Republic)
Tomáš Klír, Maria Legut-Pintal, Anna Kubicka-Sowińska, László Ferenczi, Ondřej Malina
Landscape History, 2025
The paper addresses the issue of innovative measuring techniques and their adaptation and spread in the High Middle Ages. More precisely, the extremely regular spatial module of the Flemish hide and its modalities, which shaped settlements and agricultural landscapes in a large part of East-Central Europe. We sought to determine whether the application of the Flemish hide can be evidenced in regions where it is not explicitly mentioned in written sources. Specifically, we focused on Bohemia (Czech Republic) and analysed relevant medieval charters, a selection of cadastral plans and the surface remains of three deserted medieval villages. We concluded that different types of hides were used in high medieval Bohemia, which seem to have been identical to the Flemish hide. The use of the Flemish hide as a unit of land measuring was adapted and further improved in the Bohemian lands, which partly explains why rural settlement forms were, on the one hand, very heterogeneous, while on the other hand, some were close parallels to the ones evidenced in other regions of Central Eastern Europe.
Stable isotope analysis in soil prospection reveals the type of historic land-use under contemporary temperate forests in Europe
Martin P. Janovský, Laszlo Ferenczi, Jakub Trubač, Tomáš Klír
Scientific Reports, 2024
The determination of δ13C and δ15N values is a common method in archaeological isotope analysis—in studying botanical and human remains, dietary practices, and less typically soils (to understand methods of agricultural cultivation, including fertilization). Stable isotope measurements are also commonly used in ecological studies to distinguish different ecosystems and to trace diachronic processes and biogeochemical mechanisms, however, the application of this method in geochemical prospection, for determining historic land-use impact, remains unexplored. The study at hand focuses on a deserted site of a Cistercian manor, dating from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries. Isotopic measurements of anthropogenically influenced soils have been compared to approximately 400 archaeobotanical, soil, and sediment samples collected globally. The results reveal the potential of isotope measurements in soil to study the impact of past land use as isotope measurements identify specific types of agricultural activities, distinguishing crop production or grazing. δ13C and δ15N ratios also likely reflect fertilization practices and—in this case—the results indicate the presence of cereal cultivation (C3 cycle plants) and fertilization and that the site of the medieval manor was primarily used for grain production rather than animal husbandry.
The right of re-measurement of settlements in the Middle Ages in the light of the legal practice of Bohemia and Silesia in the 13th and 14th centuries
Krzysztof Fokt, Tomáš Klír
Zeitschrift Der Savigny Stiftung Fur Rechtsgeschichte Germanistische Abteilung, 2024
Summary During the High Middle Ages, hereditary land tenure prevailed throughout East-Central Europe, often in a formalised manner based upon the ius emphyteuticum, whereby peasants were guaranteed a stable amount of land rents to be paid to landlords. There was, however, a legal institution that enabled the landlords to practically renegotiate original settlement contracts without openly violating them, in order to increase their income: the law of re-measurement of settlements (ius mensurationis). On examples from Silesia and Bohemia we have demonstrated that the landlords used this means plentifully, either directly through its actual implementation, or indirectly by renouncing their claims for payment. We have also hypothesized on the rationale and origin of the ius mensurationis, analyzed who could raise claims based upon it, and commented on the formulas related to this legal institution, which may be found there in Silesian and Bohemian charters.
Anthropogenic soils in a marginal landscape – Fortified manorial sites in the woodland edge zone in western Czechia
Martin Petr Janovský, Laszlo Ferenczi, Jan Horák, Tomáš Klír, Michal Hejcman
Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, 2024
Multivariate analysis reveals spatial variability of soil geochemical signals in the area of a medieval manorial farm
Jan Horák, Martin Petr Janovský, Tomáš Klír, Ondřej Malina, Laszlo Ferenczi
Catena, 2023
Local Migration of Peasants in the Late Middle Ages: a Quantitative Analysis of the Cheb City-State 1442–1456
Tomáš Klír
Journal of Migration History, 2022
Many scholars have proved statistically that the migration of the Early Modern European peasantry was predominantly local and socially conditioned. This article tries to expand our quantified knowledge of the Late Medieval period using the unique documentary evidence from the Cheb city-state (Czech Republic). Based on a detailed analysis, we show that the migration pattern of the Late Medieval Cheb peasantry was similar to the Early Modern one despite very different demographic, economic and social conditions. The strength of the ties to the land increased with wealth; the better the property often among rural landholdings, gaining a better position. The wealthier the peasants status of the household, the lower the rate of replacement on the landholding. Poorer peasants migrated relatively more to the city, where they were among the wealthier burghers. Even though peasant migration took place over short distances, it brought about fundamental changes for many peasants.
Introduction: Meanings of Mobility Among Peasants in Europe, 1300–1800
Tomáš Klír, Jonas Lindström
Journal of Migration History, 2022
Migration is a fundamental but often neglected chapter in the history of European peasant societies. Knowledge of migration in Medieval and Early Modern rural Europe adds significantly to our understanding of phenomena as diverse as serfdom, the land market, social stratification, the diffusion of agricultural practices, and responses to climate change. To advance this knowledge, we need to consult both documentary evidence and archaeological data, and study diverse parts of Europe. This special issue of the Journal of Migration History collects articles devoted to various aspects of mobility among peasants and its multiple meanings. Written by historians and archaeologists, they present a plethora of perspectives, methods, and approaches to the study of migration in the past. This introductory article describes the themes and scope of the articles. We argue for the importance of migration to peasant studies but also for the integration of peasant studies into mainstream migration history.
Rural credit and monetarisation of the peasantry in the late Middle Ages: The Eger city state c. 1450
Tomáš Klír
A History of the Credit Market in Central Europe the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, 2020
NEDESTRUKTIVNÍ VÝZKUM ZANIKLÉ HAVRANĚ (OKRES NYMBURK). PŘÍSPĚVEK K PODOBĚ RANĚ STŘEDOVĚKÝCH CENTER NIŽŠÍHO ŘÁDU
Viktorie Janovská, Tomáš Klír
Archaeologia Historica, 2020
The dynamics of a non-forested stand in the Krušné Mts.: the effect of a short-lived medieval village on the local environment
Petra Houfková, Jan Horák, Adéla Pokorná, Tomáš Bešta, Ivana Pravcová, et al.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2019
Climate variability and changes in the agricultural cycle in the Czech Lands from the sixteenth century to the present
Rudolf Brázdil, Martin Možný, Tomáš Klír, Ladislava Řezníčková, Miroslav Trnka, et al.
Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 2019
Soil geochemistry of medieval arable fields in Lovětín near Třešť, Czech Republic
Jan Horák, Martin Janovský, Michal Hejcman, Ladislav Šmejda, Tomáš Klír
Catena, 2018
Jevany-Dubina: Revisory research into a deserted medieval settlement in the Cerný Kostelec region
Martin Janovský, Jan Horák, Tomáš Klír
Archaeologia Historica, 2018
The processes of village abandonment, war damage and social fallows. The Cheb region in the late middle ages
Tomáš Klír
Archaeologia Historica, 2017
Pedogenesis, pedochemistry and the functional structure of the waldhufendorf field system of the deserted medieval village spindelbach, the Czech Republic
Jan Horák, Tomáš Klír, and
Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica, 2017
The social context of the slavic-german language contact. north-eastern bavaria and the cheb region in the early middle ages
Tomáš Klír
Archaeologia Historica, 2016
Central-Eastern Europe: Historical Archaeology
Krzysztof Fokt, Tomáš Klír, Miklós Takács
Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, 2014
Short-Term Medieval Settlement Activities Irreversibly Changed Forest Soils and Vegetation in Central Europe
M. Hejcman, P. Karlík, J. Ondráček, T. Klír
Ecosystems, 2013

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

The Flemish hide as a constitutive element of field patterns in East-Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the problem of its alternatives—a case study on Bohemia (Czech Republic)
T Klír, M Legut-Pintal, A Kubicka-Sowińska, L Ferenczi, O Malina
Landscape History 46 (1), 57-81 , 2025
2025
Market exchange and rural communities in the medieval Czech lands (ca. 900–1400)
T Klír, I Štefan
Farmers’ trade and markets. Social and economic interaction in the medieval … , 2025
2025
Peasantry in the Cheb City-State in the Late Middle Ages
T Klír
Nakladatelství Karolinum , 2025
2025
Böhmische und mährische Städte im Hoch-und Spätmittelalter: Städtegründung und Urbanisierung in sozialgeschichtlicher Perspektive
T Borovský, M Musílek, M Wihoda, MA Malaníková, T Klír, J Havrda, ...
Böhlau Köln , 2024
2024
Stable isotope analysis in soil prospection reveals the type of historic land-use under contemporary temperate forests in Europe
MP Janovský, L Ferenczi, J Trubač, T Klír
Scientific Reports 14 (1), 14746 , 2024
2024
Citations: 11
The right of re-measurement of settlements in the Middle Ages in the light of the legal practice of Bohemia and Silesia in the 13 th and 14 th centuries
K Fokt, T Klír
Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte: Germanistische … , 2024
2024
Citations: 1
A landscape of two linguistic worlds and its investigation using a clustering method: A contribution to the possibilities of DBSCAN in archaeological-linguistic research
MP Janovský, NM Jansens, V Janovská, T Klír
Journal of European Landscapes 5 (1), 1-25 , 2024
2024
Citations: 1
Anthropogenic soils in a marginal landscape–Fortified manorial sites in the woodland edge zone in western Czechia
MP Janovský, L Ferenczi, J Horák, T Klír, M Hejcman
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 53, 104335 , 2024
2024
Citations: 6
Spatial Analysis of Archaeological and Linguistic Data Reveals the Boundaries of Frankish Power in Northern Bavaria
V Janovská, NM Jansens, M Janovský, T Klír
Power in Numbers, 285-300 , 2024
2024
Krajina středověké Prahy
J Klápště, T Klír, I Štefan
Academia , 2024
2024
Citations: 3
Linguistic and Cultural Dynamics in a Frontier Society: New Perspectives on Northeastern Bavaria in the Early Middle Ages-A Joint Research Project between Prague and Heidelberg
T Klír
2023 International Medieval Congress , 2023
2023
Geochemical analysis in the area of a medieval Cistercian manorial farm
M Janovský, J Horák, T Klír, L Ferenczi
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, EGU-14576 , 2023
2023
Zánik a pustnutí venkovských sídlišť v pozdním středověku: Chebsko a Slavkovský les
T Klír
Charles University in Prague, Karolinum Press , 2023
2023
Citations: 6
Zánik a pustnutí venkovských sídlišť v pozdním středověku
T Klír
Chebsko a Slavkovský les. Praha , 2023
2023
Citations: 5
The contextual value of iron household goods in the late medieval countryside: testimony of the Czech lands
T Klír, M Janovský, L Hylmarová
Household Goods in the European Medieval and Early Modern Countryside, 167-178 , 2023
2023
Multivariate analysis reveals spatial variability of soil geochemical signals in the area of a medieval manorial farm
J Horák, MP Janovský, T Klír, O Malina, L Ferenczi
Catena 220, 106726 , 2023
2023
Citations: 15
ZANIKLÁ STŘEDOVĚKÁ VES HORNÍ LHOTKA U KOUŘIMI.
T Klír, J Kypta, J Marounek
Památky Středních Čech , 2022
2022
Introduction: meanings of mobility among peasants in Europe, 1300–1800
T Klír, J Lindström
Journal of Migration History 8 (2), 149-155 , 2022
2022
Citations: 4
Local Migration of Peasants in the Late Middle Ages: a Quantitative Analysis of the Cheb City-State 1442–1456
T Klír
Journal of Migration History 8 (2), 191-219 , 2022
2022
Citations: 1
Devouring One´ s Own Tail
V Kolman, M Procházka, O Slačálek, J Starý, J Šebek, J Šlerka, J Vojvodík, ...
Nakladatelství Karolinum , 2022
2022
Citations: 2

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

Osídlení zemědělsky marginálních půd v mladším středověku a raném novověku
T Klír
Univerzita Karlova, Filozofická fakulta , 2009
2009
Citations: 70
Short-term medieval settlement activities irreversibly changed forest soils and vegetation in Central Europe
M Hejcman, P Karlík, J Ondráček, T Klír
Ecosystems 16 (4), 652-663 , 2013
2013
Citations: 57
Soil geochemistry of medieval arable fields in Lovětín near Třešť, Czech Republic
J Horák, M Janovský, M Hejcman, L Šmejda, T Klír
Catena 162, 14-22 , 2018
2018
Citations: 50
Akademický atlas českých dějin
E Semotanová, J Cajthaml, R Baron, Z Beran, I Bičík, K Bobková, Z Boháč, ...
Academia , 2014
2014
Citations: 44
Pedogenesis, pedochemistry and the functional structure of the Waldhufendorf field system of the deserted medieval village Spindelbach, the Czech Republic
J Horák, T Klír
Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica Natural Sciences in Archaeology 29, 43-57 , 2017
2017
Citations: 30
Climate variability and changes in the agricultural cycle in the Czech Lands from the sixteenth century to the present
R Brázdil, M Možný, T Klír, L Řezníčková, M Trnka, P Dobrovolný, ...
Theoretical and applied climatology 136 (1), 553-573 , 2019
2019
Citations: 23
A social-economic interpretation of the layouts of deserted villages. An example of a deserted village at the “V Žáku” site in Klánovice Forest in Prague
T Klír, M Beránek
Studies in Post-Medieval Archaeology 4, 289-364 , 2012
2012
Citations: 22
Osídlení horských oblastí Čech ve středověku a raném novověku–východiska interdisciplinárního výzkumu
T Klír
Archaeologia historica 35 (1-2), 373-391 , 2010
2010
Citations: 22
Rolnictvo na pozdně středověkém Chebsku. Sociální mobilita, migrace a procesy pustnutí
T Klír
2020
Citations: 16
Multivariate analysis reveals spatial variability of soil geochemical signals in the area of a medieval manorial farm
J Horák, MP Janovský, T Klír, O Malina, L Ferenczi
Catena 220, 106726 , 2023
2023
Citations: 15
The dynamics of a non-forested stand in the Krušné Mts.: the effect of a short-lived medieval village on the local environment
P Houfková, J Horák, A Pokorná, T Bešta, I Pravcová, J Novák, T Klír
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 28 (6), 607-621 , 2019
2019
Citations: 15
Zaniklé středověké vsi ve výzkumném záměru Ústavu pro archeologii Univerzity Karlovy v Praze. Zaniklý Spindelbach (Krušné hory), Kří a Hol (střední Čechy)
T Klír
Wieś zaginiona. Stan i perspektywy badań. Seria: Monografie i materiały MGPE … , 2016
2016
Citations: 15
Železné předměty ze zaniklého Spindelbachu v Krušných horách K výpovědi detektorového průzkumu.
L Hylmarová, T Klír, E Černá
Archaeologia historica 38 (2) , 2013
2013
Citations: 15
Archeologický atlas pravěké Evropy: Mapy zemí a komentáře; 2, Mapy rozšíření kultur
M Buchvaldek, A Lippert, L Košnar, M Popelka, A Krenn-Leeb, T Klír
Karolinum , 2007
2007
Citations: 15
Sociální kontext slovansko-německého jazykového kontaktu: severovýchodní Bavorsko a Chebsko v raném středověku
T Klír
Archaeologia historica 41 (1), 301-337 , 2016
2016
Citations: 12
Stable isotope analysis in soil prospection reveals the type of historic land-use under contemporary temperate forests in Europe
MP Janovský, L Ferenczi, J Trubač, T Klír
Scientific Reports 14 (1), 14746 , 2024
2024
Citations: 11
Language, Material Culture, and Ethnifying on the Carolingian Borders. Slavs in Northeast Bavaria
T Klír, T Klír, V Boček, N Jansens
New Perspectives on the Early Slavs and the Rise of Slavic. Contact and … , 2020
2020
Citations: 11
Osídlení mezi Nymburkem a Křincem ve středověku a raném novověku
T Klír
Vlastivědný zpravodaj Polabí 36, 92-157 , 2002
2002
Citations: 11
Medieval farming practices in deserted villages can be determined based on the nitrogen isotopic signature in recent forest soils
K Součková, M Hejcman, T Klír
Interdiscip. Archaeol. Nat. Sci. Archaeol 4 (1), 63-71 , 2013
2013
Citations: 10
Rural settlements in Bohemia in the “age of transition”(14th–16th century): research concept and preliminary report
T Klír
Medieval Settlement Research 25, 52-61 , 2010
2010
Citations: 10