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The Dolní Vě stonice-Pavlov-Milovice area (Czech Republic) on the slopes of the Pavlov Hills provides an opportunity for correlating the geomorphology of the Dyje River valley with Gravettian settlement patterns. Although the sites vary in size and complexity, they create a regular chain of strategic locations at elevations between 200 m and 240 m asl. In 2009, a road collapsed into deserted cellars inside the village of Milovice and revealed a complex of archaeological layers deep within loess, at an elevation of only 175 m asl. This paper presents an analysis of this atypical archaeological site location and compares the results with the other sites. We argue that this location allowed direct contact with mammoth herds concentrated on the floodplain, while the aquatic environment offered possibilities for gathering plants and fishing. This site represents a new aspect of organized settlement, hunting strategies, and short-distance human movements during the Gravettian within this area.

Objectives: Family represents the closest social environment that immediately affects human ontogeny from an early prenatal period. This study aimed to assess sibship influences on the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D ratio). Methods: The source sample represented 329 children aged 6.5 to 15.8 years (Czech Republic), including a subsample of 75 sibling pairs. A combination of (a) betweenfamily design (cross-sectional sample) and (b) within-family design (pairs of siblings) was used to study the effect of family variables and interbirth interval (IBI) on the 2D:4D ratio. Results: Birth order, number of siblings (except for younger sisters), and sex ratio in siblings were significantly related to the 2D:4D ratio on the right, left, or both hands.At the same time, the relationships were opposite in males and females for birth order, number of older brothers and number of children in the family--increasing values in these variables increased digit ratio in males but decreased digit ratio in females. Mean difference in 2D:4D ratio (DIFF) within pairs (older minus younger sibling) differed from zero only in the "older sister--younger brother" group, where DIFF did not depend on IBI. On the contrary, in remaining pair types the DIFF tended to change with IBI, the strongest in the "older brother--younger sister" pairs. Conclusions: Family variables, especially number of older brothers, should be considered as important confounding factors in 2D:4D ratio studies. However, the effect of these variables might be modified by IBI.

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