This article discusses the archaeological contexts and finds that are dated to the second half of the 13th century or to the first half of the 14th century, and are associated with the earliest history of the town of Počátky. In this period the town had an elongated, spindle-shaped centre which was, in the early 16th century at the latest, divided by a stone wall into a small square around the Church of St. John the Baptist and an unprotected southern suburb. Both these areas were gradually archeologically researched in 2010-2016. The main part of the article brings an assessment of a pottery series from a sunken cellar in Palackého náměstí Square. In addition, the paper also presents small ceramic series from excavations in Mariánské náměstí Square, from a private collection of Mr. Matoušek and from the collections of the Počátky museum.

This article seeks to assess rescue research in Palackého náměstí Square in Počátky conducted by the Jihlava branch of the Archaia Brno company. The Počátky region is among those that have yet to be studied in depth, which is why a revision of historical sources was carried out in parallel with archaeologi cal research. The earliest investigated contexts were related to the establishment of the town in the 13th century, while further contexts were associated with several devastating fires in the years 1653-1821. The most recent contexts dated from the beginning of the 19th century when the earlier ones in the town square were closed by stone paving. The research focused on the unearthing of a former cemetery by the Church of St. John the Baptist that ceased to exist in the early 19th century. The excavations yielded skeletons of 228 individuals some of which were subjected to anthropological analysis. Research in close proximity of the church centred on its earliest building phases. The results of the research significantly contributed to the overall picture of the town's history.