Marek Zvelebil

Marek Zvelebil ( born January 9, 1952 in Prague; † 7 July 2011) was a British prehistorians of Czech origin. He was an internationally recognized specialist in the study of Stone Ages.

Marek Zvelebil was born in Prague, but left after the crushing of the Prague Spring in 1968, the Tschechoskowakei. He graduated in 1972 from the University of Sheffield. At Cambridge University, he received his doctorate in 1981. He then worked as a junior research fellow and then as a lecturer, reader and from 1999 worked as a professor at the University of Sheffield. 1980/81 he was a visiting scientist at the University of South Carolina, in 1987 at Boston University and in 1997 at the University of California, Berkeley.

Zvelebil focused on several areas of Prehistory and Early History. He conducted research on the previous and current hunter- gatherer cultures, the origin of agriculture, formation of cultural identity as well as population trends in Europe. He went even beyond the boundaries of the subject and dealt with linguistics and genetics. As an excavator he was active in Finland, Ireland, Scotland and the Czech Republic. He has published as author, co-author and editor of 99 journals.