Eduard Štorch (10 April 1878 – 25 June 1956) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

pedagogue, archaeologist and writer, known for novels set in prehistoric

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

during

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

Biography

Štorch was born on 10 April 1878 in

Ostroměř Ostroměř is a municipality and village in Jičín District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Ostroměř consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population accordin ...

. He studied at the gymnasium and the pedagogic institute in

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

. Štorch worked as a teacher in several location in northern and eastern

and since 1903 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, during 1919–1921 as a school inspector in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

and then, until his retirement in 1938, again as a teacher in Prague. Among Štorch's activities were

archeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeolo ...

ethnography Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

, journalism and reform of education system. In 1935, together with Karel Čondl, Štorch wrote a three volumes textbook of history for secondary schools. The textbook was attacked by Catholic church because it documented attempts of the church to obtain political power throughout the history. Štorch published several scholar works, many novels for the youth and countless number of articles in journals and newspapers. The novels were based on and limited by scientific knowledge of the time. His most famous novel is "''

Mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabi ...

Hunters''" (1918, ''Lovci mamutů'') set 30,000–20,000 years ago among people of

Gravettian culture The Gravettian is an archaeological industry of the European Upper Paleolithic that succeeded the Aurignacian circa 33,000 years BP. It is archaeologically the last European culture many consider unified, and had mostly disappeared by ...

. Several of the books were illustrated by

Zdeněk Burian Zdeněk Michael František Burian (11 February 1905 – 1 July 1981) was a Czech painter, book illustrator and palaeoartist. Burian's artwork played a central role in the development of palaeontological reconstruction and he is regarded as one ...

. Three novels were filmed: ''Osada havranů'' (1977, international title: ''Settlement of Crows''), ''Na veliké řece'' (1977), ''Volání rodu'' (1978), all directed by

Jan Schmidt Jan Schmidt may refer to: * Jan Schmidt (director) (1934–2019), Czech film director * Jan Schmidt (footballer) (1937–2023), Polish footballer * Jan Schmidt (badminton) (fl. 1940s), see Danish National Badminton Championships See also * Ja ...

. Štorch died on 25 June 1956 in Prague, at the age of 78.

Scholar works

* ''Člověk diluviální'' ('' Diluvial man'', 1907), targeted to the youth, * ''Vznik vlastnictví'' (''Birth of proprietorship'', 1907), * ''Počátky života pozemského'' (''Beginnings of life on Earth'', 1908), * ''První lidé v Čechách'' (''First people in Bohemia'', 1909), * ''Původ náboženství'' (''Origin of religion'', 1909), * ''Praha v době kamenné'' (''Prague during Stone Age'', 1910), * ''Vývoj tvorstva a vznik člověka'' (''Development of life and origin of the humankind'', 1912), * ''Život v pravěku'' (''Prehistoric life'', 1912), * ''Praha v pravěku'' (''Prehistoric Prague'', 1916), * ''Praha v době prehistorické'' (''Prague in prehistoric times'', 1921).

Novels

* ''Čarodějův učedník'' (''Sorcerer's Apprentice'', 1910), set in Bronze Age; * ''Bohatýr Vratislav'' (''Vratislav, The Hero'', 1917), heroic stories from ancient times; * ''Lovci mamutů'' (''Mammoth Hunters'', 1918), depicts life of

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

hunters. This is the most popular work by Eduard Štorch. * ''Libuše a Přemysl'' (''

Libuše , Libussa, Libushe or, historically ''Lubossa'', is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czechs, Czech people as a whole. According to legend, she was the youngest but wisest of three sisters, who became queen after their father ...

and Přemysl'', 1919), from Czech mythology; * ''V šeru dávných věků'' (''From the Dark of Ancient Times'', 1920), four stories set in Bronze Age; * ''Osada havranů'' (''Settlement of Ravens'', 1930), story about settled Paleolithic group located on Kunratický brook near Prague; * ''Bronzový poklad'' (''The Bronze Treasure'', 1931), inspired by discovery of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

needles near

Sedlčany Sedlčany (; ) is a town in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,800 inhabitants. Administrative division Sedlčany consists of ten municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 ce ...

; * ''U veliké řeky'' (''At the Great River'', 1932), life in Prague basin 5,000 years ago, the river is

Vltava The Vltava ( , ; ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It runs southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague. It is com ...

; * ''Zlomený meč'' (''Broken Sword'', 1932), about the war between

Marcomanni The Marcomanni were a Germanic people who lived close to the border of the Roman Empire, north of the River Danube, and are mentioned in Roman records from approximately 60 BC until about 400 AD. They were one of the most important members of th ...

tribes led by king Marbod (Marobud) and the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

; * ''Junáckou stezkou'' (''On Trail of Heroes'', 1934), an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

story; * ''Hrdina Nik'' (''Hero Nik'', 1934), romance story from the time of

Samo Samo (–) was the founder and sole ruler of the first recorded political union of Slavs, Slavic tribes, known as Samo's Empire ("realm", "kingdom", or "tribal union"), ruling from 623 until his death in 658. According to Fredegarius, the only ...

's Realm, during incursion of Avars, finalling with

Battle of Wogastisburg According to the contemporary ''Chronicle of Fredegar'', the Battle of Wogastisburg (also called the siege of Wogastisburg) took place between Slavs (''Sclav, cognomento Winidi'') under King Samo and Franks under King Dagobert I in 631 or 632. Th ...

; * ''Volání rodu'' (''Call of the Tribe'', 1934), story of Forefather Čech; * ''O Děvín a Velehrad'' (''About

Děvín Děvín () is a double summit, double peak mountain in the Pavlov (Břeclav District), Pavlov municipality in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. With an elevation of , it is the highest mountain of the Pavlov Hills within the Mikulov ...

and

Velehrad Velehrad is a municipality and village in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. It is known for the former Cistercian monastery with the Basilica of the Assumption of Mary and Saints ...

'', 1939), set in

Great Moravia Great Moravia (; , ''Meghálī Moravía''; ; ; , ), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavic to emerge in the area of Central Europe, possibly including territories which are today part of the Czech Repub ...

; * ''Zastavený příval'' (''The Storm Stopped'', 1940), about failed incursion from

Frankish Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lomba ...

in 805; * ''Meč proti meči'' (''Sword Against Sword'', 1946), stories from the early periods of Czech statehood and decline of

Polabian Slavs Polabian Slavs, also known as Elbe Slavs and more broadly as Wends, is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites, Lechitic (West Slavs, West Slavic) tribes who lived scattered along the Elbe river in what is today eastern Germany. The ...

; * ''Statečné mládí'' (''The Brave Youth'', 1946), stories of youth in prehistoric times; * ''Minehava'' (''Minehava'', 1950), novel set in period of transition from

matriarchy Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of Power (social and political), power and Social privilege, privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. Whil ...

patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

External links

Short biography
(in Czech) {{DEFAULTSORT:Storch, Eduard 1878 births 1956 deaths People from Jičín District Czech male novelists Czech archaeologists Writers of fiction set in prehistoric times