Starinar
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New contributions for the early iron age stratigraphy at the site of Hisar in Leskovac (Sector I)
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Archaeological research at the site of Hisar in Leskovac began more than a decade ago and has initiated numerous papers on the relationship between the Mediana and Brnjica cultural groups and cultures that marked the transition from the Bronze to the Early Iron Age in the Central Balkans. This paper seeks to highlight and correct some of the key mistakes which have emerged in the stratigraphic interpretation of this multi-horizon site, and in such a way contribute to the better understanding of cultural movements at the transition from the 2nd to the 1st millennium BC. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177020: The article rusults from the project: Archaeology of Serbia: Cultural identity, integrational factors, technological processes and the role of the Central Balkans in the development of European prehistory]
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New contributions for the early iron age stratigraphy at the site of Hisar in Leskovac (Sector I)
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Archaeological research at the site of Hisar in Leskovac began more than a decade ago and has initiated numerous papers on the relationship between the Mediana and Brnjica cultural groups and cultures that marked the transition from the Bronze to the Early Iron Age in the Central Balkans. This paper seeks to highlight and correct some of the key mistakes which have emerged in the stratigraphic interpretation of this multi-horizon site, and in such a way contribute to the better understanding of cultural movements at the transition from the 2nd to the 1st millennium BC. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177020: The article rusults from the project: Archaeology of Serbia: Cultural identity, integrational factors, technological processes and the role of the Central Balkans in the development of European prehistory]
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New discoveries of marble sculptures in the Sirmium imperial palace
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In the course of archaeological excavations carried out in 2012 and 2013, in the northwestern section of the palatial complex in Sirmium (locality 85), many fragments of porphyry and marble sculptures were discovered. Worth mentioning among the marble sculptures is a female head with a lunular diadem that had, most probably, been made during the Antonine period. The head was used as spolia incorporated in the medieval wall. It was a fragment of a statue of some goddess, possibly Juno, Minerva or the deified empress Faustina the Younger, and erected in the area of the palatial complex during the Late Antique period. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177007: Romanization, urbanization and transformation of urban centres of civil, military and residential character in the Roman provinces on territory of Serbia]
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New evidence for prehistoric copper metallurgy in the vicinity of Bor
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The last three years of archaeological investigations at the site Ru`ana in Banjsko Polje, in the immediate vicinity of Bor, have provided new evidence regarding the role of non-ferrous metallurgy in the economy of the prehistoric communities of north-eastern Serbia. The remains of metallurgical furnaces and a large amount of metallic slags at two neighbouring sites in the mentioned settlement reveal that locations with many installations for the thermal processing of copper ore existed in the Bronze Age. We believe, judging by the finds of material culture, that metallurgical activities in this area also continued into the Iron Age and, possibly, into the 4th century AD. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177020: Archaeology of Serbia: Cultural identity, integration factors, technological processes and the role of the central Balkans in the development of European prehistory]
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New finds as a contribution to the study of the early bronze age in the southern part of the central Balkans
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In this paper, new sites are presented which were explored throughout the protective excavations conducted along the E 75 motorway, as well as new indicative finds from the sites in north-eastern Macedonia. These results will complete the picture of life in the Early Bronze Age communities of the territory of Southern Pomoravlje and Gornja Pčinja, as well as that of their relationship with the neighbouring populations. Of particular importance are the results of the investigation of this territory’s first explored necropolis from this period, which enriched our knowledge of the spiritual life of these communities. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br.OI177020: Archaeology of Serbia: cultural identity, integration factors, technological processes and the role of the Central Balkans in the development of European prehistory]
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New finds from Rutevac and deliberation on purpose, origin place of production and ethnic attribution of Mramorac type belts
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A pair of nearly identical silver artefacts was found in Rutevac by Aleksinac, known as Mramorac type belts, which used to be found exclusively in Pomoravlje and within the Big Confluence zone. Twenty four such artefacts were published; of which 20 are of silver plate, two of gilt silver plate and two of gold plate. The very fact that they are void of any fastening devices at the corresponding ends for buckling up purposes or pinning up to a surface (cloth or leather), excludes their purpose as belts to be used around people's waist; it could, however, be assumed that they served as a part of equipment of secular and religious leaders - as a kind of decorative ribbon - broad bands with ample symbols, worn over the shoulder and breast - at the same time cult object and a sign of dignity of the person wearing it. The fact that all the artefacts were found within one and the same territory and that they were reconstructed due to frequent wear suggest the production and maintenance in one or more local workshops in Pomoravlje. Artefacts belonged to the Triballi, the only ancient Balkan peoples who were confirmed, both archaeologically and on the basis of historical sources, in Pomoravlje, in the Triballian valley, living at the end of the 6th and in the 5th centuries BC, the period to which these luxurious artefacts were dated to.
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New finds from the prehistoric sites in the surrounding of Leskovac
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New finds, mainly pottery, provide a more complete picture of cultural development in the Leskovac region, during the prehistoric period (localities Kale in Grdelica, Jeremište in Lipovica, Pusto Semče in Semče Sastanci in Bobište, Hisar-plateau in Leskovac, Gornji Guberevac and Grkinje). The pottery from the Aeneolithic period at the site Sastanci in Bobište, indicate that the Leskovac valley developed in the same way during the Copper Age as the nearby Niš valley. This site, for the time being, is the most southerly in the Morava valley where the Kostolac pottery can be found. It is characteristic that at every newly discovered Metal Age site in this region, pottery of the Vatin type, numerous and varied pottery of the Brnjica culture group, pottery of the phase Lanište II - Basarabi, as well as Greek type pottery and that of the Early Iron Age, is found. Among the pottery which is published in this study (Grdelica and Semče), the most typical autochthon pottery of Iron Age III from the Morava valley, east Serbia and the Serbian Danube valley, downstream from Novi Sad, is also included. New locations of the Brnjica cultural group in the Leskovac valley point to the population density in one of the regions of this community and its territorial organization. On the bases of number disposition and topography of the localities it is possible to presume not only the size of population, but its territorial organization as well. Namely, it is obvious that the people of the Brnjica cultural group based their defense on elevated settlements, like those on the plateaus of Hisar in Leskovac, Skobaljić Grad in Vučje, Kale in Grdelica, Pusto Semče in Semče and other similar sites, while the settlements like those in Bobište Lipovac, Gornji Grabovac and others in the valley, had an obvious agricultural character. Numerous sites in Gornja Jablanica, near one of the biggest mines of gold and other metals in the Lece area, where slag has been found, point to the mining component in the economy. An iron object in the shape of a big decorative needle, amorphous iron finds and traces of metallurgy on the slope of Hisar indicate that metallurgy of iron and bronze had an important place in the economy of the Brnjica community. In this area there are no finds of the Kalakača horizon (the most southerly in the Morava valley are those from the Niš valley) from the early phase of the Iron Age. There are also not many finds of the phase Lanište I. On the contrary, at nearly every registered site of the Metal Age, quite a large quantity of pottery from the phase Lanište II - Basarabi, has been found. There are also numerous sites where pottery of the Greek type has been found. There is a similar situation in the neighboring Niš valley. More to the north, in the lower part of the South Morava and in the basin of the Great Morava, such finds are not numerous. Very valuable finds from this region is the pottery which is decorated as that characteristic of the Great Morava basin, Serbian Danube valley, downstream from Novi Sad and Braničevo in the period 6th-4th century BC. It indicates the possibility that this territory was held by Tribali, at the beginning of Iron Age III. And pottery finds, that are characteristic for Scordisci, on nearly every multi layer site, prove that, until the arrival of the Romans, the Leskovac Valley had been inhabited by members of this community.
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New insights into urban planning of Caričin Grad
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Caričin Grad, Justiniana Prima, urban planning, fortification, settlement, aerial photography, geophysical surveys, LiDAR, photogrammetry, excavations, GIS. Thanks to the application of modern non-destructive sensing and detection methods, in recent years a series of new data on urban planning in Caričin Grad was obtained. For the most part, the current research programme studies the Upper Town’s northern plateau, wooded until recently and hence the only previously unexplored unit of the city. In the course of this programme, the classical research method - the excavations started in 2009 - is for the first time combined with the systematic application of airborne and terrestrial sensing and detection techniques. The analysis of historic aerial photographs and topographic plans proved to be very useful as well. Along with them, LiDAR-derived DTMs, photogrammetric DEMs, different geophysical and orthophotographic plans are stored in the GIS database for Caričin Grad and the Leskovac Basin. In this way almost 80 percent of the plateau area was defined, and the obtained plan is hypothetical only to a small extent, which particularly refers to the unexcavated northern rampart of the Upper Town. Each source provided relevant information for the reconstruction of both the rampart and the settlement, which points to the value of a holistic approach to documentation from various dates. The first source to be studied were archival aerial photographs of Caričin Grad from 1938 and 1947 (Figs. 1, 2.1). The latter one was originally processed by Aleksandar Deroko and Svetozar Radojči}, who drew the plan of the town after it, labelling the unexplored Upper Town’s northern plateau as “a probable habitation area”. The route of the northern rampart was aslo rather precisely determined by the authors (Fig. 2.2). Recently, these photographs were rectified and georeferenced in the GIS. The 1938 shot reveals the position of some towers as well, and it is also indicative of the way of construction of certain buildings. From the spatial layout of whitish zones, originating from mortar scattered along the slope, it can be deduced which buildings were constructed in opus mixtum - the horreum and the so-called Building with Pillars east of it. Traces of mortar can be observed along the route of the rampart too. These archival images are particularly important because they record the topography of the site before it was filled with heaps of earth from the excavations. The topographic mappings of this area were conducted in 1981 and 2006 (Fig. 3). The first plan was drawn after an airborne stereophotogrammetric survey of Caričin Grad, and in 2006, after the wood was cut down, this whole area was surveyed with the total station, with a density of nine points per square meter. This survey also resulted in a 3D terrain model (Fig. 3.2) indicating the layout of the buildings, which was to be proved by geophysical surveys and archaeological excavations. In the course of the Serbian-French reaearch programme, in 2007 geomagnetic surveys were carried out by Alain Kermorvan of the University of Tours. Thanks to the application of this method the remains of collapsed stone structures could be observed, and in 2015, in cooperation with the Roman-Germanic Central Museum, Mainz, and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute from Vienna, the middle and eastern parts of the plateau were scanned with GPR (Fig. 4.2). Precise plans of the buildings were obtained in the areas in which LiDAR scanning and photogrammetric and geomagnetic surveys failed to produce clear images. Within the framework of the ArchaeoLandscapes Europe project, in 2011 we managed to organise an airborne LiDAR survey of the wider area of Caričin Grad. With its density of some 20 points per square meter, this scanning proved to be crucial for our comprehension of the town. The standard DTM provided numerous important data, especially its version calculated in the focal statistics function of the ArcGIS software package (Fig. 5. 1-2). These models show not only the route of the Upper Town’s northern rampart, the position of its towers and the layout of the buildings, but also the line of the Outer Town’s western rampart. Visible only in the DTM, this entirely new aspect of the Caričin Grad fortification has been attested by the excavations. Highly important plans of the town, and of the northern plateau of the Upper Town in particular, were obtained by UAV photogrammetric surveys. The first drone survey was conducted in 2014 within the scope of the same project. It resulted in a cloud with up to 1,600 points per square meter (Fig. 6.1-2). Unlike the LiDAR technology, photogrammetry cannot penetrate vegetation; therefore the preliminary clearing of the ground proved to be a most important step. After the 2015 campaign was finished, the excavation area in the Upper Town was documented again in the same manner. Regular photogrammetric surveys make possible the control of the works and reliable visual monitoring of the progress of exploration (Fig. 9). After the wood was cut down in 2006 and enormous heaps of earth from twentieth-century excavations and restoration works were carefully removed by machinery in 2008 and 2010, without disturbing the original layers of debris, wide excavations could begin. At first only the humus layer was removed from fifteen-meter squares, which was followed by technical drawing. In 2009 and 2010 we did not explore the debris or the cultural layers (Fig. 7.1-2). The additional two squares were opened and documented in the same fashion in 2011, when previously recorded buildings 11 and 15C were explored in detail, together with the part of the corridor between them where a bread oven was found. These buildings were oriented south-north, cascading along the mild slope towards the northern rampart of the Upper Town. Fragments of pithoi and carbonised fruits were found in the buildings, allowing for an economic interpretation. Judging by coinfinds, the buildings ended in fire after the year 602. Some of the buildings on the northern plateau were oriented differently, following the route of the northern rampart of the Acropolis in the east-west direction. In 2012 building 18 was excavated, leaning on the rampart. Rectangular in plan and some 12 by 7.5 meters large, it had a storey and a 7 by 5.5 meters spacious paved atrium in the west. Parallel to building 18 is building 20, the only one on the northern plateau constructed in opus mixtum. The two buildings are separated by a four-meter-wide street, running from east to west. This street, corridor 4, was partly cut in the rock. In some sections it had a substructure of fragmented debris. Building 20 has been carefully excavated for several years now. After the initial documenting, the surface layer of debris was removed, but not the collapsed structures with characteristic construction details; to the east of the building a collapsed wall was uncovered, containing as many as eight successive rows of stone and brick. Beneath these layers are the occupation ones, so far investigated only to a small extent. Building 20 is rectangular in plan, covering 25 by 12.5 meters. In its central axis there is a row of masonry pillars, dividing the building into two naves. On its western side there was a vestibule with a pair of doors matching the main entrances to the building. In the back of the vestibule, between these entrances and in axis with the pillars, there was a staircase. Adetailed analysis of these features led us to conclude that building 20 was a horreum, the first such edifice to be discovered in Caričin Grad. Taking into account the details of its ground plan, pillars, parts of collapsed walls and especially arches, it will be possible to reconstruct the original form of the horreum. Judging by the existing estimate, although somewhat rough, it was 13.5 meters high. It could be observed that in its later phases the horreum was partitioned into several rooms, and some of its entrances were walled up. In the vestibule only these later occupation phases were documented, as the original brick pavement was removed from its northern part. This was followed by a significant accumulation of cultural layers, which were sealed by the debris stratum. South of the horreum there is a spacious courtyard connected with the western street of the Upper Town. The Upper Town’s northern rampart has never been graphically reconstructed, despite the fact that Aleksandar Deroko and Svetozar Radojči} published its accurate (although schematic) ground plan as early as 1950 (Fig. 2.2). This part of the town has gradually been left out of the research focus, mainly due to the vegetation growth. Upon employing all the methods described above, however, it is possible to undertake such an effort. The ideal reconstruction suggested here includes the rampart route, the disposition and the form of the towers, and the possible locations of the posterns. The line of the rampart can be traced following the trenches left by the locals dismantling the walls. Only the section of the northwestern rampart in front of the western postern of the Acropolis cannot be presented, being still covered by massive earth deposits. On the other hand, the recently discovered western rampart of the Outer Town can be traced to its full length in the LiDAR-derived DTM. Its form can be easily reconstructed on the basis of the results of the 2012 excavations and the section of the same rampart uncovered east of the main fortifications in 1955-56 (Fig. 8). Having studied the microtopography of the terrain, we were able to determine the position of a number of towers. They were clearly indicated by bumps, regularly distributed along the northern and northeastern sections of the rampart. The position of the tower below the Acropolis’ western postern could be easily determined as well, unlike the position of the tower opposite to the horseshoe-shaped one of the Acropolis fortification. Yet, it is hard to imagine that a hundred-meter-long section of the rampart was left unprotected. The rectangular shape of the towers is suggested because almost all the towers of the town’s outer fortification were constructed in that way. On the other hand, at present we cannot exclude the possibility that some towers were different, horseshoe-shaped in plan, like the ones on the Acropolis rampart. The disposition of the towers along the northeastern rampart of the Upper Town, in the area where the northern street presumably met the fortification, is not clear. This part of the site still lies under massive heaps of earth, and even the 1938 and 1947 aerial photographs are not indicative enough in this regard. However, the tower(s) might have been erected there, not only because the eighty-meter-long stretch of the rampart would be left without protection in an opposite scenario, but because it is likely that the northern street ended in a gate, or at least a postern. It is already known that some of the posterns on the Carič in Grad fortifications were defended by towers. The average distance between the towers of the town’s main fortification extends from 20 meters on the southern to 40 meters on the western rampart of the Lower Town; in our reconstruction the average interval on the Upper Town’s northern rampart is 44 meters. Another argument is that this gate might have connected the Upper and the Outer Towns. The position of the second postern is determined thanks to a depression in the terrain following the axis of another communication route in the Upper Town, leading from corridor 4 and running towards the north along the rows of buildings. Finally, the 3.8 meter width of the rampart in the section adjoining the northern tower of the Upper Town’s eastern gate may only indicate a staircase, the last reconstructed fortification element. On the plateau stretching between the northern ramparts of the Acropolis and the Upper Town fortifications a settlement developed with its radially distributed rows of buildings cascading down the slope. In the eastern part of the plateau there is the horreum, adjoined from the east by another building - the storage called Building with Pillars. Larger than the other buildings and constructed in opus mixtum, the two buildings follow the route of the Upper Town’s northern street, all of which indicates that they belong to the initial construction phase. One should not exclude the possibility that this part of the town was originally conceived as an economic district with storages and similar edifices. By all appearances, the original concept was soon abandoned. Already at the time of Justinian a settlement of numerous smaller buildings was created. With their walls of stone and wattle and daub, the buildings were roofed with tiles. Yet one should underscore that this construction phase, although less sophisticated than the first one, was accomplished according to a previously prepared plan; the spread of the buildings speaks to that effect. Shortly afterwards, if not at the same time, buildings were erected along the outer face of the Acropolis rampart - a clear indication of abandoning urban planning (Fig. 9). Public space was turned into private, in spite of the legal proscriptions of that time. During the last phase of the town’s life the buildings described, whether public or private, were partitioned into small rooms, often with fireplaces and with some of their entrances walled up. Just like the edifices constructed in opus mixtum, some of the more modest buildings from the second construction phase were used to store food - namely buildings 11 and 15C. The plan of this part of the site points to an organised settlement, most probably inhabited by persons servicing a significant clergy and administration. On the other hand, except for some houses - such as building 18 - small buildings along the Acropolis fortification, facing the main street, corridor 4, might have served as shops and workshops. Traces of furnaces, slag and bone working were also encountered in this area. The parallel application of classical research methods and modern techniques of sensing and detection enabled the reconstruction of the northern rampart and the urban matrix of the Upper Town’s northern plateau. Until recently among the least known parts of the town, this unit can now be regarded as one of the best defined. This is important not only for our understanding of Caričin Grad (Justiniana Prima), but also for the study of Early Byzantine urban planning in general.
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New roman graffiti from gradište near Prvonek (Southern Serbia)
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In May 2005 a few fragments of roof tiles inscribed with Latin graffiti were discovered in the ruins of a fourth-century Roman structure at Gradište, 10 km east of Vranje. (1) A tile broken into three pieces but almost complete 68.5 × 38.5 × 2.5 cm (see Fig. 1): exauda te dominus ׀ in die tribulationis "May the Lord hear thee in the day of tribulation", Ps. 20(19).2. For exauda = exaudiat, cf. e.g. DVulg 837 custoda = custodia, IMS 4.115 aduvet=adjuvet. (2) Fragment of a tile, 25 × 21 × 2 cm (see Fig. 2, left): † magnu. [--- ׀ eu.i.sopu. [---. (3) Another fragment, found in immediate proximity to (2) measuring 14 × 11 × 9 × 2.5 cm (see Fig. 2, right): ---]s.dom[--- ׀ ---]ds. [---. The latter two fragments, although non-contiguous, may belong to a single tile, in which case the graffito will probably read (2+3) † magnus dom[inus expl]׀evis opu[s ±4] d(eu)s[---, "Great is the Lord: you will accomplish your job… God…"; cf. Vulg. Ps. 146.5 magnus dominus noster et magna virtus ejus. For expl]evis (=explebis) opu[s], cf. e.g. Hier. In Amos 2.prol.ut. coeptum. opus expleam, Greg. Dial. 1.12 ut opus.. expleret. These inscriptions provide new evidence of what seems to have been common practice among ancient Christian builders: messages written on tiles or bricks (cf. IMS 4.115) used to travel from the brick plant over to the building site containing prayers and good wishes, to the attention of the masons, who were able to read them before putting the material into final use.
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New spondylus findings at Vinča-Belo Brdo
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Distribution of spondylus findings on prehistoric sites is remarkable and encompasses the whole European continent except West Mediterranean and North Europe. Approximately two hundred sites with spondylus findings are known in Europe ranging from the Early Neolithic to the Late Eneolithic. A long lasting interest for these findings results out of spondylusexotic origin as well as peculiarity of artifacts themselves that are mostly limited to decorative forms. The inventory of type-site of the Vinča culture – Belo brdo is especially important in this respect, but there are only few data published about spondylus findings from Belo Brdo. New research showed that we should expect them in large quantity. It is the aim of this paper to present spondylus items found during last research campaigns (1998, 1999, 2001) at Vinča – Belo Brdo, to fulfill emptiness in apprehending exotic materials from the site, as well as to point to some particularities and further research directions in regard to this kind of findings on the Vinča culture sites.
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Not just a belt
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The focus of the paper is on bronze astragal belts in the south-eastern part of the Carpathian Basin, interpreted as part of the female costume. In particular, their production seems to have two peaks, one at the end of the Early Iron Age (6th-4th cent. BC) and another during the Late La Tène period. However, there is a continuity of the form throughout the Late Iron Age. Requiring a significant amount of material and craftsmanship, these belts imply the presence of skilled artisans, as well as a supply network that enabled the production. A new typological and chronological assessment of the known examples allows not only a better understanding of the possible production areas of astragal belts, but also the social implications behind the organisation of production, offering also the possibility to better evaluate the role of this particular item as a part of the autochthonous female costume and identity.
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Notes on Glasinac
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Princely graves of the Iron Age represent a particular phenomenon in archaeology, which is constantly the subject of interest. They are usually dated to the end of the 6th and the beginning of the 5th century. The author discusses the chronology of princely graves in the Central Balkans and analyses their appearance in each part of this territory: on the Glasinac plateau, in Serbia, Kosovo and Metohija, Montenegro, North Albania and Nordwest Bulgaria. He concludes that they date from the middle of the 7th to the middle of the 4th century, depending on the cultural and socio-economic situation in the respective area. In the middle of the 7th century princely graves in the true sense of the word were known only on the Glasinac plateau, in the Ilijak necropolis. At the end of the 7th and in the beginning of the 6th century they still appear on Glasinac, though in greater number and in various parts of the plateau. In northwest Bulgaria a grave dating to the second half of the 7th century was found, which would, according to grave goods, correspond to the Glasinac princely graves. On the other hand, there are no princely graves in Serbia and north Albania from that time but some outstanding warrior graves are known, belonging possibly to the chiefs of smaller warlike bands, whose power was limited. Princely graves from Arareva gromila on Glasinac, Pilatovići by Požega and Lisijevo Polje by Berane date to the beginning of the second half of the 6th century, and according to their characteristics represent princes, whose power and wealth were considerable and known to the neighbours. Culmination of the rise of the princes in this region was demonstrated by the graves from Novi Pazar, Atenica, and Pećka banja, which date to the end of the 6th and the first quarter of the 5th century. Some decades later there are several rich graves, e.g. the recently discovered grave from Velika Krsna, which could belong to a prince, but can not be compared with the wealth of the previous princely generation. In the middle of the 4th century, new rich princely burials are seen in the graves in Belsh in Albania and Vratsa in Northwest Bulgaria. Their appearance was conditioned by a new socio-political climate. All this proves that one should be cautious when dating the princely graves in this region to the »end of the 6th/beginning of the 5th century BC«.
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