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Vibe of Wildness and Death: A Multidisciplinary Study of the Arena Wall Decoration of the Amphitheater in Viminacium (Kostolac, Serbia)
No full textThis paper focuses on the study of the arena wall decoration in the amphitheater at the archaeological site of Viminacium. The architectural characteristics of the amphitheater, along with the spectacle iconography, have made this finding one of the most interesting discoveries at Viminacium, as well as in a wider context. A multidisciplinary approach that included an iconographic and archaeological study, as well as Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), and Raman and Fourier-transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, was applied to determine the palette of the pigments used for the arena wall decoration and understand the iconography and its context in more detail. Among the commonly used earth pigments (yellow, red, brown, and green colors), copper-based pigments (green and blue Egyptian blue), and the most precious ones for the period—namely, cinnabar and lapis lazuli—were identified. The applied analytical techniques enabled a tentative suggestion of the origin of the raw materials of some of the pigments that were used, such as marine sediments or rocks from different destinations. Due to the fact that the Viminacium amphitheater constitutes a typical example of a provincial building reserved for public spectacles, the results of this study will significantly contribute to our understanding of the function of the amphitheaters in the Danubian region, as well as throughout the Roman world
Valued wild: non-cultivated edible plants across the Neolithic Balkans
No full textWhat usually prompts increased archaeobotanical attention are finds of
greater quantities of the remains of potentially useful wild plants – in the
form of discrete concentrations in occupation layers or in features and objects
such as bins and ceramic pots. But single, isolated finds are much more
frequent, however no less valuable, as they also contribute to our knowledge
of the breadth of wild resources used by humans, both before and
after the introduction of agriculture. Compared to crops, wild plant foods
have received little attention in the research on early farming communities
in the Balkans. This is mainly due to their far lower representation in archaeological
layers and also the prevailing interest in reconstructing the route
and pace of spread of south-west Asian ‘founder crops’ into and through
Europe. This paper shifts the focus of predominantly crop-centred Neolithic
archaeobotany to wild plant food sources, their diversity and potential
dietary importance. A wide array of wild edible plants, such as common
hazel (Corylus avellana), Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), elderberry (Sambucus
nigra), blackberry (Rubus idaeus), water chestnut (Trapa natans),
sloe (Prunus spinosa), pear (Pyrus pyraster), apple (Malus sylvestris), wild
strawberry (Fragaria vesca) have been in use in all corners of the Balkans
throughout the Neolithic but also in the earlier and later periods. The paper
presents the type and context of the finds of wild plants and argues that
these remains serve as a testimony of the value placed on wild resources in
the past and the long history of their use
Изазови испитивања материјала у археологији. Римски малтери дунавског лимеса у Србији
No full textMalter je jedan od najsloženijih istorijskih materijala i posledično jedan od najizazovnijih za istraživanje, s obzirom na njegovu kompozitnu prirodu, odnosno brojnost mogućih komponenata i njihove međusobne reakcije tokom pripreme, vezivanja, očvršćavanja i starenja maltera. Zaključci istraživanja projekta MoDeCo2000 vezani su za identifikaciju materijala upotrebljavanih u istorijskim malterima i tehnologija pripreme maltera, kao i mogućnosti pripreme i primene maltera za konzervaciju - kompatibilnih istorijskim, ali i dovoljno otpornim na uticaje kojima su danas izloženi ostaci građevina. Uzorci istorijskih maltera prošli su kroz vizuelni pregled i utvrđivanje fizičko-mehaničkih karakteristika, mineraloško-petrografskog i hemijskog sastava, upotrebom više laboratorijskih tehnika (TL-OM, SEM-EDS, XRPD, Ramanska spetroskopija, FTIR, XRF, ICP-OES, DTATG, DSC-TG-MS). U istraživanjima projekta MoDeCo2000 učestvovalo je više istraživača iz Srbije i inostranstva. Upravo je mogućnost uporednog ispitivanja različitih fragmenata istih uzoraka u više institucija donela velike izazove. Razlike i sličnosti između dobijenih rezultata naglasile su neophodnost njihovog pažljivog tumačenja u cilju donošenja najrelevantnijih naučnih zaključaka, ujedno nas podsećajući na važnost dobro poznatog pojma reprezentativnosti uzorka i adekvatnog odabira tehnika ispitivanja, odnosno poznavanja njihovih prednosti, ali i ograničenja
Analyses of house sizes at Late Neolithic sites in Drenovac, Supska and Kraljevo Polje, Serbia
No full textThis study analyses the surface areas of houses from three Late Neolithic sites:
Drenovac,
Supska, and Kraljevo Polje, situated in the Central Pomoravlje region of Serbia. The primary
objective
of this research was to conduct a comparative analysis of the settlements, focusing on average
house sizes, the variability of their dimensions within each settlement, and the evaluation of social inequality.
The methodology involved one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to identify statistically significant
differences in house sizes, while the Gini coefficient was employed to assess the degree of social inequality.
The results reveal varying levels of size variability within each settlement, significant statistical differences
between the sites, and a relatively low degree of social inequality. This study offers valuable insights into
the organization of Neolithic settlements within the Vinča culture, while also highlighting a relatively egalitarian
social structure despite the observed disparities in the size of houses
Археолошки парк Виминацијум – пример дијалога културног наслеђа и јавности
No full textАрхеолошки парк Виминацијум је отворен 2006. године, са идејом
да се јавности представе остаци једног од најзначајнијих римских утврђења
на Дунавском лимесу и главног града провинције Горње Мезије. Од тада Вими-
нацијум представља веома важан чинилац културног туризма Србије, што је
било од највећег значаја у дијалогу са јавношћу, од добробити популаризације
научних резултата, до утицаја на локално становништво и његово подизање
свести о културној баштини. Поред бројних изазова у организацији и вођењу
Археолошког парка, током година, добробити изабраног приступа отварања
према јавности биле су све очигледније. Пример Виминацијума показује да је
„отворени” приступ науци од значаја на пољу заштите и валоризације културне
баштине, из чега проистиче и идеја о самоодрживости пројекта, која истрајава
последњих двадесет година
An Examination of Late Antique Jewelry from Viminacium in Relation to Wall Painting Depictions
No full textA conference abstract
Editorial : Anthropology's times
No full textThe article is an editorial for the first issue of the AJEC for 2025. It focuses on some current issues and contemporary anthropological debates that trace it. Reference is also made to the recently deceased former president of EASA, Thomas Hylland Eriksen
Naučnoistraživački projekat MoDeCo2000. Realizacija projekta od 2021. do 2022. godine
No full textArheološki institut je u periodu od 2020. do 2022. godine bio nosilac projekta Mortar Design for Conservation. Danube Roman Frontier 2000 Years after (MoDeCo2000) finansiranog od strane Fonda za nauku Republike Srbije kroz program PROMIS. Partneri na projektu bili su Tehnološki fakultet Novi Sad Univerziteta u Novom Sadu i Institut za ispitivanje materijala a.d. Beograd. Projekat je spojio terenska, kabinetska i laboratorijska istraživanja rimskih maltera sa pripremom i praktičnom primenom modela kompatibilnih maltera za konzervaciju, radeći na unapred određenoj studiji slučaja. S obzirom na to da Arheološki institut u saradnji sa Republičkim zavodom za zaštitu spomenika kulture učestvuje u procesu pripreme nominacionog dosijea za niz arheoloških lokaliteta pod imenom Granice Rimskog carstva – Dunavski Limes u Srbiji, kao studija slučaja odabran je upravo predeo kroz koji protiče reka Dunav u Srbiji dužinom od 588 km, sa ostacima građevina iz perioda od 1 do 6. veka. Dinamika istraživanja projekta bila je uslovljena unapred usvojenim gantogramom, ali je trajanje aktivnosti često bilo modifikovano u skladu sa potrebama pojedinačnih zadataka, pa su se neke od aktivnosti međusobno preklapale na nekada nepredviđen način. Pregled projektnih aktivnosti smo za potrebe pisanja izveštaja podelili u četiri osnovne grupe: uzorkovanje istorijskih maltera; karakterizacija istorijskih maltera; izrada i primena kompatibilnih maltera za konzervaciju; i diseminacija projekta i njegovih rezultata. Kao izveštaj rada na projektu tokom 2020. godine prikazali smo proces uzorkovanja, dok će pregled za 2021. i 2022. godinu obuhvatiti projektni rad na sprovođenju aktivnosti iz preostale tri grupe
Bone industry from the site of Ždrilo (Croatia): preliminary results of the technological and use wear analyses
No full textAnimal skeletal elements were widely used as raw materials in the Early Neolithic in the Adriatic area, however, they are still insufficiently studied. Recent excavations at the cave site of Ždrilo near Rovanjska (Croatia) yielded a small assemblage of osseous items, that provided the basis for the technological and use wear analyses. Ždrilo is a complex speleological structure, located on the eastern side of Novigradsko ždrilo, a sea strait that connects Novigradsko more in the south with Velebitski kanal in the north. The traces of the occupation from the Early Neolithic period were discovered in the 20th century in this cave, and recent renewed excavations revealed traces from the Palaeolithic period as well. From the excavation campaign carried out in 2023, among other findings, a small assemblage of osseous tools was discovered. In this paper will be presented their technological and typological traits. Furthermore, a series of experiments was conducted to test the hypotheses on their possible modes of use, that suggest they were used for processing various organic materials, but also possible use on clay, i.e., for pottery production.[conference.unizd.hr/ene2025
The travelling route of snake-vessels discovered in Campsa on the Danube
No full textTHE TRAVELLING ROUTE OF SNAKE-VESSELS
DISCOVERED IN CAMPSA ON THE DANUBE
In the late 1960ties and early 1970ties, during the construction work for the Đerdap hydro-power plant in the Iron Gates region, a large-scale rescue excavation took place. Many Roman forts and other parts of the Roman limes on the Danube were excavated and after the Đerdap lake was formed, they remained sunken beneath the water surface. One of the forts that shared this destiny was the late Roman fortification of Campsa, excavated between the years 1967 and 1971.
Among the small finds discovered in Campsa there is a shard bearing figural decoration, performed in the typical manner of the Roman provincial art. Its decoration presents the figure of Hercules with some of his specific attributes and it is executed in the manner of the so-called snake-vessels (Schlangengefäße).
Finds of snake-vessels are known from many Roman provinces. Some of their production centres were identified and several were positioned along the Danube, in the province of Moesia Superior and its neighbouring provinces. The author wishes to investigate possible fluvial trading routes that were used to bring snake-vessels to the fort of Campsa. The earliest snake-vessels in this area are dated into the 2nd century and when their production centres in Viminacium (Kostolac) and Drobeta (Turnu Severin) are taken into account, it would be plausible to think that fluvial routes were used for their transport, since this would be the safest way to get them to their destination point in Campsa