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Exploring wild fruit consumption at the Late Neolithic site of Divlje Polje-Ratina, Serbia
No full textWild edible fruits have largely been overlooked in archaeological research in the continental Balkans,
mainly due to their infrequent appearance in charred botanical assemblages and the predominant focus
on crops and early agriculture. The well-preserved and abundant wild fruit remains found in the Late
Neolithic layers of the site of Divlje Polje in Ratina (Serbia), have sparked interest in this subject.
The archaeobotanical samples discussed in this study were collected during the rescue excavations at
the site in 2021 and 2022. The paper presents preliminary data, focusing on the contents of the Late
Neolithic pits.
The diversity of wild-gathered plants from various habitats at Divlje Polje indicates intensive
procurement activities by the Neolithic inhabitants, while also providing valuable insights into the
paleoenvironment. Special attention was given to the most abundant taxon—hazel—and to one of
the least numerous—water chestnut, whose presence in the West Morava Valley region was quite
unexpected. Water chestnut has primarily been found in the Vojvodina province, both in prehistoric
times and in the present day. The paper also revisits the issues related to preservation bias caused by
charring and the difficulties of inferring the dietary significance of wild plants based on their relative
proportions in archaeological deposits
Re-opening the question of the use of a rare Roman artefact: the ivory object from Viminacium
No full textIvory objects from Viminacium are few (nine pieces) and are generally simple in design and utilitarian in purpose. However, one find stands out due to its specific function. It is currently the only known example from Viminacium and is among the thirty-five finds known from literature, among which twenty-five are from graves. A flat ivory object – a plaque in the shape of a pelta, was found with two bone rods in the grave of a deceased person, interred in a lead coffin, along with other items that date the burial to between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The unusual appearance and rarity of similar objects has long been the subject of debate among scientists. It was believed that they were elements of a small cabinet, a stringed instrument, a papyrus-scroll winder, an implement used for fine embroidery or a miniature weaving loom. This paper presents three of these interpretations, and stands by one of them, thus recognising the Viminacium find as a loom. Based on the grave goods, among which is the one we present in this paper, it was concluded that the deceased person was a woman. This rare item belongs to the luxury products that could not be afforded by everyone, but only members of high society
Typology of vessels from the Viminacium fresco painted tombs
No full textOver the past few decades and during the excavation of the
Roman city and legionary fort of Viminacium, several dozens of frescopainted
tombs were discovered. On some of these outstanding frescos,
vessels are depicted for which it is sometimes difficult to determine the
material they were made of. The authors observed and examined different
possibilities for each of the vessels, in the end summarizing all of the
possibilities and offering the most plausible classification
Geoarheološka i geofizička istraživanja u Drenovcu 2021. godine
No full textU toku 2021. godine na nalazištu u Drenovcu, pored arheoloških iskopavanja (Perić et al.
2024), realizovan je i jedan međunarodni i multidisciplinarni projekat posvećen istraživanju
formiranja nalazišta i rekonstrukciji pejzaža. Projekat Rekonstrukcija paleopejzaža neolitskog
Drenovca i okoline u srednjem Pomoravlju, Srbija (engl. Palaeo-landscape reconstruction of Neolithic
Drenovac and its environs in the middle Morava valley, Serbia) izvodi se na osnovu Sporazuma
o saradnji između Arheološkog instituta iz Beograda, Univerziteta u Kembridžu, Univerziteta
u Gentu, Univerziteta Sent Endrjus i Univerziteta u Sauthemptonu1. Ovaj projekat
zapravo predstavlja nastavak prethodnog geoarheološkog projekta,2 organizovanog u saradnji
sa Univerzitetom u Kembridžu, s tim da je projekat sada metodološki i konceptualno proširen,
te da uključuje i stručnjake iz oblasti geofizike, palinologije i OSL3 datovanja.
Osnovni cilj ovog projekta je da istraži promene u odlikama reljefa i pejzaža od vremena
osnivanja prvog neolitskog naselja u Drenovcu do danas. Arheološka iskopavanja i rezultati
prve faze geoarheoloških istraživanja (Perić et al. 2020; 2021) ukazali su na značajan uticaj
erozije i koluvijalnih naslaga na formiranje današnjeg izgleda nalazišta. U novom projektu geoarheološkim
istraživanjima su priključene i metode daljinske prospekcije (elektromagnetna
indukcija4 i geoelektrična tomografija5) kako bi se prikupili podaci o prostiranju i dubinama
na kojim se javljaju ostaci neolitskog naselja, kao i slojevi faza spiranja/erozije zemljišta sa
obližnjih brda. Takođe, ovom metodologijom će biti moguće registrovati i paleokanale Velike
Morave, ukoliko su postojali u blizini neolitskog naselja. Datovanje slojeva OSL metodom će
dati osnove za stvaranje hronološke sekvence nastanka i oblikovanja doline, i u kombinaciji
sa geofizičkim, geoarheološkim i palinološkim podacima će biti moguće izvršiti detaljnu rekonstrukciju
paleotopografije Drenovca
Morphology of Neolithic cattle from the Balkans, Turkey, And Poland
No full textDifferent morphotypes of cattle in the Early and Middle Neolithic are often explained as animals of different degrees
of domestication or populations of different origins. The distinction between the morphotypes is mainly based on the
study of the size of their bones, but more information is needed to link this biometric data to genetic variation between
the populations of this region. This poster presents the preliminary results of the project - Changes in the morphology
of cattle after the domestication period and its environmental conditions—in the case of Central Anatolia, Western
Balkans, and Central Europe. Our investigation seeks to identify distinct morphotypes of cattle based on bone size
and shape. We utilize traditional biometric methods, including the Logarithm Size Index, alongside three-dimensional
geometric morphometrics applied to astragali. The results are based on data from Turkish, Romanian, Serbian, and
Polish sites, as well as a reference collection of contemporary cattle from Poland
Preliminarni rezultati sondažnih arheoloških istraživanja lokaliteta Adžine Njive-Brajkovo u 2021. godini
No full textLokalitet Adžine Njive – Brajkovo se nalazi se na teritoriji opštine Ruma, sa zapadne strane magistralnog puta Ruma–Šabac, oko 2 km severoistočno od centra sela Кlenak (sl. 1–2). Pozicioniran je na terasi leve obale reke Save. Lokalitet je otkriven sistematskim rekognosciranjima 1967. godine, kao dva zasebna lokaliteta, Adžine Njive i Brajkovo (Popović 1967), koji ustvari predstavljaju jedan lokalitet. Na lokalitetu Adžine Njive vršena su manja zaštitna iskopavanja 1970. godine od strane Zavoda za zaštitu spomenika kulture u Sremskoj Mitrovici (Popović, Vasiljević 1970), kada je otkriveno da je lokalitet višeslojan i da je reč o naselju tipa tel prečnika oko 100 m. Tada su evidentirani horizonti iz neolita, eneolita, ranog bronzanog doba, gvozdenog doba i rimskog perioda (Поповић 1997, 14–15; Ružić, Pavlović 1988, 51), međutim, na početku ovih istraživanja nije bilo moguće precizno ubicirati na terenu položaj sondi na osnovu opisa iz literature
Gilded plaster figurines from the Viminacium graves
No full textViminacium is the capital city of the Roman province of Upper
Moesia (Serbia). Necropolises including more than 14,000 excavated graves
of cremations and inhumations are the site’s most well-known feature.
Within the melted mortar mass of these burials, three cremations including
gilded anthropomorphic lime plaster figurines and heads have been discovered
in the last fifteen years. Eleven variously preserved figurines, including
seven heads, three zoomorphic forms, and several arm and limb fragments
were singled out after conservation and restoration. We propose the theory
that the figurines from Viminacium were decorations for a funerary bed
(lectus funebris), which was probably made of wood. The anthropomorphic
figurines from graves most likely depict a mythical scene with deities and
heroes in a composition, perhaps a procession. For a few of them we were
able to identify certain Roman pantheon deities. According to the stylistic
characteristics of the figurines from Viminacium and funerary practice, we
can associate them with Hellenistic-Oriental influences that could also be
linked to the population that once lived in this city.
The types of graves in which they were found, as well as the modest inventory
of graves suggest that the gilded figurines chronologically belonged
to the period from the middle of the 2nd to the middle of the 3rd century
Revealing the Natural and Cultural History of the Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos) in the Central Balkans Through Archaeology and Archaeogenetics
No full textBrown bear, the strongest and the largest animal native to Europe, experienced a large population decrease during
the Holocene, and even regional extinctions. In the Central Balkans, in present-day Serbia, brown bear populations
are declared as strictly protected mammal species and are subjected to regional protection measures. The analysis
of a large number of faunal collections from Holocene archaeological sites in the region revealed that brown bears
were regularly hunted throughout (pre)history, which suggests that they inhabited the local woods in the long term.
However, due to anthropogenic pressure, the local environment and consequently the brown bear habitats, underwent
significant changes throughout the Holocene. Introduction of domestic plants and animals in the Early Neolithic
and the subsequent spread of agriculture, large scale deforestation and urbanisation from the Roman era onwards,
as well as hunting of the beasts for fun and pleasure, must have impacted the brown bear populations in the region.
To understand the population history of brown bears in the Central Balkans, within the ARCHAEOWILD project
(funded by the Science Fund of Serbia) we conducted a genetic study of ancient brown bears in this region for the
first time. The study of mitogenomes of brown bears revealed three known European subclades in the dataset from
the Central Balkans, with the addition of a new haplogroup not previously discovered elsewhere. We will use the obtained
archaeogenetic data from diachronic and regional perspectives to discover the possible trends of brown bear
population changes. Furthermore, we will link the genetic dataset with specific archaeological contexts, as well as
taphonomic features of the bones, which tell individual stories about human-bear interactions. We believe that the
results regarding the past populations can stimulate current conservation efforts in the management of brown bears
Смртност дечијих индивидуа у средњем веку - Дубље изнад куће и Брсково
Get PDFДеца представљају битан сегмент заједнице и имају важну улогу у реконструкцији здравственог стања древних популација. Антрополошком анализом дечијих скелетних остатака добијамо читав спектар информација о физичком и друштвеном животу, о расту и развоју и одрастању деце, исхрани и дужини живота. Смртност деце се често користи у антропологији као адекватна мера за социјалне и санитарне услове заједнице, за утврђивање напретка популације и сагледавање адаптације популације на промене у окружењу. Због тога се, приликом анализе често поставља питање зашто је тако мало скелетних остатака деце пронађено у археолошком контексту. Једно од највећих ограничења у проучавању деце из археолошког контекста је свакако слаба, или скоро
никаква, очуваност остеолошког материјала, различите погребне праксе и културни обрасци који условљавају како и где ће бити сахрањена деца, итд. Увек треба имати у виду да на присутност дечијих скелета на некрополама, утичу многобројни спољашњи фактори, попут методологије ископавања, односно неистраженост целе некрополе, или и уништавање некрополе савременим радовима. У презентацији ће бити приказан степен смртности дечијих индивидуа на два средњовековна локалитета Дубље изнад куће (Нови Пазар, Србија) и Брсково – Догањице (Мојковац, Црна Гора), као и могуће интерпретације резултата палеодемографске анализе
Sacral Spaces and Sanctuaries in the Roman Central Balkans. Case studies
No full textIn this paper, an effort was made through several case studies, to open numerous and diverse questions about the definition and categories of sacralized spaces in the territory of the Roman Central Balkans during the Antiquity. A large span was covered, starting from sacral spaces attested by preserved architectural remains, through cases where only epigraphic monuments testify about the existence of a templum, aedes, fanum or a shrine, to cases where a combination of elements (epigraphic or archaeological monuments combined with a space presumed to be sacred) implies the place where a particular deity or deities were venerated. Finally, several cases of testimonies of the presence of priests, cult personnel, members of collegia of a particular divinity and other persons related to the temple and tasks linked to religious organisations are also important elements in our knowledge on religious beliefs and experiences of the autochthonous and Romanised inhabitants of the Roman Central Balkans