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Living by the River: Plant Use and Vegetation in the Late Neolithic along the Sava River in Serbia
No full textThe sites of Gomolava and Klenak are situated on the left bank of the Sava River, in the southern Pannonian Plain,
and were intensively occupied from the Neolithic through to Roman times. Recent rescue excavations at Klenak
have uncovered remnants of a Late Neolithic settlement surrounded by multiple ditches, as well as the remains
of Late Neolithic burials. Here, the ongoing archaeobotanical sampling and analysis provide a unique opportunity
to study plant use and deposition in sacred and domestic contexts from the same period (5300-4500 BCE). At
Gomolava, archaeobotanical investigations conducted in the 1970s provided a detailed view on plant production
and surrounding vegetation in the different phases of occupation, including the Late Neolithic settlement. The
two sites are located c. 10 km apart and in the same, predominantly flat landscape. Given their proximity and
coeval Late Neolithic occupations, together they offer important insights into plant use, crop choices and cultivation
practices within a specific environment – the Sava plain, renowned for its high agricultural potential but
prone to flash floods. This poster presents first archaeobotanical results from the site of Klenak and compares
them with the data from Gomolava
Early Eneolithic Obrovac-Type Settlements in the Mačva Region: New Insights from Recent LiDAR Prospection
No full textThe Early Eneolithic period (mid-5th millennium BC) in western Serbia is characterized by a unique type of settlement not known elsewhere in southeastern Europe. These are small circular settlements, usually up to 50 meters in diameter, known as Obrovac-type settlements. They were well fortified with a surrounding ditch and, in some cases, also with an earthen rampart. This represents a distinct and specific settlement form that, according to current research, appears to be characteristic only of western Serbia..
Green Heritage - Archaeological Parks as Living Labs for Achieving Sustainability
No full textGreenHeritage – Nurturing a Sustainable Future in the Gardens of Time is a project launched in 2024 under the Creative Europe Programme, bringing together institutions from Serbia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Coordinated by the Institute of Archaeology, a National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, the project builds on decades of the Institute’s experience in cultural heritage research, protection, and education. Its central aim is to bridge heritage education and green sustainability by engaging younger generations through innovative, participatory approaches. Focusing on archaeological parks as unique learning living labs, GreenHeritage addresses the underutilised educational potential of historical sites. It promotes the understanding of ancient environmental practices and their relevance to today’s climate challenges, fostering awareness of sustainable living models. In line with the European Green Deal and UN Sustainable Development Goals, the project highlights the role of heritage in contemporary environmental discourse. Through transnational cooperation among professionals in archaeology, education, and heritage management, GreenHeritage develops an innovative pedagogical framework and participatory programmes. By integrating tools such as the Minecraft educational platform, the project reaches Generations Z and Alpha, inspiring future heritage guardians. Ultimately, it seeks to establish a Community of Practice to embed ecological principles into heritage-related work across Europe
Metagenomic analysis of sedaDNA from Palaeolithic cave sites in Serbia
No full textPalaeolithic research in Serbia has considerably advanced within the last 20 years, with the discovery and excavation of a growing number of Pleistocene cave sites. These sites provide archaeological contexts to study human occupations and their interactions with the surrounding ecosystems. As natural archives, caves preserve diverse biological sources which are integrated within the sediment and can be used to capture shifts in species interactions and ecosystem responses. The stable microclimate of caves is thought to be beneficial for the preservation of ancient sedimentary DNA (sedaDNA). Because of its highly complex composition, sedaDNA allows for the analysis of past biodiversity through biomolecular and metagenomic approaches.
Here, sedaDNA was extracted from Serbian caves spanning from the Lower to the Upper Paleolithic. Shotgun sequencing and bioinformatics pipelines based on mitochondrial DNA were implemented. The findings were authenticated using various classification pipelines such as MALT, aMeta and quicksand to confirm aDNA preservation and its reliable assignment. We reveal the presence of mammalian taxa that generally agree with the archaeozoological data and associated archaeological contexts, demonstrating the potential of Serbian caves for the study of ancient biodiversity. By integrating shotgun sequencing and bioinformatic workflows with optimized parameters, this research reconstructs past faunal diversity and provides insight into ecological dynamics and species interactions over time. In particular, we uncover ecological patterns which raise questions about the plasticity of cave ecosystems and the resilience of species to environmental fluctuations and human activities
Evolutionary history of the brown bear in the Balkans
No full textThe brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) is an iconic megafauna species that survived the Late Pleistocene extinction. Historically, this large carnivore has been widespread throughout Europe, but human activities, such as hunting and habitat alteration, have caused its extirpation disappearance in many regions. Although brown bear populations are stable in some countries, others are on the brink of extinction. Brown bears in Europe are divided into ten isolated populations, three of which are present in the Balkans, with possible contact zones in Serbia. The main aim of this project is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of this species in the Balkans over the last 50,000 years using advanced biomolecular methods. Preliminary results for Holocene brown bears from Serbia have shown high mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity. We detected not only all known European mtDNA lineages but also a new lineage that has not yet been described. This suggests that the genetic diversity was much higher in the past. In this project, we plan to analyse the osteological remains of brown bears excavated from various palaeontological and archaeological sites in Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy, dating from the Late Pleistocene to the Middle Ages. Modern samples from the Dinaric-Pindos population collected in recent years by non-invasive sampling will also be included. This project incorporates the newest methods of genomics, paleogenomics, and isotope biochemistry (stable isotopes and radiocarbon dating). Genome-wide data will enable temporal and spatial analyses to provide information on demography, ancestry, past admixture events and migrations, relationships between individuals and populations, and changes in effective population size. Stable isotope analysis of bone collagen carbon and nitrogen will be used to reconstruct the diet. The chronology of the bone samples will be confirmed by direct AMS radiocarbon dating of bone collagen.
Project is funded by National Science Centre, Poland 2024/53/B/NZ8/02682
Application of the LiDAR method in hilly and mountainous areas archaeological sites: Trojanov Grad, Bodnjik, Ćetaće-Sena, Golubac, Miroč, and Banoštor
No full textA modern archaeological approach to the study of cultural heritage requires researchers to possess as much spatial data as possible in order to make their work as precise and effective as possible. In contemporary archaeology, one of the most important aspects is the continuous improvement of technological research methods that facilitate the process of data collection. With the development of new technologies, it has become possible to gather information in accessible ways, using recording and measuring methods that do not have a destructive impact on archaeological sites—thus providing new momentum for the discovery of new sites and the analysis of existing ones. Remote sensing has, for some time now, been emerging as an indispensable method for collecting large-scale spatial data. LiDAR represents one of the remote sensing methods used in the process of collecting spatial data. This system enables the generation of high-resolution topographic data, even beneath dense vegetation. LiDAR systems emit laser pulses from aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and measure the return time of each pulse to construct three-dimensional point clouds of the terrain. The use of such a system allows for the acquisition of vast amounts of information about recorded objects. Laser scanning was developed to meet the need for digital terrain models across different elevations and altitudes, particularly in situations where traditional methods are insufficient. Through several examples of elevated sites—covered with vegetation, without vegetation, or located within modern settlements—we present results and address methodological challenges and applied solutions
Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962-2024)
No full textO presente artigo resume a trajetória e as contribuições do antropológo Thomas Hylland Eriksen, falecido em novembro de 2024
Примена сателитских снимака приликом мапирања траса и структура бедема и унутрашњих структура утврђења Улпијана и Јустинијана Секунда
No full textОстаци утврђења Ulpiana и Iustiniana Sekunda били су предмет истраживања током осамдесетих година прошлог века од стране стручњака из тадашње Социјалистичке Републике Србије и САП Косово и Метохија. Од тада до данас на терену више није могуће ангажовање кадрова српке националности из политичких и правних разлога, чиме је доступност података српским истраживачима онемогућена. Примена сателитских снимака је у таквим околностима од посебне важности за мапирање остатака фортификација ових утврђења. Анализом снимака уочено је да постоје одређене физичке структуре чији правци упадљиво одступају од савремених антрпогених активности на терену. Прецизно мапирање наведених структура омогућава реконструкцију праваца појединих секција бедема, одређивање тачног положаја кула, праваца појединих комуникација и одређених објеката унутар утврђења који ће бити откривени приликом будућих археолошких истраживања
Кроз призму струке и праксе: пројекат‚ „Интерпретација културног наслеђа у туристичком вођењу
No full textУ новембру 2024. године, изведена је дводневна стручна обука ‚‘Интерпретација културног наслеђа у туристичком вођењу,‘‘ у организацији Удружења туристичких водича Србије и суорганизацији Археолошког института Београд и Академије струковних студија Београд, која је финансијски подржана од стране Министарства туризма и омладине Републике Србије
Archaeological perspectives on periphery-centre interactions in medieval Serbia
No full textAs previous research has shown, urbanization in the territory of medieval Serbia was a regionally specific process that underwent significant changes following the Ottoman conquests. With the exception of the Adriatic coastline and newly conquered Byzantine territories, cities, as they were known across broader Europe, began to emerge in medieval Serbia only during the late Middle Ages (starting in the early 14th century), while the role of central places was often fulfilled by military fortifications, unfortified markets, and royal monasteries. In contrast to these central places, their rural hinterlands, despite their significance, remain insufficiently explored and have predominantly been viewed as areas managed by social elites for the purpose of resource and labor exploitation rather than as dynamic spaces that actively influenced the development, organization, and transformation of central places. This poster aims to present the multidimensional relationships between rural and urban environments, focusing on the exchange of goods, technology, knowledge, people, power, and religious practices, with particular emphasis on the ways in which rural communities and landscapes contributed to the formation and functioning of these centers