Mapping the Depths: Sonar Prospection of the Trajan’s Pontoon Bridge at Lederata (the Danube Limes)

The research presented focuses on investigating the Trajan Pontoon Bridge, which once connected the Roman fortresses of Lederata and Sapaja across the Danube. Constructed at the beginning of the First Dacian War, this bridge played a crucial role in facilitating the movement of Roman troops into enemy territory. The study utilizes sonar prospection, marking the first application of this technology in Serbian archaeology, and aims to map submerged remains to confirm the bridge's location and identify its structural elements. Conducted within the framework of the SEED project for young researchers at the Institute of Archaeology in Belgrade, this research seeks to integrate advanced hydrographic survey techniques with traditional archaeological methods. The sonar investigation has the potential to reveal the exact positions of the bridge's wooden anchoring pillars, which supported its floating sections, offering new insights into the engineering strategies employed by the Romans during the early 2nd century AD. This underwater exploration will provide crucial empirical data for understanding the spatial distribution of Roman military architecture along the Danube. A multidisciplinary approach, combining sonar data with historical and epigraphic sources, sets a precedent for future underwater archaeological research in Serbia. The methodological approach and findings from this research will hopefully advance our understanding of Roman military logistics and underline the importance of sonar prospection for archaeology. Sonar is the only viable method for studying Roman underwater architectural remains along the middle Danube limes due to the limited water clarity and the impact of two massive dams constructed in the Iron Gates gorge, which submerged many ancient sites

Living on river terraces: Settlement dynamics in the lower West Morava floodplain (Serbia)

The existence of key routes within established road networks, along with the overall favorable conditions for settling, has resulted in the continuous habitation of the fertile plains and river terraces surrounding the course of the West Morava River from the Paleolithic to the modern era. However, due to the relatively limited archaeological exploration of the area, it has not been possible to determine the existence of potential settlement systems or the dynamics of their changes across different historical periods. Although life along the river and its fertile plains was of exceptional, perhaps even crucial importance for the overall development of settlements in the past, this watercourse contributed to natural hydrological disasters until the modern era. In certain historical periods, such events may have been catastrophic for the existing settlements and detrimental to economic development of society, particularly through their impact on agriculture. To test the hypothesis that frequent flooding of the fertile plains was a key factor in the selection of settlement locations in the past, the authors launched a three-year archaeological survey of the study area in 2018. The results of the surveys, supplemented by data from previous archaeological investigations, as well as recent prospection and rescue excavations that preceded the construction of a motorway there, have to some extent added to the existing knowledge about life along the banks of the West Morava during prehistoric and historical periods. In this context, this study aims to determine the degree to which changes in the river flow and flooding of the West Morava influenced the establishment of permanent and seasonal settlement systems in its lower course. The analysis is based on archaeological research and surveys conducted to date, complemented by the application of 2D and 3D hydraulic modelling in GIS

Downstream from Belgrade: Medieval Cemeteries and Burial Practices in the Danube Region of the Central Balkans

During the medieval period, the Danube region of the Central Balkans (the Serbian Danube region) was a dynamic transitional area, functioning as both a borderland and a contact zone. From the south and east, the region was influenced by the Byzantine Empire, the Bulgarian Khanate/Empire, and the Kingdom of Serbia, while to the north of the river lay the territories of the Avar Khaganate and the Kingdom of Hungary. Its strategic location, combined with shifting administrative boundaries, facilitated the movement and interaction of diverse populations, shaping local social and cultural practices. This paper examines the development of medieval cemeteries, focusing primarily on those from the 9th to the 13th centuries, and analyses how broader historical dynamics influenced local funerary customs. It is important to emphasise that there is no evidence of cremation burials in this part of the Danube region. Inhumation in row cemeteries, often accompanied by the personal adornments of the deceased, remained the predominant burial practice throughout the medieval period. Grave goods such as military items and food offerings are relatively rare. However, over time, significant changes took place, particularly in the spatial organization of cemeteries, along with a gradual decline in the inclusion of attire items in graves. Early medieval cemeteries were frequently situated near or within Late Roman fortifications and buildings, highlighting the continued strategic significance of these sites. By the High Middle Ages, burial grounds underwent significant spatial transformations, with cemeteries often being established in new areas. In contrast to the widespread integration of churchyard cemeteries across Christian Europe, burial sites in the Danube region were only occasionally associated with churches, reflecting a distinctive regional pattern

Living by the River: Plant Use and Vegetation in the Late Neolithic along the Sava River in Serbia

The 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

Анализа сличности и разлика у димензијама кућа на каснонеолитским налазиштима Централног Поморавља

Овај рад се заснива на одређивању површине стамбених објеката на три каснонеолитска насеља (5300–4500 п.н.е) у Централном Поморављу — Дреновац, Супска и Краљево Поље. Циљ истраживања је да се, на основу варијабилности у величинама кућа, кроз компаративну анализу унутар и између насеља, испитају просторне специфичности и потенцијални индикатори друштвене стратификације. Методолошки приступ обухвата примену једносмерне анализе варијансе (ANOVA) ради идентификације статистички значајних разлика у површинама кућа између локалитета, док је Гини коефицијент коришћен за процену степена друштвене неједнакости на основу расподеле величина кућа. Резултати указују на постојање разлика у просечним величинама кућа између локалитета, као и на различите нивое варијабилности унутар самих насеља. Иако су разлике у димензијама објеката уочене, ниске вредности Гини коефицијента указују на одсуство изражене социјалне стратификације, што говори у прилог релативно егалитарној организацији ових заједница. Добијени подаци пружају основ за даље анализе односа између величине кућа, оријентације објеката и могуће хронолошке динамике развоја насеља

Preliminarni rezultati antropološke analize skeleta sa srednjovekovne nekropole Dublje iznad kuće, kampanja 2018

U radu će biti prikazani preliminarni rezultati antropološke analize skeleta iz grobova koji su istraženi na jednom delu srednjovekovne nekropole na lokalitetu Dublje iznad Kuće (Novi Pazar, Srbija), tokom istraživačke kampanje 2018. godine. Srednjovekovna nekropola Dublje iznad Kuće se nalazi oko 250 m zapadno od Petrove crkve u Novom Pazaru. Nekropola je otkrivena slučajno, trasiranjem komunikacije za novo pravoslavno groblje 2011. godine, i tom prilikom je uništeno nekoliko grobova (Видосављевић, Војводић 2017, 213). Zaštitna arheološka istraživanja su počela 2017 (Видосављевић, Војводић 2017) i dalje nastavljena tokom 2018 (Видосављевић,Војводић 2018) i 2020. godine (Видосављевић,Војводић 2020)

Lead object in the shape of an amphora with an inscription from Naissus

During the systematic excavation of the presumed medieval Church of St Panteleimon in the eastern part of Niš (Naissus), a lead object in the form of a hollow cast amphora was discovered in a so-called “ceramic pit”. The object featured floral decorations and a two-line Greek inscription, which can be read as: ΕΙΡΩΝΟCΗ/ΡΙΝ. Miniature lead amphorae constitute a notable category of small finds of the Late Roman Republican and Imperial periods and Late Antiquity. These miniature vessels were not intended for everyday use but served as containers for medicines, ointments, or other liquids. Comparable objects and moulds have primarily been found in the Eastern Mediterranean, although the majority are held in museum collections without secure archaeological provenance. Some lead containers bear a Greek name in the genitive case, most likely indicating the pharmacist (or physician) responsible for preparing the contents. In one confirmed instance, an inscription identified the amphora as containing a remedy for eye diseases; the specimen from Naissus was likely used for the treatment of nasal ailments. On morphological and linguistic grounds, the Naissus find can be dated to the Roman Imperial period (2nd–3rd century), and no later than the late 3rd century CE. In this contribution, we aim to offer a more comprehensive analysis of the Naissus vessel’s inscription, which would help to date this object more precisely. Additionally, we intend to provide a review of related ancient literary sources and archaeological materials to gain better insight into their purpose in the Roman period and Late Antiquity

The first biomolecular evidence of leopards (Panthera pardus, Linnaeus, 1758) from the Roman era reveals the participation of African big cats in provincial amphitheatres

Numerous ancient texts and iconographic evidence point to the frequent use of leopards and other exotic big cats in amphitheatre spectacles. However, due to their scarce presence in archaeofaunal collections, it has been assumed that these fierce beasts, of African and Asian origin, were mainly showcased in the Colosseum in Rome and a few other large Italian amphitheatres. In contrast, provincial amphitheatres were thought to feature more locally accessible animals, such as brown bears and wild boar. During the excavation of the amphitheatre in Viminacium, situated along the Danube Limes in present-day Serbia, a part of a leopard’s front limb was uncovered dated to 240–350 cal CE (95% probability). Genetic analysis indicates that it belonged to a male leopard of African origin, while carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N) stable isotopes reflect leopard diet in the wild, before captivity. This unique discovery offers new insights into the participation and supply of exotic beasts for provincial amphitheatres and uncovers aspects of animal trading during Roman times

The Early Bronze Age Grave From The Site of Svinjarička Čuka. New Data on Burial Customs and Cultural Interactions of the Early Bronze Age in the Central Balkans.

During the excavations of the multi-layered prehistoric site of Svinjarička Čuka in south-eastern Serbia, a single burial was recorded. According to the grave goods, the burial custom, and an absolute date, the burial can be positioned into the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. The remains of the deceased female individual were recorded within a stone cist, accompanied by pieces of gold jewellery and red ochre. Altogether, the burial custom and its architecture are quite uncommon for this region during the Early Bronze Age and, so far, represent a unique find within the South Morava valley and the neighbouring regions. This study provides a detailed interpretation of the grave, along with the anthropological analyses of the deceased and the analyses of the chemical-physical composition of the gold objects

Absolute dating of Bronze Age urn burials in the central Balkans: Cemeteries of copper-producing societies in eastern Serbia

Ever since the first discovery of urn burials in eastern Serbia during the 1980s, their dating has been uncertain and based on distant analogies and typological parallels. In this paper, we present radiocarbon dates from five urn cemeteries and three associated settlement sites, showing that the initial dating (Late Bronze Age; 14th–11th BCE) is highly questionable. Instead, radiocarbon dating and modeling presented here connect the urn cemeteries—characterized by a specific grave architecture and associated with settlements that display evidence of copper production—to a period between the 20th and 16th centuries BC. The fact that many of our dates come from cremated bones requires a discussion with regard to the circumstances of carbon exchange during cremation. The absolute dates thus far available for most urn cemeteries from the neighboring regions of the Balkans are all markedly younger (15th–11th century BC) than the data presented here and fall in the frame of the overall expansion of cremation in Europe during the Urnfield period. The new absolute dates from eastern Serbia provide a possibility to change our understanding of the Bronze Age dynamics of the 2nd millennium in the broader area of southeastern Europe and indicate a much earlier acceptance of cremation among certain groups than previously thought