Paulje, mound XI (mound K): new absolute dates and provenience of the earliest amber finds in Serbia

Rad prikazuje tri nova apsolutna datuma centralnog groba humke XI (K) na nekropoli Paulje u donjem slivu reke Drine. Takođe, prikazuju se rezultati FTIR spektroskopije ćilibarskih nalaza iz četiri humke sa nekropole, uključujući i tumul XI (K). Uopšte uzev, nije bilo iznenađujućih rezultata, tj. centralni grob idealno se uklapa u predloženi hronološki okvir tzv. Brezjačke kulture (15/14. stoleće pre n.e.), dok su ćilibarski nalazi zasigurno baltičkog porekla. Ove dve činjenice ukazuju da bi se u donjem toku reke Drine ćilibarski nalazi mogli okarakterisati kao jedno od najranijih pojava tzv. baltičkog ćilibra na prostoru centralnog Balkana. Rad je rezultat projekta Nacionalnog naučnog centra Poljske (NCN) pod brojem 2015/17/N/HS3/00052 i nazivom Circum-Adriatic branch of the amber route in the Bronze Age, i Istraživačkog centra Vazar koledža i Emili Ebi fonda za 2017. godinu pod nazivom Amber Trade in the Balkans and Apennine Peninsula in the Bronze Age. Istraživanje je podržano od strane Fonda za nauku Republike Srbije, Poziv IDEJE No 7750074, Interactions-Transmission-Transformation: Longdistance connections in Copper and Bronze Age of the Central Balkans – The FLOW.This paper presents three new absolute dates for the central grave of mound XI (K) at the Paulje necropolis in the lower Drina valley. Also, we present the results of FTIR spectroscopy for the amber finds from the 4 mounds in the necropolis, including mound XI (K). In general the results confirm the earlier assumed chronology of the site - the 14C AMS dates fit the timeframe – the central grave fits ideally the previous timeframe for the Brezjak culture, i.e. the 15th and 14th century BC, and all of the amber samples are definitely of Baltic origin. These two facts clearly suggest that the amber finds from the lower Drina could mark one of the earliest appearances of Baltic amber in the Central Balkans. This work was supported by the National Science Centre (NCN) of Poland under grant no. 2015/17/N/HS3/00052 Circum-Adriatic branch of the amber route in the Bronze Age, and by the Vassar College Research Committee with the 2017 Emily Abbey Fund for Amber Trade in the Balkans and Apennine Peninsula in the Bronze Age. This research was supported by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, Grant IDEJE No 7750074, Interactions-Transmission-Transformation: Long-distance connections in Copper and Bronze Age of the Central Balkans – The FLOW

Circum-Adriatic branch of the amber route in the Bronze Age

Wydział ArcheologiiNiniejsza dysertacja składa się z szeregu rozdziałów poruszających różne aspekty obecności bursztynu w basenie Adriatyku w epoce brązu, tj. 2 tyś. p.n.e. W pierwszej kolejności odtworzono dynamikę napływu bursztynu do strefy nadadriatyckiej oraz określono społeczności (kultur archeologiczne) partycypujące w tym procesie. Następnie ustalono rodzaje żywic kopalnych (typy bursztynu), które były dostępne i wykorzystywane przez te społeczności. W trzecim rozdziale dokonano analizy typologicznej zabytków bursztynowych z obszaru badań. Kolejnym etapem była rekonstrukcja cyrkulacji bursztynu w obrębie strefy nadadriatyckiej w oparciu o wcześniej dokonaną typologizację oraz pozostałe dane związane z badanymi znaleziskami. W rozdziale czwartym zdefiniowano materialny i symboliczny status bursztynu dla kultur strefy nadadriatyckiej epoki brązu, w tym jego funkcjonalność (tj. sposoby użytkowania), wartość wymienną (w ramach kontaktów handlowych), aspekty poza-użytkowe (m.in. miejsce we wierzeniach) oraz atrybucję społeczną (tj. konotacje bursztynu z wiekiem, płcią, tożsamością oraz pozycją społeczną jego użytkowników). Wreszcie w rozdziale piątym scharakteryzowano rolę strefy nadadriatyckiej oraz poszczególnych społeczności zamieszkujących ją w systemie dalekosiężnej wymiany surowców i dóbr, obejmującej Europę i Bliski Wschód w dobie epoki brązu. Ponadto, ustalono tożsamość prawdopodobnych dostawców bursztynu oraz partnerów handlowych w jego translokacji na północ i na południe od obszaru badań.Presented dissertation comprises a number of chapters which consider various aspects of amber’s presence in the Adriatic Basin during the Bronze Age, that is the 2nd millennium BC. In the first place the dynamics of amber’s inflow to the circum-Adriatic zone were reconstructed, and the communities (archaeological cultures) participating in this process were described. Next, the varieties of fossil resins (types of amber) available to and used by those societies were determined. In the third chapter amber artefacts from the study area were classified typologically. Following stage of the work was devoted to reconstruction of amber’s circulation within the circum-Adriatic zone on the basis of earlier created typology of finds and other data related to them. The fourth chapter discusses material and symbolic status of amber for communities of the circum-Adriatic zone, including its functionality (i.e. modes of using amber), commodity value (within the scope of trade relations), non-utilitarian aspects (i.e. place in beliefs and rituals) and social attribution (i.e. connotations with age, sex, identity and social standing of amber’s users). Finally, in the fifth chapter the role of the circum-Adriatic zone and communities inhabiting it within the long-distance trade network, encompassing Europe and the Near East during the Bronze Age, was characterised. Furthermore, the identity of most-likely suppliers of amber and other trade partners in its translocation to the north and south of the study area was determined

Circum-Adriatic branch of the amber route in the Bronze Age

Wydział ArcheologiiNiniejsza dysertacja składa się z szeregu rozdziałów poruszających różne aspekty obecności bursztynu w basenie Adriatyku w epoce brązu, tj. 2 tyś. p.n.e. W pierwszej kolejności odtworzono dynamikę napływu bursztynu do strefy nadadriatyckiej oraz określono społeczności (kultur archeologiczne) partycypujące w tym procesie. Następnie ustalono rodzaje żywic kopalnych (typy bursztynu), które były dostępne i wykorzystywane przez te społeczności. W trzecim rozdziale dokonano analizy typologicznej zabytków bursztynowych z obszaru badań. Kolejnym etapem była rekonstrukcja cyrkulacji bursztynu w obrębie strefy nadadriatyckiej w oparciu o wcześniej dokonaną typologizację oraz pozostałe dane związane z badanymi znaleziskami. W rozdziale czwartym zdefiniowano materialny i symboliczny status bursztynu dla kultur strefy nadadriatyckiej epoki brązu, w tym jego funkcjonalność (tj. sposoby użytkowania), wartość wymienną (w ramach kontaktów handlowych), aspekty poza-użytkowe (m.in. miejsce we wierzeniach) oraz atrybucję społeczną (tj. konotacje bursztynu z wiekiem, płcią, tożsamością oraz pozycją społeczną jego użytkowników). Wreszcie w rozdziale piątym scharakteryzowano rolę strefy nadadriatyckiej oraz poszczególnych społeczności zamieszkujących ją w systemie dalekosiężnej wymiany surowców i dóbr, obejmującej Europę i Bliski Wschód w dobie epoki brązu. Ponadto, ustalono tożsamość prawdopodobnych dostawców bursztynu oraz partnerów handlowych w jego translokacji na północ i na południe od obszaru badań.Presented dissertation comprises a number of chapters which consider various aspects of amber’s presence in the Adriatic Basin during the Bronze Age, that is the 2nd millennium BC. In the first place the dynamics of amber’s inflow to the circum-Adriatic zone were reconstructed, and the communities (archaeological cultures) participating in this process were described. Next, the varieties of fossil resins (types of amber) available to and used by those societies were determined. In the third chapter amber artefacts from the study area were classified typologically. Following stage of the work was devoted to reconstruction of amber’s circulation within the circum-Adriatic zone on the basis of earlier created typology of finds and other data related to them. The fourth chapter discusses material and symbolic status of amber for communities of the circum-Adriatic zone, including its functionality (i.e. modes of using amber), commodity value (within the scope of trade relations), non-utilitarian aspects (i.e. place in beliefs and rituals) and social attribution (i.e. connotations with age, sex, identity and social standing of amber’s users). Finally, in the fifth chapter the role of the circum-Adriatic zone and communities inhabiting it within the long-distance trade network, encompassing Europe and the Near East during the Bronze Age, was characterised. Furthermore, the identity of most-likely suppliers of amber and other trade partners in its translocation to the north and south of the study area was determined

The Middle, Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Cemetery in Skołoszów, site 7, Dist. Jarosław, in the Light of the Results of Non-invasive Archaeological Survey in 2016

In the autumn of 2016 a geomagnetic survey was conducted in Skołoszów, site. 7, Dist Jarosław. The magnetic prospection took place on a low hill spanning 2.12 ha in total. Distribution of the anomalies, as visible on a map depicting obtained data, reflects numerous structures related to human activity in the area during the prehistory and historic times. Among them are two features interpreted as residues of funerary rituals taking place at the site. One of them pertains to Middle Neolithic earthen long barrow, whereas the second by its shape resembles Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age tumuli. Apart from the latter, one can discern numerous anomalies potentially related to pits and ditches. Interpretation of the geophysical imagery was based upon the results of excavations conducted in 2010 in the nearby section of Skołoszów, site 7. In the process, funeral structures in the types of earthen long barrow and a presumable tumulus were recorded. Thus, it is possible to confront observations inferred from the results of non-invasive, magnetometric survey, with data obtained by means of more direct exploratory methods. Besides the prehistoric record, our investigation resulted in reconstruction of the trenches most probably dating to the First World War

The Middle, Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Cemetery in Skołoszów, site 7, Dist. Jarosław, in the Light of the Results of Non-invasive Archaeological Survey in 2016

In the autumn of 2016 a geomagnetic survey was conducted in Skołoszów, site. 7, Dist Jarosław. The magnetic prospection took place on a low hill spanning 2.12 ha in total. Distribution of the anomalies, as visible on a map depicting obtained data, reflects numerous structures related to human activity in the area during the prehistory and historic times. Among them are two features interpreted as residues of funerary rituals taking place at the site. One of them pertains to Middle Neolithic earthen long barrow, whereas the second by its shape resembles Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age tumuli. Apart from the latter, one can discern numerous anomalies potentially related to pits and ditches. Interpretation of the geophysical imagery was based upon the results of excavations conducted in 2010 in the nearby section of Skołoszów, site 7. In the process, funeral structures in the types of earthen long barrow and a presumable tumulus were recorded. Thus, it is possible to confront observations inferred from the results of non-invasive, magnetometric survey, with data obtained by means of more direct exploratory methods. Besides the prehistoric record, our investigation resulted in reconstruction of the trenches most probably dating to the First World War

Uncovering a Bronze Age landscape. A case study from Krotoszyn Forest (Poland)

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Barrows from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age in the Upper Dniester River Basin in Ukraine. Geophysical Research and Archaeological Verification

This article evaluates the potential of magnetometry to establish the internal structure of three mounds in the barrow cemetery of Bukivna in the Upper Dniester River Basin in Ukraine.We also evaluate the effects of geomorphological processes on the magnetometric results. The three-stage research method we applied comprises the preparation of a digital elevation model of the mounds, conducting geomagnetic surveys and, finally, targeted excavations, the latter enabling the verification of previously detected magnetic anomalies. In effect our studies show exceptionally complex geophysical anomalies, difficult to interpret with any certainty. In the peculiar case of the barrows 6 and 7 in group I, partly connected by an earthen mantle, the overlapping magnetic fields did not allow the two mounds to be distinguished from each other; it was possible to achieve only through subsequent excavations. In both barrows, a series of ritual and sepulchral structures were discovered that provided clear magnetic signals. The arrangement of the anomalies in the mound 1, group II, potentially reflects various aspects of the barrow’s structure and its state of preservation, beginning with postdepositional processes related to erosion or to the run-off of material down the slope, and ending with the mound’s stratigraphy, formed over the course of two phases. In turn, in the case of mounds 6 and 7, it can be assumed that the effects of these processes have been somewhat “suppressed” in the magnetometric image, due to the strong impact of the burnt wooden structures located underneath the feature

Le ambre di Campestrin e l’origine della decorazione tipo Tirinto. In “Frattesina cinquant’anni dopo. Il Delta del Po tra Europa e Mediterraneo nei secoli attorno al 1000 a.C.”

This work is a synthesis (and expansion) of two reports presented at the conference “Frattesina fifty years later. The Po Delta between Europe and the Mediterranean in the centuries around 1000 BC”, held in Rovigo in 2018. The orginal works were dedicated respectively:to the ambers of the processing site of Campestrin di Grignano Polesine (Rovigo - Italy) and to the chrono-typological evolution of the amber beads traditionally referred to as ‘Tiryns type’. The settlement of Campestrin was discovered in 2007 and four excavation campaigns were carried out between 2008 and 2011. The site is located in the low plain between the final sections of the Adige and Po rivers, close to the right bank of an ancient branch of the Po river known as ‘Po di Adria’ and near its Delta. It seems to have had a relatively short life (Recent Bronze Age 2 and Final Bronze Age 1 - 12th century BC), therefore coeval to the first phase Frattesina di Fratta Polesine, the well-known production and trading center, located about 8 km further to the west along the same river course. The news of the oldest known amber processing site south of the Baltic region has been welcomed by many scholars as proof of the active role of the North Adriatic region in the production and circulation of artifacts made with amber of North European origin (or ‘Baltic’). This hypothesis was already proposed by some scholars after the discovery, in 1967, of Frattesina, despite the lacking of specific indicators of amber processing. These are widely documented in Campestrin, which among its products also includes ‘Tiryns-type’ beads. As it is known, the ‘Tiryns type’ is mainly dated between the 13th/12th and 11th centuries BC (but in Italy also up to the 9th century BC) and found in a very wide area: from the central Mediterranean to the Aegean, with extremes ranging from Sardinia to the Eastern Mediterranean and to Ukraine. It is essentially one of the components of the so-called koiné of the late European and Mediterranean Bronze Age (weapons and ornamental elements), which coexisted and went beyond the crisis of the 12th century BC. The purpose of the paper is to present the finished artifacts currently identified in Campestrin, as well as the finds in the processing phase recognized as pertinent to the operational chain of objects characterized by the presence of the central rib (‘Tiryns type’). Still under study are the other possible operating chains. As regards the specimens of the so-called ‘Tiryns type’ (finished and unfinished), a new typological classification is also proposed, based on various formal parameters that made it possible to distinguish several types. In this new proposal, the presence of the central rib is seen as a decorative modality defined as ‘Tiryns-type decoration’. Added to this are the analysis of processing traces, in particular of the types with Tiryns-type decoration, and the investigation of the provenance of the raw material, characterized as succinite, the so-called ‘Baltic amber’. Ample space is given to artefacts with Tiryns-type decoration: previous studies, distribution, chronology and new hypotheses on origin and possible processing centers, based on a model created with the Network Analysis. Although it is still early to propose a precise reconstruction of the development of the Tiryns-type decoration (the chronology of many specimens is imprecise), the phases provisionally proposed in this work (phase 1 = RBA1 (?)/2-FBA1 and phase 2 ≥ FBA2) allow for some new more precise observations. In the first phase, when Campestrin is dated, the decorative innovation ‘Tiryns type’, applied on different types of biconical, truncated and cylindrical amber beads, seems to be limited to the Adriatic and Ionian basins with a particular concentration in the North central-eastern Italy and more rarefied presences along the coasts, up to the extreme south of Greece. The first presence of decoration on the northern Tyrrhenian side of the Italian peninsula should also be attributed to this phase. In these areas the beads with ‘Tiryns-type decoration’, especially those of a cylindrical shape, show a certain morphological affinity – an indication of their origin from the production center of Campestrin, or from other possible processing centers in the North-Italian area. Furthermore, it is possible to argue that, in the first phase, amber beads decorated with median ribs produced in central-eastern northern Italy reached: the Mediterranean Levant, probably Bohemia and perhaps Ukraine. It still has to be ascertained, however, whether the presumed Sardinian processing centers were already active at this stage. Subsequently, from FBA2, the Tiryns-type decoration seems to have spread further in the areas previously affected by the phenomenon, with apparently more substantial contributions in areas where only single or few elements appeared in the first phase, as in the case of the central Tyrrhenian side and now also southern (Lipari, Piazza Monfalcone). Even in the case of the exceptional complex of Hordeevka (Ukraine) - kurgan 38 it is possible to presume an origin of the beads with Tiryns (and Allumiere) decorations from workshops in north-eastern Italy, also considering that the ambers of Hordeevka are not the only elements that refer to northern Italian production traditions (glass beads) or costume (fibulae with raised violin bow) in the North Pontic territory, between Moldova and Ukraine. After the end of Campestrin, in the second phase it is possible to hypothesize the birth (or development) of new centres specialized in the processing of amber that adapt the Tiryns-type decorative motif to new supports or elaborate the motif in new ways. One of these centres is Frattesina, also in the Polesine area, as well as at least one centre (currently unspecified) in the Kvarner-Dalmatia- Lika area. To those, the presumed workshops operating in Sardinia can be added, perhaps in an later moment of the FBA. It is in FBA2 that the frequent association of beads with Tiryns-type decoration with elements in which another decorative style appears, with parallel incisions or grooves: the Allumiere-type decoration. From FBA3, with the only possible exceptions of the Sardinian flattened beads and the presumable keimelia of Osteria dell’Osa, the ‘Allumiere type’ decoration will completely replace the ‘Tiryns type’ in the central Mediterranean, outside of which both types are no longer present