Novi Čeminac - Ćirina ada, Archaeological Trial Excavations

Probna arheološka istraživanja provedena su na lokalitetu Novi Čeminac-Ćirina ada zbog utvrđivanja vrste i veličine arheološkog nalazišta. Iskopavanjima je utvrđeno kako se radi o ostacima zgrada iz 18. ili 19. st. te da se lokalitet iz latenskog vremena nalazi sjevernije od utvrđenog arheološkog lokaliteta AN 11, na trasi buduće ceste Beli Manastir – Svilaj, dionica Beli Manastir-Osijek.Archaeological trial excavations at the Novi Čeminac-Ćirina ada site (AN 11) were conducted by the Institute of Archaeolog y in September 2008. The Ćirina ada site is located south of the village of Novi Čeminac in Baranja, and it is jeopardized by the planned construction of a motorway between marks 20+400.00 and 20+800.00. The total surface of the site is 32,000 m2. At the Ćirina ada site, most of the structures are on elevated parts of the site, and the highest density of the fill of structures and architectural remains is between marks 20+400 and 20+470 m, and between 20+600 and 20+700 m. These are mostly the remains of brick walls connected with lime mortar, smaller pits and post holes. There were no archaeological artefacts in the humus. A total of 36 modern period structures were identified (19 post holes, 10 walls, 5 pits and 2 channels). Archaeological trial excavations demonstrated that the highest density of modern period structures was between marks 20+400 and 20+470 m, and between 20+600 and 20+700 m. These are probably the remains of a small farm rom the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century

Field Survey of Part of the Route of the Donji Miholjac-Slobodnica Natural Gas Main in Osijek-Baranja County

U terenskom pregledu dijela trase plinovoda Donji Miholjac-Slobodnica, na području Osječko-baranjske županije, zabilježena su 42 arheološka nalazišta, od kojih je tek manji broj bio poznat, također na osnovi prikupljenih površinskih nalaza. Rezultat terenskog pregleda pokazuje kako su nalazišta ravnomjerno raspoređena duž cijele trase plinovoda, kako u dravskoj ravnici, tako i na pitomim sjevernim brežuljcima Krndije. Otkrivena arheološka nalazišta u najvećem broju pripadaju razdobljima prapovijesti i srednjeg vijeka. Na najvećem broju nalazišta prikupljeni su površinski ulomci keramičkih posuda, opeka i kamenih artefakata koji omogućavaju njihovo okvirno kronološko i kulturološko određenje, dok će tek buduća zaštitna istraživanja preciznije definirati granice samih nalazišta.In a field survey of part of the route of the Donji Miholjac-Slobodnica natural gas main in Osijek Baranja County, 42 archaeological sites were registered (Fig. 1), of which only a smaller number were previously known, principally as a result of collected surface finds (Table 1). The field survey results demonstrate how the sites are evenly distributed along the entire natural gas main’s route: in the Drava valley, as well as the gentle hills of Krndija (Fig. 1). The archaeological sites mostly date to the periods of prehistory and the Middle Ages (Table 1). At most sites, fragments of ceramic vessels, bricks and stone artefacts were collected, which enable their approximate chronological and cultural determination, while future rescue excavations will enable a more precise definition of the boundaries of the sites. Some of the oldest archaeological sites dating from prehistoric times were registered in this region, belonging to the Starčevo culture. In the Bronze and Iron Ages, two cultural groups of different origin were in contact with each other in this territory, and their communication reached its peak in the Late Iron Age as Podravina, settled by Scordiscs and Andizetes, became an area of intense trans-European contact. In Classical Antiquity, an important route passed through Podravina, connecting the south-eastern Alps with the Danube region along one of the most important communication routes, the Poetovio-Mursa road. In the Middle Ages, Podravina and the slopes of Krndija remained important, as indicated by dense settlement, and the documented largest number of registered sites

Das Verhältnis der Dalj- und Bosut-Gruppe auf dem Gebiet des kroatischen Donauraums am Anfang der älteren Eisenzeit

Prostor hrvatskog Podunavlja zbog svoga strateškog položaja, uz najvažniju europsku prirodnu prometnicu, oduvijek je bio predmetom zanimanja brojnih populacija još od prapovijesnih vremena. Dunav nije samo spajao različite svjetove, nego ih je i razdvajao. Bogata arheološka građa iz doba prvih stoljeća posljednjeg tisućljeća prije Krista, koja je zabilježena na nalazištima na području Baranje, istočne Slavonije i zapadnog Srijema, svjedoči o važnosti ovog prostora u definiranju prijelaza kasnoga brončanog na starije željezno doba za širi južnopanonski prostor. Tijekom mlađe faze kasnoga brončanog doba i na početku starijega željeznog doba na prostoru hrvatskog Podunavlja rasprostirala se daljska grupa s jakim uplivima bosutske grupe, što se najjasnije prepoznaje u karakterističnim keramičkim oblicima ukrašenim urezivanjem te u Basarabi stilu koji svjedoče o intenzivnim kontaktima između dvije susjedne kulturne pojave što su dijelile i mnoge druge zajedničke značajke materijalne ostavštine, prije svega metalne predmete konjske opreme i nošnje. Intenzivna komunikacija između nositelja daljske i bosutske grupe, iako su pripadali različitim svjetovima i tradicijama, obilježila je početke željeznog doba koje se prema novim znanstvenim spoznajama datira prije od dosad ustaljenih datuma.Das Gebiet des kroatischen Donauraums war aufgrund seiner strategischen Lage an der bedeutendsten natürlichen Verkehrsader Europas die Interessensphäre zahlreicher Völker seit vorgeschichtlichen Zeiten. Die Donau verband nicht nur verschiedene Welten, sondern sie grenzte sie auch ab. Die reichen archäologischen Bestände aus den ersten Jahrhunderten des letzten Jahrtausends v.Chr., die an den Fundorten auf dem Gebiet der Baranya, des östlichen Slawonien und des westlichen Sirmien entdeckt worden sind, zeugen von der Bedeutung dieses Gebiets bei der Bestimmung des Überganges der Spätbronzezeit in die ältere Eisenzeit im weiteren südpannonischen Raum. Im Laufe der jüngeren Phase der Spätbronzezeit und am Anfang der älteren Eisenzeit verbreitete sich auf dem Gebiet des kroatischen Donauraums die Dalj-Gruppe mit starken Einflüssen der Bosut-Gruppe, was sich am besten in den charakteristischen Keramikformen mit Ritzornamente und im Basarabi-Stil erkennen läßt, die von intensiven Kontakten zwischen den zwei parallelen Kulturerscheinungen zeugen. Ihr materielles Erbe weist auch zahlreiche andere gemeinsame Eigenschaften auf, vor allem Metallgegenstände für Pferdezaumzeug und Trachten. Die rege Kommunikation unter den Trägern der Dalj- und der Bosut-Gruppe hat – obwohl sie verschiedenen Welten und Traditionen angehörten – den Anfang der Eisenzeit gekennzeichnet, die aufgrund der neuesten wissenschaftlichen Kenntnisse früher als bisher üblich datiert wird

Field Surveys of the Territories of the Municipalities of Ilok, Lovas and Tovarnik in 2008

Tijekom proljeća i jeseni 2008. godine provedeni su terenski pregledi područja općina Ilok, Lovas i Tovarnik radi otkrivanja novih te dokumentiranja otprije poznatih arheoloških nalazišta na području gornjeg (zapadnog) Srijema. S obzirom da je veći dio ruba visoke, desne obale Dunava u općini Ilok pregledan u jesen 2003. godine, novi su terenski pregledi usmjereni na preostali dio ruba lesne zaravni kao i na prostor koji se nalazi u zaleđu ruba dunavske obale, sve do južnih padina vukovarskog ravnjaka kod Tovarnika. U terenskom pregledu zabilježen je niz novih arheoloških nalazišta iz svih razdoblja, od kojih se pojedina izdvajaju količinama i vrstama nalaza. Kako se radi o poljoprivredno intenzivno obradivom zemljištu, na pojedinim nalazištima potrebno je što prije poduzeti pokusna istraživanja, kako bi se provjerile pretpostavke o kronološkim i stratigrafskim zapažanjima koje počivaju na prikupljenim površinskim nalazima.During the spring and autumn of 2008, a field surveys of the territories of the municipalities of Ilok, Lovas and Tovarnik was conducted with the aim of uncovering new and documenting known archaeological sites in the area of Upper (western) Syrmia. Since the major part of the margin of the high, right bank of the Danube River in the Ilok Municipality was surveyed in the fall of 2003, new field surveys are primarily directed at the remaining part of the margin of the loess plateau, and the area in the hinterland of the Danube bank, up to the southern slopes of the Vukovar plateau near Tovarnik. In the field surveys, a number of new archaeological sites from all periods were registered, out of which some stand out for the quantity and type of finds. A total of 36 archaeological sites were documented, of which most were thus far unknown. The documented large number of archaeological sites is not at all surprising, if we consider the outstanding location of the western slopes of Fruška gora above the Danube and the southern slopes of the Vukovar plateau above the alluvial plain. An important European communication route passed along the margin of the high, right bank of the Danube, along which cultural influences streamed for millennia, connecting the Carpathian Basin in all directions. The border of the Roman Empire passed at the same point, with which a number of Roman sites between Ilok and Bapska are associated. Some of the oldest archaeological sites, dating from prehistoric times and belonging to the Starčevo and Sopot cultures, were registered in this region, while in the Bronze and Iron Ages cultural groups of various origins intermingled here, culminating in the Early Iron Age in numerous direct contacts between the Dalj and the Bosut groups at sites from Vukovar to Ilok. Numerous Late Iron Age sites testify the dense Scordisc population in Upper Syrmia. During Roman domination, Rome’s auxiliary troopers were stationed in the fortress of Cuccium. Near the fortress, a civilian settlement developed, to which smaller settlements and villas situated deeper in the hinterland or along the so-called Limes Road gravitated. The number of collected surface finds suggests dense population during Early and High Middle Ages. As a result of high-quality arable land, the densest population was documented in the Late Middle Ages with numerous, well-connected settlements. The reasons for conducting the field surveys of the municipalities of Ilok, Lovas and Tovarnik were fully justified by the results, with a large number of archaeological sites from all periods documented. Although the results of the field surveys rely upon collected surface finds, most sites can be chronologically and culturally defined. In view of the increasingly intense cultivation of permanent crops, and due to the development of infrastructure, this surveys needs to be continued in order to produce a map of archaeological sites in Upper Syrmia, an area with the largest number of sites in Northern Croatia. Also, since the land is subject to intensive agriculture, individual sites need to be test excavate as soon as possible in order to examine hypotheses regarding chronological and stratigraphic observations, which now rest on the collected surface finds

Results of Excavations of the Prehistoric cemetery in Belišće-Zagajci I Cemetery in 2008

U jesen 2008. godine provedena su pokusna arheološka istraživanja nalazišta Belišće-Zagajci I-II, na kojem su 1992. godine prikupljeni nalazi koji su ukazivali na postojanje groblja iz starijeg željeznog doba. Tipološko-kronološka analiza nalaza pokazala je kako se vjerojatno radi o predmetima iz uništenog ženskog kosturnog groba koji se može pripisati južnopanonskoj kasnohalštatskoj skupini, rasprostranjenoj između rijeka Kapos i Save, od sredine 6. st. pr. Kr. sve do keltskog naseljavanja krajem 4. st. pr. Kr. U istraživanjima 2008. godine na položaju Belišće-Zagajci I pronađena su dva paljevinska groba s prijelaza kasnog brončanog na starije željezno doba, dok mlađi prapovijesni grobovi nisu pronađeni.In autumn 2008, a test excavation was conducted on the Belišće-Zagajci I-II site, where in 1992 finds were collected that indicated the existence of an Early Iron Age cemetery. The typological and chronological analysis of finds indicate that we are dealing with artefacts from a destroyed skeletal burial of a woman that may be attributed to the south Pannonian Late Hallstatt group, found between the Kapos and Sava Rivers from the mid-sixth century BC to the Celtic settlement at the end of the fourth century BC. During excavations of the Belišće-Zagajci I site in 2008, two incineration burials dated to the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age were excavated, while no later prehistoric burial sites were found. These are burials in which the incinerated remains of the deceased were laid in ceramic vessels – pots functioning as urns. The urns were covered with bowls and laid in oval grave pits. On the basis of typological and chronological analysis of ceramic vessels, the burials could have been assigned to the later stage of the Urnfield culture, i.e. the transition to the Early Iron Age. In this period, the Dalj group was settled in the territory of Eastern Slavonia and Baranja; the Dalj group’s western border has not yet been defined, and in Podravina only several sites (Nova Bukovica, Delovi near Koprivnica, Sveti Petar Ludbreški) from this period were registered, still of uncertain cultural origin. That is why the results of the excavation of the prehistoric cemetery in Belišće-Zagajci I are the more important, although it is a pity for proto-historic archaeolog y that the excavations were not conducted earlier, at the time when finds from the skeletal burial were excavated, dated in the first half of the fourth century BC, since at the time a larger number of burials from the Late Bronze Age would have been found

Results of Rescue Archeological Excavation on Prehistorical and Early Middle Ages Settlement Virovitica − Đota 2005

Zaštitnim arheološkim istraživanjem na lokalitetu Virovitica-Đota otkriven je sjeverni rub naselja i istraženi su ukopani objekti, jame i stupovi iz vremena starijeg željeznog doba i ranog srednjeg vijeka. Pokretna arheološka građa zastupljena je keramikom, litičkim nalazima te s nekoliko ulomaka željeznih predmeta. Najveća količina pronađene keramike može se datirati u kasno brončano doba, odnosno na početak kulture polja sa žarama i potječe iz naplavinskog sloja koji je nataložen ispiranjem najvišeg dijela naselja koji nije bio zahvaćen ovim istraživanjima. Istražena infrastruktura naselja svjedoči o privredi i načinu života stanovnika iz starijeg željeznog doba i ranog srednjeg vijeka, dok keramika ukazuje i na postojanje kasnobrončanodobnog naselja. Nalazište Virovitica-Đota uklapa se u mrežu kasnobrončanodobnih i ranosrednjovjekovnih naselja u Podravini, dok ustanovljeno stariježeljeznodobno naselje upotpunjava sliku naseljenosti sjeverne Hrvatske u željeznom dobu.In archaeological rescue excavations at the Virovitica−Đota site, the northern periphery of a settlement from the Early Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages was unearthed. After the archaeological rescue excavations, analysis of the ceramic artefacts and 14C analyses, the conclusion can be made that the elevated terrace at the Virovitica−Đota site was populated as early as the beginning of the Early Bronze Age, and than on account of abundant ceramic objects from SU 3 more intensely in the Late Bronze Age. The excavated prehistoric constructions contained only sporadic ceramic finds, suggesting that they were filled naturally, i.e. that they were not used as refuse pits. Radiocarbon analyses have shown that they belonged to an Early Iron Age settlement, from which only sporadic ceramic finds were unearthed. Pits from the Early Middle Ages were abundant in pottery artefacts, and 14C analyses overlap with the typological and chronological analysis dating the settlement to the tenth/eleventh centuries. Archaeological finds are represented by pottery, lithic finds and several fragments of iron objects. Most of the pottery can be dated to the Late Bronze Age, i.e. the beginning of the Urnfield culture, and it originates from the alluvial layer, settled by washing out the highest part of the settlement, which was not excavated. The Late Bronze Age settlement in Virovitica at the Đota site fits into the network of simultaneous settlements positioned on elevated terraces in the Drava valley in the zone from Koprivnica to Slatina, as past field surveys and trial excavation have shown (Sekelj Ivančan, Belaj 1998; Tkalčec, Dizdar, Kovačević 2003; Ložnjak Dizdar 2005, 29-30). The excavated settlement infrastructure testifies to the economy and life-style of the population of the Early Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages, whereas pottery suggests the existence of a Late Bronze Age settlement. The Virovitica−Đota site fits into the network of Late Bronze Age and Early Middle Ages settlements in Podravina, whereas the identified Early Iron Age settlement completes the picture of human habitation in northern Croatia in the Iron Age

Sotin – Srednje polje and Dunavska street – Research of multilayer sites in the Danube Region in 2016

Tijekom kolovoza i rujna 2016. godine provedena su arheološka istraživanja na položajima Srednje polje i Dunavska ulica u Sotinu. Na položaju Srednje polje istraženi su dijelovi groblja iz kasnoga brončanog i starijega željeznog doba, zatim dio antičke prometnice sa skupinom grobova tipa bustum uz nju, te dijelovi ranosrednjovjekovnoga naselja kojem pripadaju brojni ostaci jama i peći. Na položaju Dunavska ulica istraženi su dijelovi srednjobrončanodobnoga kao i ranosrednjovjekovnoga naselja.Archaeological excavations were conducted on site Srednje polje and Dunavska street in Sotin during August and September 2016. Parts of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age cemetery, part of Roman road with group of graves bustum type and parts of early Middle Ages settlement were explored on position Srednje polje. On site Dunavska street part of Middle Bronze Age and Early Middle Age settlement were excavated

Excavations at the Late Bronze Age cemetery of Dolina in 2020

Arheološkim istraživanjima u studenom 2020. godine pokušalo se locirati ravno groblje kasnobrončanodobnog naselja u Dolini. Provjerene su pretpostavke o položaju groblja zapadno od istodobnog naselja na povišenoj gredi iskopavanjem tri probne sonde s negativnim rezultatom. U ovoj kampanji istražen je i tumul 15 znatno snižen oranjem. Sadašnje stanje istraživanja pogrebnih običaja mlađe faze kasnog brončanog doba u Posavini oskudijeva podacima jer su poznati nalazi grobova samo sa tri nalazišta uključujući i Dolinu. Uočena je pogreška u tekstu, nakon ispravaka pdf verzija rada je zamijenjen 22.4.2022.Archaeological excavations in November 2020 tried to locate the flat cemetery of the Late Bronze Age settlement in Dolina. The hypothesis that the cemetery was on an elevated ridge to the west of the contemporary settlement was verified by digging three trial trenches, with negative results. This campaign also explored tumulus 15, which had been significantly lowered by ploughing. The current state of research into the funerary customs of the younger phase of the Late Bronze Age in Posavina lacks data because graves have been found only at three sites including Dolina. An error was noticed in the text, after corrections the pdf version of the paper was replaced on April 22, 2022

Dolina na Savi in the Heritage of Communication

Dolina na Savi jest naselje i groblje datirano u mlađu fazu kasnoga brončanog doba i prijelaz u starije željezno doba na kojem su u višegodišnjim istraživanjima otkriveni tragovi višestoljetnoga komuniciranja zajednica uz rijeku Savu i preko nje. Dolina na Savi nalazi se preko puta vrlo važnoga lokaliteta Donja Dolina u sjevernoj Bosni. Strateške točke u prostoru, poput Doline, i tragovi života u njima, otvaraju pitanja o korištenju krajolika, mijeni komunikacijskih pravaca i prednostima te nedostacima života uz rijeku Savu s naglaskom na mlađa razdoblja prapovijesti. Podaci prikupljeni arheološkim istraživanjima bacaju drugačije svjetlo na ulogu rijeke Save u komunikacijskoj mreži u južnom dijelu Karpatske kotline od slike kakvu imamo danas i kroz novovjekovnu povijest. Baština komunikacija manje je vidljiva, ali je izuzetno važna u proučavanju krajolika, upotrebi krajolika i tumačenju prošlosti. Okrenutost Požeške kotline savskoj dolini i prirodne komunikacije dolinom Orljave i klancima između slavonskih planina utjecale su na snažnu povezanost Zlatne doline s dolinom Save i uključenost u širu regionalnu komunikacijsku mrežu. Bolje poznavanje i razumijevanje lokalnih komunikacijskih baština pridonosi i širem regionalnom znanju te sagledavanju povijesnih zbivanja, osobito u važnom i dinamičnom komunikacijskom prostoru kakvo je međuriječje Drave i Save.Dolina na Savi is a settlement and a cemetery dated in the younger phase of the Late Bronze Age and the transition to the Early Iron Age. Traces of communication between communities along and across the river Sava through the centuries were discovered during septennial excavation. Dolina na Savi is situated across a very important site – Donja Dolina in northern Bosnia. Strategic points in a landscape such as Dolina and traces of life thereon open the questions about use of landscape, change of communication routes, and advantages and disadvantages of life along the river Sava, with the focus on the younger periods of prehistory. The data collected by archaeological research have shed a different light on the role of the river Sava in the communication network in the southern Carpathian Basin, in comparison with the picture of the role thereof present in modern history and currently. The heritage of communication is less visible, but exceptionally important in the research of landscape, the use of landscape, and the interpretation of the past. The orientation of the Požega Valley to the Sava Valley and natural communications by the Orljava Valley and clumps between Slavonian hills influenced strong connections of the Golden Valley with the Sava Valley, and involvement in a wider regional communication network. Better knowledge and understanding of local communication heritage have contributed to the bettering of wider regional knowledge and overview of historical events, especially in an important and dynamic communication area such as the interfluves of Drava and Sava

Notes on several finds from the beginning of the Early Iron Age in the Danube area

This paper analyzes the chance finds from the left bank of the Vuka in Nuštar, near Vinkovci, in eastern Croatia. A bronze torque with T-shaped ends, a spear, pendants and a button were discovered as surface finds along the Vuka, which is a tributary of the Danube and a natural line of communication from the Danube area towards the west. The Nuštar finds indicate micro topographic relationships with similar finds in the Danube area and complement the current data on the distribution of torques with T-shaped ends, or spears with incised decorations. The finds, which can be dated to the period from the later phase of the Late Bronze Age (Ha B1 phase) to the beginning of the Early Iron Age (Ha C1a phase), prove hypotheses about the local shapes and regional and multi-regional contacts