Archaeological Excavations at Galovo in Slavonski Brod

Institut za arheologiju iz Zagreba u okviru znanstvenoistraživačkog projekta “Prapovijesni identitet sjeverne Hrvatske” pod vodstvom dr. sc K. Minichreiter, provodi od 1997. g. sustavna arheolo ška istraživanja na zemljištu Galovo u sjeveroistočnom dijelu Slavonskog Broda. U dosadašnjim arheološkim radovima na istraženoj površini od 2.200 m2 otkrivena su dva prapovijesna lokaliteta iz različitih razdoblja. U površinskom sloju otkriveni su ostaci kasnobrončanodobne nekropole sa spaljenim pokojnicima grupe Barice-Gređani (oko 1200. g. prije Krista), a ispod nje na dubini od 90 cm ispod povrπine naselje starčevačke kulture iz ranog neolitika (oko 5700. - 5300. g. prije Krista). U istraženom dijelu starčevačkog naselja otkriven je ograđeni prostor u kojem su u zemunicama bili ukopani odabrani članovi plemenske zajednice. Zemunice u naselju (oko 17 x 5 m) bile su različite namjene: stambene ili radne među kojima se izdvajaje radionice za izradu glinenih predmeta, tkanine i kamenih predmeta. Tijekom 2004. g. otkrivena je pravokutna nadstrešnica kao i dva objekta neodređene namjene - rupe od stupova poredani u nizu i u polukrugu koji će u cijelosti biti istražen u nastavku istraživanja. Pokretna arheološka građa datira ovo naselje u ranu fazu razvitka starčevačke kulture - Linear A.Since 1997 the Institute for Archaeology from Zagreb has conducted systematical archaeological excavations in north-eastern part of Slavonski Brod on a piece of land called Galovo on cadastral unit no. 6207/4 in the Brod Cadastral Municipality, in zone “E” of the town, which is under archaeological protection; excavations take place every year within the framework of the research project entitled “Prehistoric Identity of Northern Croatia” (code number: 0197001) under the leadership of K. Minichreiter, Ph.D. The excavations are being documented according to the latest archaeological methods concerning stratigraphic units. The depths of finds are marked by absolute heights and finds in the field according to trench, quadrants, stratigraphic units and depths. After being unearthed, archaeological goods are sorted according to their type: special finds (clay goods and lithica) and samples (bones, charcoal, earth). After being sorted, descriptions of them are entered on special forms. Each year upon conclusion of works, the facilities are preliminary protected by covering them with a foil and a thin layer of earth. In the archaeological excavations conducted so far, two prehistoric sites from different periods were unearthed on an examined surface of 2,200 m2. In the surface layer the remains of a Late Bronze Age necropolis with cremation burials of the Barice-Gređani group (ca 1200 BC) were found, and beneath it, at depth of approximately 90 cm below the surface an early Neolithic settlement of the Starčevo culture - Linear A phase (ca 5700-5300 BC) was unearthed. At the StarËevo site a part of the settlement was discovered, in which a ritual-burial area with burials of the most prominent members of the tribal community was separated by wooden fences. Although burials within the settlement, between living and working pit-dwellings, were normal in the Starčevo culture, in Galovo for the first time an enclosed burial area was discovered, in which the pit-dwellings with the dead and the cult facilities were separated from the rest of the settlement. Thus a so far unknown way of organizing life of the tribal community in the early Neolithic was discovered. In the excavated part of the settlement two construction phases were discovered for the first time. In the older phase, the western part of the ritual-burial area occupied a much larger surface in the settlement, as it can be seen according to the position of two wooden fences that separated the residential part of the settlement from the part reserved for burials. Wooden fences enclosed two pit-dwellings and a small pit with burials, and three cult facilities, where rites in the honor of the dead took place. In an earlier phase, the settlement spread towards the pits with the burials, thus decreasing the surface of the burial area. Above the western cult facility and its northern, arched wooden fence that lost its function by new construction three large pit-dwellings were built. Respecting the tradition and the significance of the eastern cult facility, the group of new pit-dwellings was constructed semicircularly around it, and not in the north-south direction, which was a rule in the settlement when constructing other pitdwellings. In this younger phase of expansion of the settlement, a new short wooden partition was constructed in order to divide the ritual area from the dwelling area, thus - more symbolically than actually - separating the two spaces. Fieldwork in 2004 continued in part of the Starčevo settlement on a surface of approximately 200 m2 (sets of trenches from C/14 to J/14 and partly from H/15 to J/15) that in its western and southern side was a continuation of the past excavation. In the part of the settlement to the south-west of the pit-dwelling N 155/156, in which a workshop for the production of clay and textile goods was situated, and west of the pit-dwelling N 205/206, a row of 14 holes of wooden columns was discovered, positioned from north to south at regular intervals of approximately 40-50 cm. In the north, the row of columns continues to a large pit, and the holes of wooden columns south-west of pit-dwelling N 155/156. To the west of this straight row a group of 54 columns was discovered, sunken close to each other at irregular intervals, their cross-section forming a semicircle. The second object, which we believe was a shed (from N 671/672 to 711/712) was unearthed in the north-western part of the field. In sterile soil, sequences of holes of broader wooden columns were entrenched, arranged so that their outline forms a rectangular (oriented NW-SE) with sides of 5 m. Among the moveable archaeological goods, fragments of coarse pottery were found, decorated with various motifs of plastic bands with fingerprints. The surfaces of coarse pottery were additionally ornamented by pulling over sheaves of twigs, incising thin lines like a network (rhomboid motif), as well as by horizontal, diagonal and vertical sequences of fingerprints. Several marginal fragments of large pots were decorated by fingerprints. Of special finds, fourteen clay objects were unearthed, comprising two small idols, the feet and the corner parts of censers and several clay artifacts of undetermined function. Clay idols and censers suit the typology of special artifacts unearthed and published up to the present. Lithica finds are numerous also in this part of the excavated settlement: cores, blades, sharpening stones, plates, endscrapers, etc. The remains of animal bones - goat, sheep, cattle, pig, deer and dog - point to various eating habits, cult rites and the beginning of the domestication in the territory of southern Pannonia

A Contribution to the Understanding of Decorative Art on Coarse Pottery in the Starčevo Settlement at Galovo in Slavonski Brod

Glineno posuđe u naseljima najstarijih prapovijesnih kultura čini najbrojniju arheološku građu. Tako je i u naseljima prve panonske lončarske kulture - starčevačke kulture - u kojima je jedino na temelju lončarske proizvodnje moguće odrediti njihovu stilsku i kronološku pripadnost. U radu su prikazane tehnike i dana tumačenja motiva ornamentike na gruboj keramici starčevačkog naselja na Galovu u Slavonskom Brodu. Oblikovanje vanjske površine posuđa bilo je dvojako: jedna vrsta posuđa “ukrašavana” je radi praktične primjene, dok su na drugima “ukrasi” predstavljali dublji smisao - najstarije zapise prvih populacija izražene simbolima o svojoj iskonskoj potrebi što većeg razumijevanja i povezanosti s prirodom, koju su osjećali kao svoj neodvojivi dio, svijesni da o njoj ovisi njihov opstanak.In the settlements of the oldest prehistoric cultures, the production of clay vessels was the most common, therefore around 90% of unearthed archaeological artifacts in the settlements of the Starčevo culture - the first Pannonian earthenware culture - accounts for various clay vessels. Categorizing by style or chronology according to cultures or their developmental stages within the Neolithic is only possible on the basis of earthenware production, and an analysis of the decorations - the oldest messages on vessels - facilitates a closer insight into the thoughts and the spiritual life of these cultures. The first containers for carrying and preserving food were probably wickerwork baskets. They were used to carry different fruits, shells, and fish, and basketry was also applied in fishing (wickerwork fish traps). In the settlement, thinner and thicker branches were woven and fastened onto round logs serving as fences around courtyards, cult facilities and burial ritual areas. Fences formed of closely set rows of round logs were fastened in the bottom by a coating of a layer (normally few centimetres thick) of clay - Slavonski Brod “Galovo” (MINICHREITER, 2001a, 207-210). A similar technical method was applied in kiln construction in the settlement. On the outer part of the construction of wickerwork and thinner branches, an approximately 5 centimetre thick layer of clay was pasted and then fired, so that the marks of the wooden construction are visible on the interior sides of the kiln. Cylindrical kilns in Zadubravlje (MINICHREITER, 1992a, 40, Fig. 2), the elongated kilns in Slavonski Brod “Galovo” (MINICHREITER, 1999, 15, Fig. 8) and in the Starčevo settlement “Gođevo” in the vicinity of Jaruge were constructed in this way. Wickerwork baskets could not hold water, therefore their inside was coated with clay (KARMANSKI, 2000, 650). Clay was only sun-dried and it leaked - this was the pre-ceramic Neolithicum (BENAC, GARAŠANIN, SREJOVIĆ, 1979, 25). Wickerwork baskets were kept near the fireplace and the first clay vessel was fired by accidentally catching fire (KARMANSKI, 2000, 652). At the Donja Branjevina site in the layer II, fragments of semi-round bowls were unearthed with imprints of wickerwork baskets on their outside (DIMITRIJEVIĆ, 1974, 83, T. II; KARMANSKI 1979, T. LXII, 5; ibid, 2000, 652, T. CXCIII, 1-3, T. CXIV, 1). Presumably in the beginning vessels were made in this way, and after some experience was gained they were produced exclusively of clay with an admixture of chaff or small grains of sand. The art of making vessels was handed down, and because of poor production quality and frequent breaking of the vessels each settlement had its own kiln. Earthenware production gradually improved and local potters imitated the fashionable styles of pottery decoration, developing their own creations simultaneously. Because of the large amount of moveable archaeological goods unearthed in the course of five years of digs at Galovo in Slavonski Brod (on the Sava River, northern Croatia), in this paper we concentrate particularly on the decorative art on coarse vessels, without analysing the shape of the vessels or their statistical processing. The techniques of decorating coarse vessels can be classified into four groups: incising, impressing, stitching and sculpturing. The technique of incising (Fig. 4.,1-4) encompasses motifs on coarse vessels produced by an instrument - a wooden stick or a pointed bone. Motifs incised in this way can be made in very thin lines or broader and deeper lines, resulting in accented rims. In the vessels three different motifs appear: vertical incised marks, incised parallel lines and incised thin lines. According to S. Dimitrijević, vessels were decorated in the incision technique in all phases of the Starčevo culture, from Linear A up until the end of Spiraloid B (DIMITRIJEVIĆ, 1974, 67). This stylistic analysis is endorsed by the sites in Zadubravlje and Slavonski Brod containing motifs with their closest analogies in Donja Branjevina, stratum III’ and II’, Lepenski Vir IIIa and Starčevo IIa. Impressing is a broadly disseminated decorative technique (Fig. 4., 5-9) consisting in impressing fingertips or nail ends into wet and soft clay on the entire surface of pots and bowls. It occurs as early as the Linear A phase and belongs to the impresso ornaments group. Motifs made by pinching with two fingers are distributed on vessel sides in three ways: in vertical sets of pinched samples placed in certain intervals; in horizontal sets of motifs alternately pinched with two fingers; or randomly on the entire surface of the vessel’s belly. On the basis of former research results, Dimitrijević classified these sorts of impresso ornaments only as belonging to the last developmental stage of the Starčevo culture, Spiraloid B (DIMITRIJEVIĆ, 1974, 67), but more recent research has shown that coarse vessels were decorated with this technique from Linear A through all the developmental stages of this culture. Ornaments applied by a narrow stick with a round cross section in the technique of stitching (Fig. 5., 1-3) are extraordinarily exceptional. Out of several thousands of fragments of vessels in the unearthed part of the settlement in Slavonski Brod, only two vessels were decorated with this technique. On one vessel the stitches are distributed randomly on the entire surface of the belly, whereas on the other vessel - a ball-shaped pot with an S profile and a curved neck - a stylised figure, conceivably of a bird, was represented in the technique of stitching. Keeping in mind the small number of unearthed specimens for the time being we may conclude that this decoration technique was applied on vessels in the Linear A, Spiraloid A and B stages. The technique of sculpturing (Fig. 6, 7) offered a broad range of motifs, which were shaped in two ways: by appliqués in the shape of a knob or by relief bands with fingerprints. An extraordinarily beautiful example of decorating vessels in the sculpturing technique is a relief of a female figure with hands raised in prayer-position, made with relief bands with fingerprints (Fig. 7); up to the present this is a unique example in the Starčevo settlement at Slavonski Brod (MINICHREITER, 2000, 5-15, Fig. 1). This analysis of decorative art in coarse pottery of the Starčevo settlement at Galovo in Slavonski Brod is made possible by the release of numerous mobile archaeological artefacts unearthed in the five-year dig. Even though only a small part of pottery finds have been processed, the characteristics of decorative styles and the shapes of vessels, which show great similarity to Zadubravlje, classify Galovo in Slavonski Brod as belonging to the early developmental stage of the Starčevo culture - Linear A (according to S. Dimitrijević). Analyses of vessels made with more or less skill at a time when the firing of clay vessels had only just begun have shown that the decoration of vessels was multivalent. - Decorating surfaces with barbotine appliqués had a practical function as well, it did not serve merely as ornamentation. Large pots had a smooth surface and therefore small pieces of clay of flat, irregular shapes were pasted on the sides of their bellies for easier carrying. Double or triple knobs were pasted onto large pots, holding the ropes on which the vessels used to hang. - Remains of wickerwork baskets are visible on the outside of some clay vessels, indicating that the earlier tradition of production of certain kinds of clay vessels in the rudimentary way - a wickerwork basket coated with clay on the inside - lasted up into the Linear A stage. A sculpted ear or an ear impresso mostly recall stylised imitations of wickerwork baskets. - The third kind of decoration - which is the most difficult to decipher - are symbolic messages or notes on vessels. Thus the motif of an ear impresso actually recalls grain ears, suggesting that these pots served as containers for cereals. A stylised female figurine on large pots is presumably a symbol of fertility - the magna mater, suggesting that these pots served for cult rites. We can only conjecture on the actual meaning of the messages “written” on vessels by the first farmers. Although at first it might appear simple and easily accessible, the interpretation of vessel ornaments is a highly complex problem. If we want to understand the thought world of the population of that time, the interpretation of vessel ornaments cannot be limited only to explaining the motifs and techniques of their production. Obviously the outer surface form was of two different kinds: one kind of vessel was decorated for practical purposes, whereas ornaments on the other kind of vessel had a deeper meaning - they were the oldest written evidence left by the first populations of their way of thinking, expressed in symbols, on the experience of life as a continuous increase of their own awareness. For the first agricultural populations, their understanding of natural phenomena, their perception of seasonal changes, as well as their observation of the animal behaviour (the beginning of the domestication) were of crucial importance to their survival. The vicinity of deities (symbolic figurines in houses and reliefs on vessels) as well as certain cult practices are the oldest and the most mysterious way of expressing the primordial need to attain the best possible understanding and closeness with nature, which they felt as a constituent part of themselves, aware that their survival depended upon it

Archaeological Sites along Road Routes in the Požega Valley

Na planiranim trasama brzih cesta u dužini od 39 km koje idu kroz Požešku kotlinu, obilazeći naselja od Brestovca preko Požege do Pleternice i od Velike do Požege, tijekom svibnja 2004. g. obavljena su rekognosciranja i evidencija arheoloških lokaliteta. Tom prilikom je ekipa arheologa Instituta za arheologiju iz Zagreba i Gradskog muzeja iz Požege otkrila 13 arheoloških lokaliteta, među kojima su dva evidentirana u široj zoni trasa (zona A utjecaja) i jedan izvan trase. Lokaliteti pripadaju prapovijesti, antici i srednjem vijeku, a u zoni A nalazi se i jedan sakralni objekat. Na dva lokaliteta otkriveni su ostaci rimskih cesta, a uz jednu cestu i kameni rimski miljokaz, prvi nalaz ove vrste u Požeškoj kotlini. Lokaliteti su preventivno zaštićeni i nakon terenskog pregleda izrađena je, u skladu s Pravilnikom o procjeni utjecaja na okoliš, Konzervatorska studija za procjenu utjecaja gradnje brzih cesta na kulturno-povijesnu baštinu. Studija sadrži uvjete izgradnje trasa cesta - spašavanje vrijedne kulturne baštine od uništenja, što uključuje obvezan stalni nadzor arheologa pri skidanju površinskih slojeva zemlje na svim trasama cesta i zaštitna arheološka istraživanja registriranih lokaliteta. Pored toga, uvjetovana je konzervacija i prezentacija antičkih naselja i ceste u okviru arheološko-turističkih parkova.In 2004, a team of archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology from Zagreb and the Požega Town Museum conducted archaeological survey and registered cultural goods found along 39 km of road routes located in the Požega Valley from Brestovac via Požega to Pleternica and from Velika to Požega. We ascertained that the road routes crossed over ten archaeological sites, two of them registered in the influence zone A, and one outside the route. The sites are prehistoric, Classical and medieval, and in zone A there is also a religious structure. At two sites, the remains of Roman roads were discovered, and on one site a Roman milestone, the first such find in the Požega Basin. After field survey and expert data processing, we delivered comprehensive documentation for urgent preventive conservation of thirteen registered archaeological sites to the competent Conservation Department in Požega. After surveying and processing the data and the finds, in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, a “Conservation Assessment Study on the Impact of Road Construction on the Cultural and Historical Heritage” was made. The Study contains the preconditions for road construction - the rescue of valuable cultural heritage from destruction, which includes obligatory permanent monitoring by archaeologists when removing the uppermost layers of soil at all located road routes, as well as rescue excavations at the registered sites. Another precondition stated by the Regulations is the conservation of Classical settlements and roads and their presentation within archaeological tourist parks. Future rescue excavations at registered archaeological sites on road routes shall increase the meagre knowledge of the oldest settlements in the Neolithic, Eneolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Near the village Velika, a part of the large Classical settlement and a portion of Roman roads will be excavated, whose presentation might become part of a future archaeological tourist park. Archaeological monitoring of road routes facilitates the discovery of still unknown archaeological sites in the Požega Valley, with its extraordinarily rich cultural and historical heritage from all periods of history

Slavonski Brod, Galovo, Archaeological Research 2008

Institut za arheologiju iz Zagreba tijekom srpnja 2008. g. proveo je na zemljištu Galovo u sjeveroistočnom dijelu Slavonskog Broda nastavak sustavnih arheoloških istraživanja neolitičkog naselja starčevačke kulture koje pripada njezinoj početnoj fazi razvitka. Radovi su obuhvatili iskop u dijelu naselja koji se prostire istočno od radnih zemunica 205, 207 i 291 i koji obuhvaća južni dio obredno-ukopnog prostora, djelomično otkrivenog prve godine istraživanja. U površinskom sloju otkrivena su ostaci dva groba brončanodobne nekropole Barice-Gređani, a u prapovijesnom humusu gornji dijelovi dvije velike zemunice.In July 2008, on the Galovo plot in the north-east section of Slavonski Brod, the Institute of Archaeolog y in Zagreb continued systematic archaeological excavations of the Neolithic Starčevo culture settlement belonging to its initial development stage. The work was carried out in a part of the settlement stretching east of working pits 205, 207 and 291 and encompassing the southern part of the ritual burial area, partly excavated in the first year of research. In the surface layer, the remains of two graves from the Bronze Age Barice-Gređani necropolis were discovered, while the upper parts of two large pit dwellings were found in the prehistoric humus

Altars and Idols of the Starčevo Settlement on Galovo in Slavonski Brod

U sustavnim arheološkim istraživanjima ranoneolitičkoga starčevačkog naselja na Galovu u Slavonskom Brodu otkriveno je do sada 74 žrtvenika i 3 idola. U skupini običnih žrtvenika na 4 noge može se izdvojiti pet različito oblikovanih recipijenata: žrtveni stolić (tip 1), žrtvenici s posudicom na sredini recipijenta (tip 2), žrtvenici vodoravnog recipijenta sa životinjskim protomama na uglovima (tip 3), žrtvenik izvana četverokutnog, a s unutrašnje strane kružnog recipijenta s protomama na uglovima (tip 4) i žrtvenik poput oltara (tip 5). Žrtvenici tipa 6 su male žrtvene posude na višoj nozi. Žrtvenici tipa 3 i 4 za sada su otkriveni samo u Slavonskom Brodu, dok ostali tipovi žrtvenika imaju brojne analogije u ranoneolitičkim naseljima starčevačke i Körös kulture u Vojvodini i južnoj Mađarskoj. Zoomorfni žrtvenici su rijetki u starčevačkim naseljima, a žrtvenik u obliku bika za sada je jedinstven primjerak žrtvenika u starčevačkome kulturnom kompleksu. Antropomorfna plastika - stupasto-zvonoliki idoli imaju brojne analogije u ranoneolitičkim nalazištima, a brodski - najstariji primjerci dokazuju da je panonski prostor bio njihovo izvorište. Otkrića žrtvenika i idola u Slavonskom Brodu dokazuju da su već u početnim fazama (Linear A) starčevačke kulture bile zastupljene sve skupine kultnih predmeta.The southern parts of the Pannonian valley, particularly its peripheries – the valley of the Sava River and the lower course of the Danube River – were areas particularly favorable for the establishment and development of centers of the oldest farming cultures in this part of Europe. The extraordinarily favorable agricultural conditions provided for the sudden development of Neolithic cultures and a rapid break with the older Mesolithic forms of life and opinion. Thus in Posavina, which belongs to the southernmost part of the Pannonian Valley, the two oldest settlements of northern Croatia were discovered in the past 13 years, belonging to the early phase of the Starčevo culture – Linear A (around 5700-5300 BC): the “crafts settlement” in Zadubravlje and the settlement with a fenced ritual-burial site in Slavonski Brod (Minichreiter, 1992a, 29; ibid 1997, 40-43). Not only within the Starčevo culture, but also within the entire Neolithic Starčevo culture complex, the most significant and famous cult artifacts were altars and figural plastic. Up until lately it was believed that these artifacts were characteristic of the late Neolithic – the Vinča culture – but extensive investigations of Starčevo settlements in the past two decades have radically changed this picture of their forms, development and role in the early Neolithic period. The function of the altars has not been entirely clarified so far. Yet it is safe to say that in the pit-dwellings they served as house altars, and with the deceased as their personal objects. Worth mentioning is the assumption made by S. Stanković that the main sacrificial rite was conducted collectively on a certain spot in the settlement, where sacrifices were offered on large altars. After the rite, each family or home would get a part of the sacrifice, which they used to put on their small house altars and took into the field or in their pit-dwellings (Stanković, 1986, 12-13; ibid 1992a, 244-245). The altars found in Slavonski Brod may be classified in two basic groups: ordinary and zoomorphic altars. The group of ordinary altars has the basic form in common – a rectangular recipient on four feet. The recipient appears in different shapes, so that five varieties can be sorted out: the sacrificial table – type 1 (Fig. 3; T. 1, 1); altars with a vessel in the middle of the recipient – type 2 (Fig. 3; T. 1, 2-7; T. 2, 1-2); altars with a horizontal recipient with animal protomes in its corners – type 3 (Fig. 3; T. 2., 3-5, T. 3., 1-4); an altar with a rectangular outer and circular inner recipient with protomes in the corners – type 4 (Fig. 3; T. 4, 1-4); and an altar resembling a church altar – type 5 (T. 4., 5-6). Altars of types 1, 2 and 5 have numerous analogies in the early Neolithic settlements of the Starčevo and Körös culture in Vojvodina and southern Hungary, whereas altars of types 3 and 4 have up to the present been discovered only in Slavonski Brod (further analogies to Lánycsók in Hungary and the somewhat younger Kaniška Iva in western Slavonia). According to the latest research we can stress that altar types 3 and 4 bear a special form and were discovered only in Brodska Posavina (Slavonski Brod), and can – just as the remaining altars from Slavonski Brod – be dated in the group of the oldest altars in Croatia – phase Linear A. Zoomorphic altars (T. 5.) bear the shapes of certain animals with a realistically presented anatomy. On the back they have a deep, flat or erect conical recipient (vessel). This type of altar is particularly rare in Starčevo settlements, whereas its number significantly increases in the later late Neolithic cultures (Stanković, 1992a, 223). The bull-shaped altar from Slavonski Brod with a flat recipient on its back is, so far, a unique sample of an altar in the Starčevo cultural complex, even though bull-figurines appearing as zoomorphic terracotta are a common inventory of Starčevo pit-dwellings. It is well known that cattle horns were buried as a sacrifice in the center of large and most significant pit-dwellings in the Starčevo settlements on Obre (Benac, 1973, 16), in Zadubravlje (Minichreiter, 2001c, 205, Fig. 8) and Slavonski Brod (Minichreiter, 2001c, 209, Fig. 13). Already in the Neolithic the bull was a symbol of fertility and as such closely connected to the great goddess-mother, the symbol of fertile land (Milićević, 1988, 30). In the large early Neolithic settlement Çatal Hüyüku in Anatolia already in the X and oldest layer (around 6300 BC) clay altars were unearthed with implanted real bullhorns (Mellart, 1967, 52, 104, Fig. 27, 28, Fig. 17). Apart from that bulls are often represented on frescos and reliefs of the altars from the X-VI layer. Another important group of cult artifacts is also anthropomorphic plastic – idols (T. 6.) that used to play a substantial role in the life of the early Neolithic populations. The finds of an ever larger number of variously shaped idols in Starčevo settlements of all development phases account for their significance in cult rites throughout the Neolithic. Idols discovered in Slavonski Brod show that already in the earliest stages of the Starčevo culture their form was pillared/bell-shaped, their eyes indicated by engravings, their nose and hands slightly emphasized and their hair or cap represented as a relief. Stylized human figures were an abstract artifact and did not represent any particular deities. Probably in the beginning they were made of wood with engraved eyes and hair. This shape remained throughout all the development phases of the Starčevo culture, and at the beginning of the Vinča culture the idols became more and more human-shaped. The pillared idols probably have their origin in Pannonia, whereas the Asia Minor idols are more realistically modeled with a hypertrophied body (Brukner, 1968, 47-48). Intensive investigations of early Neolithic settlements in the last 20 years bring us to the conclusion that already in the initial phases of the Starčevo culture all groups of cult artifacts were represented, even though they were smaller in number, to become larger in the later phases. Thus S. Stanković shows the percentage of cult artifacts in relation to the complete archaeological material according to the chronological classification by D. Srejović: Protostarčevo I (Monochrome after S. Dimitrijević) – 10.9%; Protostarčevo II (Linear A) – 38%; Starčevo I (Linear B and Girlandoid) – 32%; and Starčevo II (Spiraloid A/B) – 18.9% (Stanković, 1992a, 273). Throughout the development of the Starčevo culture, certain groups of cult artifacts disappear and no new groups appear. This points to the fact that the Starčevo population continued the religion and cults from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic traditions. Different rites caused the diversity of forms within the groups of cult artifacts. Most probably a particular form of altars served exclusively for particular rites or sacrifices devoted to particular forces. Therefore the appearance of new altar forms throughout the development of the Starčevo culture stands for the advancement of the religion and magic of the Neolithic man. A continuation of archaeological investigations of the early Neolithic settlement in Slavonski Brod shall enable a better and more comprehensive understanding of cult rites, religion and beliefs of the oldest populations of the south Pannonian territory

The architecture of Early and Middle Neolithic settlements of the Starčevo culture in Northern Croatia

In southeastern Europe, in the region of northern Croatia (between the Drava, Sava, and Danube Rivers), which geographically belongs to southern Pannonia, the first Neolithic settlements developed during the early and middle Neolithic, ca. 6000–4800 BC. Numerous archaeological excavations in the last 25 years have enabled an overview of the development of Starčevo Culture settlements (the earliest Neolithic culture in this region), from the first phases to the end of its development.V jugovzhodni Evropi na severnem Hrvaškem (med Dravo, Savo in Donavo), ki geografsko pripada južni Panoniji, so prve neolitske naselbine nastale v zgodnjem in srednjem neolitiku okoli 6000 do 4800 BC. πtevilna arheološka izkopavanja v zadnjih 25-ih letih nam omogočajo pregled razvoja naselbin kulture Starčevo (najzgodnejša neolitska kultura v regiji) od prvih faz do konca njenega razvoja

Workshop of Clay Objects and Fabric in the Starčevo Culture Settlement at the Galovo in Slavonski Brod

Na zemljištu Galovo u Slavonskom Brodu tijekom ljeta 2003. godine provedena je šesta faza sustavnih arheoloških istraživanja naselja starčevačke kulture u okviru znanstvenoistraživačkog projekta “Prapovijesni identitet sjeverne Hrvatske”. U dosadašnjim radovima istraženo je zemljište od 2.200 m2, a 2003. g. istražena je zapadna - radna zemunica sj. 155/156. U njoj su otkriveni ostaci četiri lončarske peći, a također po oblikovanju svojih unutrašnjih prostorija ukazuje da je ovdje bila radionica za izradu glinenih predmeta i posuđa manjih dimenzija. U ovom naselju do sada je otkriveno: 87 kadionica, 2 žrtvenika, 3 žrtvene posude, 7 antropomorfnih idola, 1 zoomorfna glinena figurica i glinena zoomorfna protoma. Dijelovi kadionica, antropomorfni idoli i žrtvene posude otkriveni 2003. g. u Slavonskom Brodu pripadaju već poznatim vrstama objavljenim u prethodnom radu, a među njima se ističu unikatni nalazi: životinjska protoma - realistički oblikovana glava svinje i samostojeća zoomorfna plastika - figura srne koje pripadaju najljepšim primjercima prikaza ovih životinja u ranoneolitičkim nalazištima. Arheološka istraživanja prapovijesnog naselja na Galovu u Slavonskom Brodu započeta 1997. g. nastavljaju se, jer ovo nalazište pruža jedinstvenu priliku sustavnog istraživanja ranoneolitičkih populacija južnopanonskih prostora iz rane faze Linear A starčevačke kulture.During the summer of 2003, the Galovo site in Slavonski Brod saw the sixth stage of systematic archaeological research into a settlement from the Starčevo culture as a part of the scientific research project on “The Prehistoric Identity of Northern Croatia”. Research efforts have so far covered an area of 2,200 m2, with the 2003 excavations focused on the western working pit (SU 155/156). The discovery of remains of four kilns as well as the layout of its interior rooms suggest that the working pit served as a workshop for the production of clay objects and pottery of smaller dimensions. The findings discovered in this settlement so far include 87 censers, 2 altars, 3 sacrificial vessels, 7 anthropomorhipc idols, a zoomorphic clay figurine and a zoomorphic clay protome. The fragments of censers, anthropomorhipc idols and sacrificial vessels discovered in Slavonski Brod during 2003 belong to the already known types published in a previous paper, including the noteworthy and unique findings of an animal protome (a realistically shaped porcine head) and a self-supporting zoomorphic sculpture (a figurine of a doe), which are among the most beautiful examples of presentations of these animals at the Early Neolithic sites. The archaeological research of the prehistoric settlement at Galovo in Slavonski Brod commenced in 1997 and will certainly continue as this site offers a unique opportunity for systematic research into early Neolithic populations in Southern Pannonian areas from the early Linear A phase of the Starčevo culture

Zadubravlje – Cult Objects in the Starčevo Culture Settlement

Posebni glineni predmeti otkriveni u inventaru zemunica i otvorenih prostora naselja iz rane faze razvitka starčevačke kulture u Zadubravlju svjedoče o bogatoj duhovnosti najstarijih zemljoradničkih populacija južnopanonskih prostora, koji su ostvarivali svoj mitski svijet i štovanje svojih božanstava najočitije u fi guralnoj umjetnosti. Među 25 kultnih predmeta otkriveni su: žrtvenici-kadionice, žrtvene posude, ritoni, te antropomorfna i zoomorfna plastika. Iako je ova vrsta arheološke građe raznovrsna, njezina interpretacija je u mnogočemu još uvijek nedorečena. Svako novo otkriće kultnih predmeta u ranoneolitičkim naseljima dragocjen su doprinos novim spoznajama o prvim vjerovanjima čovjeka da prirodne pojave mogu biti pod njegovom kontrolom u okvirima granica vlastite moći nad prirodom koje nije mogao do kraja spoznati. Zamišljajući bića koja nadziru prirodu, molitvom i žrtvom, nastojao je protumačiti svijet u kojem je živio i održati svoj opstanak.Certain clay objects discovered in the inventory of the pit houses and open areas of the early Starčevo Culture settlement in Zadubravlje testify to the rich spirituality of the oldest agrarian populations of the southern Pannonian zone, who best personified their mythic world and reverence of their deities in figural art. The 25 remaining cult objects include: altars/censers, sacrificial vessels, rhytons and anthropomorphic and zoomorphic sculptures. Although this type of archaeological material is abundant, its interpretation is in many ways still ambiguous. Each new discovery of cult objects in early Neolithic settlements constitutes a valuable contribution to the knowledge of the first beliefs of humans that natural phenomena could be placed under their control within the limits of their own power, even though nature could not be completely comprehended. By imagining beings that control nature, and by prayer and sacrifice, man attempted to interpret the world in which he lived and to survive

Archaeological Sites on the Donji Miholjac Southern Bypass and the Kutina Southern Bypass Routes

Tijekom rujna 2008. g. ekipa arheologa Instituta za arheologiju iz Zagreba, u suradnji s arheolozima nadležnih muzeja, obavila je na zemljištima planirane trase zaobilaznice grada Donjeg Miholjca u dužini od 8 km evidenciju 4 arheoloških lokaliteta iz prapovijesnih, antičkoga i srednjovjekovnog razdoblja. Na trasi južne obilaznice grada Kutine evidentiran je jedan prapovijesni lokalitet. Nakon arhivskoga i terenskog pregleda lokaliteti su preventivno zaštićeni i izrađen je elaborat „Kulturno-povijesna baština“ kao dio Konzervatorske studije o utjecaju na okoliš izgradnje planiranih cesta. Tu su propisani uvjeti izgradnje trase obilaznica – spašavanje od uništenja vrijedne kulturne baštine, što uključuje obvezan stalni nadzor arheologa pri skidanju humusa uzduž trasa cesta i zaštitna arheološka istraživanja zaštićenih zona lokaliteta.In September 2008, a team of archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb, in co-operation with the archaeologists from the regional museums, registered four archaeological sites from the Prehistoric, Roman and Medieval periods covering a length of 8 km on land designated for the planned route of the Donji Miholjac bypass. A Prehistoric site was registered along the route of the Kutina southern bypass. Following an archival inspection and field survey, the sites have been placed under preventive protection, and a study entitled “Cultural and Historical Heritage” has been compiled as part of the environmental impact study for the planned roads. The Study prescribes the conditions for construction of new roads in view of the need to preserve valuable cultural heritage sites from destruction. These conditions stipulate mandatory and continuous archaeological oversight during the removal of humus along the routes of the planned roads and rescue archaeological explorations at the protected zones

Slavonica Motorway Route – Rescue Excavations of the Prehistoric, Early and Late Medieval Bentež Settlement near Beketinci in 2007 and 2008

Institut za arheologiju iz Zagreba proveo je zaštitna arheološka istraživanja na trasi međunarodne autoceste Budimpešta – Ploče, koja pod imenom Slavonica Hrvatskom ide od Belog Manastira preko Osijeka do Svilaja. Na dionici Osijek – Đakovo istražen je lokalitet AN 18, na zemljištu Bentež kod Beketinaca. Tijekom 2007. i 2008. g. otkriveni su ostaci tri naselja: prapovijesnog naselja lasinjske kulture (oko 4 000 g. prije Krista), ranosrednjovjekovnog naselja (od 9. do 11. st.) i kasnosrednjovjekovnog naselja (od 14. do početka 16. st.).The Institute of Archaeolog y in Zagreb conducted rescue excavations along the route of the international Budapest–Ploče motorway, which passes through Croatia under the name of Slavonica from Beli Manastir via Osijek to Svilaj. On the Osijek–Đakovo section, the AN 18 site was excavated on a plot of land called Bentež near Beketinci. In 2007 and 2008, the remains of three settlements were discovered: a Prehistoric Lasinja culture settlement (ca 4,000 BC), an Early Medieval settlement (9th to 11th century) and Late Medieval settlement (14th to early 16th century). The Bentež plot is situated on the lowest part of the alluvial plain south of Osijek, intersected by the courses of the Karašica, Vučica and Vuka rivers. The excavated plot of the Bentež site lies approximately 3 km north of the present course of the Vuka river and it is the closest to the modern settlement of Beketinci. The oldest part of the site belongs to the Eneolithic Lasinja culture from approximately 6,000 years before present, i.e. to the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th millennium BC or the mid-Eneolithic (Dimitrijević 1979, 137-181). Part of a large Copper Age settlement was uncovered which in its western, working part, consisted of numerous clay pits and two larger kilns for baking pottery and other clay artefacts. In the eastern, residential part of the settlement, three very large pit dwellings (20 x 30 m) with wells on their margins and the foundations of fi ve aboveground houses were excavated. The largest above-ground house was 30 m long and 12 m wide, with three rooms and a smaller house (8 x 5 m, with two rooms) on its southern side (Raczky 2006, 379-398; Virag and Figler 2007, 345-364). A considerable quantity of pottery and spoons was found. According to the shape these are biconical bowls, at times supplemented with a tongue-shaped decorated handle at the biconical belly line, then there are round bowls and terrinae, bowls on a hollow foot with a thickening at the upper section and jugs with sometimes decorated handle reaching up to the brim. Decorations are mostly incised, depressed and stamped. They are composed of interlaced groups of various combinations of diagonal and straight lines and ladder-shaped motifs. Filled triangles also appear as well as curved and pointed stripes, while horizontal and diagonal sequences of dots or incisions sometimes function as trimming of the vessels or motifs (Marković 1983, 251-262, P. 1-3). In addition to pottery, some lithic objects were uncovered as well: fragments of stone tools, axes with holes for fi tting shafts. The Medieval part of the settlement, of which four fi fths of the entire surface were excavated on the given motorway route, existed during two separate periods. In the northern marginal part of the excavated section of the Prehistoric settlement two pits with early medieval fi nds were discovered and the remaining part of that settlement probably extended below today’s country road leading across the fi elds further north. Among the fi nds from this Early Medieval settlement, there are vessels with simple brims, decorated with combed wavy lines and fragments of a deep biconical vessel – a kettle,7 dating the settlement from the 9th to 11th century. The second part of the medieval settlement is much larger and can be dated to approximately the 14rh and 15th century and the very beginning of the 16th century, when it ceased to exist – most likely due to Ottoman invasions and wars. The settlement covered a surface of approximately 20.000 m2 out of which 17.000 m2 were explored. In the settlement, roughly 35 pit dwellings were excavated with an above-ground wooden structure and about 15 wooden houses with a rectangular fl oor-plan which contained small cellar pits. In some dwellings hearths were discovered and outside of them the remains of 56 bread ovens, suggesting that there were approximately 50 families living here at that time. Therefore, it is assumed that the settlement had between 700 and 900 inhabitants. Discovery of two forges in the south-western and north-eastern parts of the settlement also confirms the theory of existence of a large settlement for that time. Substantial quantities of dross were discovered in the pits containing large furnaces and in one room of the forge a bovine skeleton (possibly a ritual burial) was found. Besides residential facilities, work pits were uncovered (some of them with slots for wooden beams at opposite sides) in which most likely various crafts proceeded. Furthermore, three wells and the remains of large wooden fences were found. The house inventory consisted of numerous vessels: middle sized and small pots, bowls, lids and several big pots – pithoi (for food reserves) of various sizes in every household. Fine Gothic pottery (also referred to as Hungarian in the literature) – bottles, pots, jugs, cups and glasses – formed a constituent part of the inventory of every household. Among them are pots and jugs with rectangular motifs (nets, diagonal lines), motifs of the sun with sun-beams combined with dots, all painted red on a light ochre background. Besides pottery, a large part of the inventory of the medieval settlement facilities consists of metal artefacts (approximately 320) predominantly iron, of various functions: parts of weapons, military equipment, horse equipment, agricultural tools, leather tools, as well as household artefacts. Among the women’s jewellery, the remains of single-bead bronze earrings, bronze pendants and several fine bronze decorative needles were excavated. Part of the household inventory also included numerous clay balls (their average diameter being approximately 5 cm) that might have served sling ammunition. A big surprise was the discovery of a bull, the papal lead seal used for various charters, found in a collapsed furnace near the only house in the settlement that had wooden foundations, situated in the northern part of the settlement. The preserved half of the lead stamp bears the figure of St. Paul on the averse and above his head there is an inscription SPAS……. – an abbreviation for “St. Peter the Apostle St. (Paul the Apostle)”. On the reverse there are three rows of letters, rather illegible, but it was possible to identify the letters in the first row – GRE. According to the iconographic presentation of St. Paul’s head and according to the parts of letters and numbers, the inscription Gre(go)rius XI ( Ricci 1985, 156), who administered the Catholic Church between 1370 and 1378 (I. Papi 2002, 102), may here be identified. The Holy See with papal seals issued various charters – bulls (ceremonial letters) – appointing bishops and canons, permits to noblemen to build churches and monasteries, privileges to single churches or church altars. The question remains open as to whom a document from the Holy See may have referred to.8 Historical sources, according to which Pope Gregory XI in 1374 maintained correspondence with Peter, the Bishop of Đakovo, and other canons of the cathedral chapter, may be on the right track (Gulin 2001, 165; Gašić 2000, 84). A year after, Pope Gregory XI confirmed Duke Koloman’s Deed of Gift from 1239 by which he established the Bosnian Church with the support of the Pope Gregory IX and established a source of finances for the Bosnian cathedral chapter (Gašić 2000, 85). The size of the excavated Late Medieval settlement, the existence of two forges, the large quantity of luxury pottery in the houses as well as the find of the papal seal, suggest that the standard of living in the settlement was obviously higher than in neighbouring settlements and that it was probably a central settlement of the Gorjanski estate. In the Late Middle Ages the settlement played an important role among the estates of the powerful noble Gorjanski family, whose centre was in nearby Gorjani. This family attained the peak of their power in the Croato-Hungarian Monarchy precisely in the 14th and 15th century. Historical sources indicate that the Bosnian estates (referring to the cathedral chapter estates in Đakovo and its surroundings) were greatly damaged during the Civil War of 1398-1421 and completely disappeared after 1463 (Gašić 2000, 85). The settlement was burned down and destroyed in a fire perhaps precisely at the time of feudal conflicts or during one of the Ottoman invasions