Velebit, Tumulus Culture (Hügelgräber) Necropolis in the South of the Carpathian Basin

The Velebit necropolis located in the southern zone of the Carpathian basin remains to this day an unpublished archaeological site, although it has been known for over 5 decades. It represents the only systematically investigated Tumulus culture (Hügelgräber Kultur) necropolis on the territory of Vojvodina, which makes it very important for studying influences of cultures from Central Europe and Transdanubia on Belegiš and Dubovac cultures in the Serbian part of the Danube basin, and on Vatin culture in the territory of Western Serbia. The bulk of the research documentation has been lost over time, requiring the authors of this paper to undertake completely new research in order to be able to present the results of excavations of this necropolis from the Bronze Age and Late Antiquity. Certain artefacts indicate economic stratification and the presence of craftsmen (metallurgists) in these communities which were mobile in character, which is considered one of the more significant traits of the Tumulus cultur

The case of hip dysplasia of an adult from the Roman Period site of Velebit (Serbia)

Objective: This study is designed to reveal the diagnosis of a rare hip condition with an estimation of the possible cause of death. Materials: Archaeological site of Velebit dated between the 3rd and 4th century AD is located in northern Serbia. Grave No 24 differs from others in the unusual position of the skeletal remains in situ. Methods: The bioanthropological analyses included an estimation of skeletal preservation, cranial and postcranial skeletal measurements, estimation of sex and age at the moment of death, dental analysis and a paleopathological examination. This skeleton was analysed for signs of bone disease, using diagnostic paleopathological procedures comprising gross examination and CT scanning. Results: The results revealed that the analysed male individual was 40 to 55 years of age. The bioanthropological analyses showed two deformities of the pelvic bones, each on the outer surface, located posteriorly and superiorly of the acetabular area. The observed lesions were characterised as type 4 of developmental dysplasia of the hip. In addition, a sharp lesion was observed in the right posterior region of squama of the occipital bone. Conclusions: Our results clearly suggest that this individual had been suffering from hip dysplasia. The possible cause of death could be the observed head lesion. In addition, there is no skeletal conformation of unfavourable living conditions related to physiological stress and diet

SOVIET BOOK OF THE DEAD

Russian writer Yevgeny Lyvovich Shiffers (1934-1997) at the time of writing the book Смертию смерть поправ/Death by Death Defeated*(1966-1967) was lean on giant and powerful subtext of Antiquity, Christianity and Buddhism. This sophisticated thanatologist represents the ideal form of death as a universal principle that pervades the universe. By means of the fundamental estrangement and deconstruction of religious syntagm "in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" Shiffers frees the reader from superficial automatismof a believer and introduces him into rethinking the theological symbolism, in the spirit of religious modernism and post-atheistic searching for God. The main character, “Thomas the writer” presents in his writings the torment growing up in the Soviet Union, when the sons, building dubious careers, betrayed their fathers. Accepting blame for stealing his father's scientific manuscripts (symbolic patricide) Thomas took over his specific flock to escort it to the voluntary death. He continues his dynamic learning on Holy Trinity and the participation of man in this process, as well on the ideas about the resurrection-through-acceptance-of death. We have here a kind of soviet Book of the Dead. Смертию смерть поправ/Death by Death Defeated is novel of metaphysical realism, with excursions into the diverse discourses, from religious through intimate to science fiction, and that we can successfully understand and evaluate it according to its own rules

The moulds from Velebit and European Bronze Age metal anvils

International audienceDuring the first excavations of the cemetery dating from the Bronze Age and Early Antiquity in the village of Velebit near Kanjiža (Northern Serbia) one of the excavated artefacts was found to belong to a used and broken stone mould for casting anvils. However, without an expert archaeologist to supervise the recovery of this find, which remained unknown for decades after its discovery, as a starting point, the authors of this article present a synthesis that takes into account several aspects of this significant class of metalcraft object. This proceeds from the history of the excavation to the general role of European Bronze Age anvils in gold and bronze metalworking, and then further on to their typological, terminological, chronological and functional analysis and to their long-range distribution as a sign of an interregional network of craftsmen, including their social context and symbolism