Is the Mesolithic-Neolithic Subsistence Dichotomy Real? New Stable Isotope Evidence from the Danube Gorges

The article presents new results of stable isotope analyses made on animal and human bones from the Mesolithic-early Neolithic sites of Lepenski Vir and Vlasac in the Danube Gorges of the Balkans. It reconstructs the food web for the region during these periods on the basis of stable isotope analyses of mammal and fish species found at Vlasac. These results are compared to measurements made on human burials from the two sites. In the light of these new results, the article also discusses interpretations provided by previous isotopic studies of this material. It concludes that great care is required in the interpretation of stable isotope results due to inherent methodological complexities of this type of analysis, and suggests that it is also necessary to integrate stable isotope results with information based on the examination of faunal remains and the archaeological context of analysed burials when making inferences about palaeodietary patterns

Taking beads seriously: prehistoric forager ornamental traditions in Southeastern Europe

Ornaments are polysemic objects due to different meanings they convey in human societies—self-embellishment, means of exchange, markers of age and gender, indicators of social status, signs of power, non-verbal means of expression and communication. Beads have a privileged place in shedding light on the origins of modern cognition in human societies. While archaeological approaches to ancient symbolism have often been concerned with behavioral modernity of our species, anthropological studies have underlined the role of ornaments in the construction of personhood, identity, and social networks in traditional societies. Exploring an approach informed by anthropological and ethnographic theory, we discuss Paleolithic and Mesolithic bodily adornments found across southeastern Europe. We present a review of the evidence for long-term regional and diachronic differences and similarities in types of body adornment among prehistoric foragers of the region. Here we look at aspects of cultural transmission and transferability over time. This enables us to reconstruct a series of gestures involved in ornament manufacture and use, and to examine transmissions of technological know-hows, shifting aesthetic values, and demands for specific local and non-local materials, including marine shells transferred across this region over long distances (>400km). This evidence is further discussed by, on the one hand, taking a perspective that draws on emic understandings of ornaments in certain ethnographic contexts and, on the other hand, through a rethinking of the relevance of the structural anthropological mode of analysis championed by Lévi-Strauss

A VIEW OF VINČA FROM CAMBRIDGE: MINNS’ REVIEWS OF THE 1930s PUBLICATIONS BY VASIĆ

The article provides close readings of a series of book reviews of Vasić’s Vinča publications in the journal MAN of the Royal Anthropological Institute in Britain written in the 1930s by Russian and Eastern European studies expert and Cambridge-based archaeologist Sir Ellis Hovell Minns, including his unpublished notes and annotations of the volumes that are kept in the Cambridge University Library. In three installments, first in 1933 and then twice in 1937, Minns reviewed Miloje Vasić’s seminal four volumes of Preistoriska Vinča I-IV, which were published in 1932 and 1936. In these reviews Minns gives his own interpretation of the dating and significance of the site of Vinča-Belo Brdo near Belgrade, but also echoes the majority opinion of leading experts about the finds at the time. The reviews, which have not previously been discussed in literature, provide penetrating glimpses for the history of archaeological thought, especially in Serbia, and reveal important aspects of the international reception of Vasić’s works and his erroneous dating of the site. The purpose of this piece is to contribute to a critical evaluation of foundational figures in Serbian archaeology and can be seen as an extension of a conversation started by Palavestra and Babić in several previously published articles. The article ends by asking to what extent these early omissions in Serbian archaeology set the tone for structuring tropes and persistent traditions that have endured in this regional archaeological school ever since

Vlasac revisited: formation processes, stratigraphy and dating

Since 2006, new excavations of the Mesolithic-Neolithic site of Vlasac in the Danube Gorges of the north-central Balkans have been under way. Excavations made across the surviving preserved portion of the site provide a unique opportunity for a re-evaluation of previous conclusions about the stratigraphy, chronology and the character of occupation at this classic site of the Lepenski Vir culture. Our revision work is contributing to new knowledge about formation processes at the site, its absolute dating, complex interplay of different mortuary practices and the nature of Mesolithic-Neolithic transformation in the region as a whole. Some aspects of these research efforts are presented in the paper.Od leta 2006 potekajo nova izkopavanja na mezolitsko-neolitskem najdišču Vlasac v donavski soteski v severnem delu centralnega Balkana. Izkopavanja, omejena so na ohranjeni del najdišča, omogočajo ponovno presojo in reinterpretacijo stratigrafije, kronologije in poselitve klasičnega naselja kulture Lepenskega Vira. Naše delo omogoča nove pojasnitve procesov formiranja naselja, njegovo absolutno datiranje ter predstavitev kompleksnosti pogrebnih praks v kontekstu mezolitskoneolitske transformacije v regiji. V članku predstavljamo nekatere vidike in zaključke raziskovalnega dela

Istraživanje praistorije „Dunavskog koridora“ u Đerdapu

Letnja i jesenja terenska sezona 2019. godine u okviru projekta U pokretu: praistorijska mobilnost i širenje poljoprivrede u Evroaziji u Đerdapskoj klisuru na teritoriji severoistočne Srbije (sl. 1), fokusirala se na sistematska istraživanja dva lokaliteta (Pećina iznad Trajanove Table i Vlasac) i uzorkovanje sedimenata dva ranije istraživana nalazišta (Dubočka pećina–Kozja i Pećina iznad Trajanove Table), u cilju rekonstrukcije paleo-okruženja i apsolutno-hronološkog datovanja. Ovi radovi su deo šireg projekta istraživanja Đerdapske klisure i njenog zaleđa koja se vrše na osnovu ugovora o međunarodnoj saradnji između Arheološkog instituta u Beogradu i Univerziteta Kolumbija u Njujorku, SAD

Praistorija „Dunavskog koridora“ u Đerdapu. Istraživanje u 2020. godini

Projekat U pokretu: praistorijska mobilnost i širenje poljoprivrede u Evroaziji ima za cilj da između ostalih proučavanih regija šireg prostora jugoistočne Evrope i istočnog i centralnog Mediterana, vrati istraživački fokus na Đerdapsku klisuru i teritoriju severoistočne Srbije. On jednim delom predstavlja nastavak projekta Praistorija severoistočne Srbije u okviru koga su od 2004. do 2009. godine rađena arheološka istraživanja ranije nepoznatih praistorijskih nalazišta (Pećina iznad Trajanove table, Pešćera Mare, Dubočka pećina, Aria Babi, a po prvi put nakon 1971. godine kada je puštena u rad Hidroelektrana Đerdap I, otkriveni su i sistematski istraženi sačuvani mezolitski i ranoneolitski slojevi na Vlascu, na samoj dunavskoj obali

Osseous tools and personal ornaments from the Epigravettian sequence at Badanj

The Late Upper Palaeolithic (Epigravettian) sequence at Badanj has yielded an important dataset about the occupation of the hinterland of the Eastern Adriatic catchment zone in the late Pleniglacial. The site also harbors one of the rare occurrences of Upper Palaeolithic parietal “art” in southeastern Europe in the form of a large rock engraving. Another notable aspect of the site is the presence of engravings on portable objects made from bone. The first excavations at Badanj, conducted in 1976–1979 in the zone around the engraved rock, yielded a surprisingly large number of personal ornaments (over 1000 specimens) from a variety of primarily marine gastropods, scaphopods, and bivalves, and red deer canines. Here we review what is currently known about the site and report our preliminary findings from the study of the collection of personal ornaments as well as osseous tools, some of which were marked by regular incisions forming decorative motifs. We also report two new direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates on antler barbed points

Eneolithic and Iron Age pottery from two newly discovered caves in the Danube Gorges

U okviru projekta 'Praistorija severoistočne Srbije - rekognosciranje i Iskopavanje' otkrivene su i sondažno istražene dve pećine: Pešćera Mare uzvodno od Lepenskog vira, i Pećina iznad Trajanove table. U gornjim holocenskim slojevima obe pećine otkriven je materijal iz poznog eneolita i starijeg gvozdenog doba. Eneolitska keramika pripada kulturama Kocofeni i Kostolac, dok je horizont starijeg gvozdenog doba zastupljen nalazima keramike sa odlikama Kalakača-Gornea grupe i Basarabi kulturnog kompleksa. Prilikom sondiranja konstatovani su i sporadični ulomci keramike ranog srednjeg veka. Na osnovu malobrojnog keramičkog materijala, možemo zaključiti da, iako povoljne za život, ove pećine tokom metalnih doba praistorije nisu bile stalna, već privremena staništa.An extensive survey and test excavations of cave and rockshelters and open-air sites in the Danube Gorges hinterlands were initiated in the autumn of 2004. This project, entitled 'Prehistory of north-east Serbia: Survey and Excavations', is a collaborative initiative between the Departments of Archaeology at the respective Universities of Cambridge and Belgrade. A number of sites were mapped during the survey phase of the project, and some test excavations of two newly discovered cave sites Peştera Mare and 'Tabula Traiana' Cave, were made (cf. figs. 1-2). Both excavated sites contained Holocene layers with traces of human habitation during later prehistory (Eneolithic and Early Iron Age), while 'Tabula Traiana' Cave also contained Pleistocene levels with traces of human habitation dated to the early Upper Paleolithic. The cave site of Peştera Mare (as Vlachs of eastern Serbia call it, i.e. - The Big Cave) is located in the mountainous area of Velika Rudina above the Upper Gorge of the Danube, at the altitude of 238 m above sea level. The large cave entrance (pl. I/1) is hidden and faces north-northwest. This is a long (ca. 65 m), tunnel- shaped cave (fig. 3/1) with sediments damaged by illicit digging. The cave was investigated in 2004 by opening Trial Trench 1/2004 (3 x 2 m) and Trial Trench 2/2004 (2 x 2 m). The cave sediments in the investigated part of the cave are shallow, and the bedrock was reached at 0.6-0.8 m from the surface level (fig. 4). It was not possible to differentiate cultural levels stratigraphically. It seems that the Eneolithic and Early Iron Age occupations made shallow pits in the yellowish brown loose sediment that was covering the bedrock. This sediment was likely formed during the Pleistocene and this conclusion is based on the finds of Pleistocene fauna (e.g. cave bear) throughout this layer. Discovered Eneolithic pottery (fig. 5) belongs to the Kostolac-Coţofeni cultural complex (ca. 3000-2900 B.C). This pottery is tempered with crushed stones and shells. The surfaces were roughly burnished and of dark coloring. The largest number of pottery finds can be classified as bowls for serving food along with storage and cooking pots. Bowls are characterized by biconical shapes. The outer surfaces of pottery were highly burnished and decorated with motifs of hanging triangles or were executed in the motif forming chessboard metopes done in the so-called Fürchenstich tehique and filled with white paint. Other fragments had their surfaces decorated with incised lines forming a net motif. Apart from the Eneolithic pottery that dominates the assemblage, a small number of pottery fragments can be dated to the Early Iron Age (8th century B.C) (fig. 6/1-6), and some of these were decorated by 'S' ornament characteristic of the Basarabi pottery style. The finds of animal bones indicate hunting of wild species (of which a large number were young animals) in the vicinity of the cave along with occasional fishing on the Danube. The site might have functioned as a specialized hunting camp both in the Eneolithic and the Early Iron Age. A few sporadic fragments of Early Mediaeval pottery were also uncovered (fig. 6/7). 'Tabula Traiana' Cave (pl. I/2) was discovered in the vicinity of the Roman stone inscription known as Tabula Traiana. The cave is part of the karstic massive of the Miroč mountain plateau, and is located downstream from the Lower Gorge of the Danube. It is situated some 25 m above the present level of the Danube at an altitude of 90-91 m above see level. The cave entrance is west facing. The cave is rather small (fig. 3/2), and pottery finds of late prehistoric date were laying on the surface due to illicit digging. Test excavations in the cave took place both in 2004 (Trial Trench 1/2004, size 2 x 2 m) and 2005 (Trial Trench 1/2005, size 4 x 1.5 m). The latest occupation (10-30 cm thick, is dated to the Early Iron Age although there were also sporadic finds of Late Roman-early Mediaeval pottery (fig. 9/8) possibly associated with a pit dug at the entrance to the cave. Only a few pottery fragments can be dated to the Eneolithic period and are stylistically related to the Coţofeni pottery style (fig. 8/1-3). A sterile layer separates the late Holocene occupation from Pleistocene levels of Early Upper Palaeolithic date (fig. 7). The most frequent finds of pottery can be dated to the Early Iron Age. There are possibly two chronological/stylistic phases in the Early Iron Age pottery. The older phase pottery can be dated to the early phase of the Bosut culture group, type Gornea-Kalakača (9th century B.C). This pottery is characterized by conical bowls with contracted-rim and ornamented with a band consisting of three parallel incised lines forming a zigzag motif (fig. 8/5-6). The later phase pottery can be dated to the Basarabi culture complex (figs. 8/7-13 9/1-7) on the basis of typical ornament consisting of continuous 'S' stamping on pot surfaces in combination with other decorative techniques. Such pottery is widespread across the Danube basin in this period. Map, including two newly discovered caves, of the sites of Kostolac-Coţofeni cultural complex (fig. 1) and early Basarabi culture (Gornea-Kalakača type) (fig. 2) on the Danube Gorges are presented

Ground stone artefacts from Aria Babi

The Early Neolithic settlement at the site of Aria Babi (the Danube Gorges or Iron Gates area, northeastern Serbia) is chronologically contemporaneous with the Starčevo horizon at Lepenski Vir, and it is located in its immediate vicinity. Our analysis of the stone tools ncompassed the material from trench 1–2/2005, investigated in 2005 and 2006. Judging on the basis of the ground stone assemblage from this site, and with the same conclusion reached based on the ceramic analysis, a rural household was identified in this place, in a small settlement with ispersed dug-in features, typical of the Starčevo culture. In this household, the every-day life of the community was probably focused on farming. There were items found which were used for food preparation – aside from pottery, such as stone querns – but there were also tools and household items produced from materials softer than stone, such as wood and bone, which were not preserved. Various fragments of raw material, not so numerous in this assemblage, indirectly point to a small-scale ground stone tool production at this place. The secondary use of fragmented abrasive tools bears witness to, in most cases, expedient tools used by the inhabitants of this household. It is probable that in the mountainous hinterland of the Early Neolithic sites discovered along the Danube’s banks in this region existed smaller villages which provided both agricultural and perhaps also some artisanal products

Spearheading into the Neolithic: last foragers and first farmers in the Dinaric Alps of Montenegro

This article presents a summary of new evidence for the Mesolithic in the Dinaric Alps of Montenegro. The region is one of the best areas in south-eastern Europe to study Early Holocene foragers and the nature of the transition to Neolithic lifeways at the end of the seventh and the beginning of the sixth millennium cal BC thanks to the existence of biodiverse landscapes and numerous karstic features. We argue that harpoons found at two different sites in this regional context represent a curated technology that has its roots in a local Mesolithic cultural tradition. The continued use of this standardized hunting tool kit in the Neolithic provides an important indication about the character of the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. We also use this regional case study to address wider questions concerning the visibility and modes of Mesolithic occupation in south-eastern Europe as a whole