Archaeological Excavations of the Kalnik - Igrišće Settlement

U radu se donose preliminarni rezultati arheološkog iskopavanja višeslojnog nalazišta Kalnik-Igrišće koje je provedeno u srpnju 2008. godine. Tijekom tih istraživanja otkriveni su slojevi iz razdoblja kasnog Latena i mlađe faze kasnoga brončanog doba (stupanj Ha B). Cilj ovih istraživanja bio je spojiti slojeve i strukture kasnoga brončanog doba iz obje sonde, kako bi se dobila što cjelovitija slika o naseobinskim strukturama. Otkriveni su ostaci kuće s ognjištem, drvenim gredama, rupama za stupove. Na podu kuće pronađeno je dosta karboniziranog zrnja žitarica i divljih jabuka koje su pronađene u keramičkim posudama. Na osnovi tipologije keramike moguće je zaključiti da se radi o mlađoj fazi kulture polja sa žarama koja ima dosta srodnosti s grupom Ruše u Sloveniji.On the southern slopes of the Kalnik Mountain, archaeological excavations of the settlement at the Kalnik-Igrišće site resumed in July 2008. The site encompasses cadastral plot 233, owned by the Croatian forest management company Hrvatske šume. The objective of the excavations was to connect the layers and structures from both trial trenches, covering an overall surface of 60 m² (Fig. 1). During excavations of the upper part of trial trench 2 stratigraphic units (029-032) were uncovered, which – based on the typological characteristics of the pottery – can be dated to the Late La Tène period, and which are linked to the remains of the floor of the house in trench 1 (SU 004 and 005) (Karavanić 2007). All other stratigraphic units that can be seen on the map (Fig. 2) belonged to the Late Bronze Age period, or to the younger stage of the Urnfield culture. The Late Bronze Age layers in most of trial trench 2 (A-E/1-6) were partially destroyed by later structures, and post holes are the best preserved (SU 035, 037, 040, 042, 044, 048, 052). In the lower part of the trial trench, a layer of soot was found (SU 049, 055), which is associated with SU 014 and probably constitutes the remains of a house floor. The largest concentration of Late Bronze Age finds is in squares A-C/6-9, where under a layer of soot a high concentration of pottery and the remains of carbonized cereals were discovered (Fig.2), while the remains of a wooden beam were uncovered at the eastern profile of the trial trench. At the bottom of the excavation area, in squares B-C/11-12, there was a larger hearth (SU 057-058) that had a smooth surface and a substructure of yellow sandy soil. Pottery finds, stones and bone artefacts suggest that in this part of the settlement, everyday household activities proceeded that were associated with weaving (spindle whorls and weights) and food preparation (remains of cereals and vessels), and it is possible that a certain phase of pottery production proceeded here as well (remains of stone polishers). Some fine ceramics finds (Fig.3) suggest that pottery production in this part of the Kalnik-Igrišće settlement is typologically and culturally associated with the Ruše group in Slovenia, particularly with the settlement at Brinjeva gora (Pahič 1981; Oman 1981), and there are also many analogies with the settlement Špičak near Bojačno (Pavišić 1986/1987; 1993; 2001). These two settlements are directly associated with the Ruše cultural group in Slovenia, and they are dated in the Ha B stage, i.e. the younger Urnfield culture. The excavations at Kalnik-Igrišće have shown significant differences in relation to the excavations of 1988-1990 (Majnarić-Pandžić 1992;1998), in which the part of the settlement from the early Urnfield culture was discovered, where bronze-casting activities took place

Metallverarbeitung und -produktion in der Siedlung Mačkovac Crišnjevi (Nova Gradiška)

Mojoj Ivani U radu se donose rezultati istraživanja prethistorijskog naselja Mačkovac-Crišnjevi, vezani uz proizvodnju metalnih predmeta u tom naselju. Kao dokazi za to navode se sljedeći nalazi: ostava brončanih predmeta sa sirovinom bronce tzv. «pogačama», mogući ostaci kalupa za lijevanje metala, glineni nastavak za puhaljku-sopalj ili pisak, polomljeni brončani predmeti i ognjišta na otvorenom. Početak proizvodnje metala stavlja se u stupanj Br C/D. Pronađeni predmeti stavljaju se u kontekst s drugim sličnim nalazima u regiji (Posavina i sjeverna Hrvatska) i srednjoj Europi.Für meine Ivana Im Aufsatz werden die Ergebnisse der Ausgrabung der prähistorischen Siedlung Mačkovac-Crišnjevi, die mit der Produktion von Metallgegenständen in dieser Siedlung zusammenhängen, vorgestellt. Die Metallproduktion wird durch die folgenden Funde belegt: ein Hort von Bronzegegenständen mit Rohmaterial zum Gieβen, den so genannten »Gußkuchen«, mögliche Überreste von Metallgussformen, ein Tonaufsatz für ein Blasrohr oder Luftröhrchen, zerbrochene Bronzeartefakte und offene Feuerstellen. Der Beginn der Metallproduktion wird in die Stufe Br C/D datiert. Die gefundenen Artefakte werden mit anderen ähnlichen Funden in der Region (Posavina und Nordkroatien) und Mitteleuropa verglichen

Temple rings and the structure of grave goods found in the Velika Gorica graveyard

U radu se donose svi nalazi sljepoočničarki iz grobova u Velikoj Gorici. Neke od njih su već objavljene u radu Vinski-Gasparini 1973, a ovdje se donose nanovo rekonstruirane, kao i one koje nisu dosada bile poznate. Jedan je dio sljepoočničarki iz uništenih grobnih cjelina. Uglavnom pripadaju tipu 2 prema Starè 1960. Donosi se statistička analiza grobnih priloga u Velikoj Gorici i posebno se navodi učestalost sljepoočničarki na grobljima Velika Gorica i Dobova. Sljepoočničarke se analiziraju prema analognim primjercima iz srednje Europe i dovode se u vezu sa srodnim nalazima pozamenterijskog stila u Karpatskoj kotlini.The article presents all the temple rings found in the graves in Velika Gorica. Some of them, previously published in the 1973 Vinski-Gasparini book, have been reconstructed while others are new. Some temple rings come from destroyed graves. According to the 1960 classification by Starè, they mostly belong to Type 2. The article also provides a statistical analysis of grave goods in Velika Gorica, in particular the incidence of temple rings in the Velika Gorica and Dobova graveyards. The temple rings are analysed on the basis of analogous samples from Central Europe and are associated with related passementerie-style findings from the Carpathian Basin

Research of the Multi-layer Site Kalnik-Igrišće 2006

U rujnu 2006. godine započela su sustavna arheološka iskopavanja na lokalitetu Kalnik-Igrišće. Na ovome se lokalitetu istraživalo od 1987. do 1990. godine. Rezultati tih istraživanja su već objavljivani u arheološkim publikacijama. Istraživanja 2006. godine provedena su na drugom položaju radi istraživanja drugih dijelova prethistorijskog naselja na Igrišću. Arheološko iskopavanje je dalo nalaze i iz vremena Rima i Kelta pa se tako upotpunila slika naseljenosti Kalnika u različitim razdobljima.On the hill of Kalnik (Fig. 1.), systematic archaeological excavations have been carried out in September 2006. The excavations took place on the southern slopes of Kalnik, cadastral plot 233 (in the ownership of Hrvatske šume − Croatian forest authorities). On this position, the area of 30 m2 was opened. This research represents a certain type of continuation of the research from the late 1980s, which was conducted by prof. dr. Nives Majnarić-Pandžić (Archaelogical Institute of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb) in co-operation with prof. Zoran Homen, who was by that time custodian archaeologist at the City Museum in Križevci. The results of this earlier research were already published in archaeological publications (Majnarić-Pandžić 1992; Vrdoljak 1992; Vrdoljak 1994; Vrdoljak&Forenbaher 1995). The new research was carried out with the aim of discovering new parts of the settlement at Kalnik-Igrišće. What was expected, were mostly differences in the repertoire of the late Bronze Age ceramics, but the research showed deeper chronological and cultural differences. The finds of 5 pieces of Roman coins and several fragments of Roman ceramics, which appear in the same layer as the ceramics from the Late La Tene period, are to be mentioned primarily. The finds offer a more complete picture of the population of Kalnik in both the Roman and the La Tene periods. We particularly point to the find of a part of a house floor or hearth (Fig. 3.) from the Late La Tene period, around which numerous fragments of ceramics, pans and animal bones were found. Below this stratigraphic unit provisorily marked 005, the stratigraphic unit 003, which belongs to the Bronze Age period already, was discovered. Up to now we have sorted out two Bronze Age layers, SU 003 and 007, which do not differ regarding the typological characteristics of their ceramics. On the same level with SU 007, there was also a damaged hearth (SU 006), next to which some ceramics and a whorl were found. As a conclusion, we may say that these excavations resulted in the discovery of a part of a settlement, in which daily, domestic activities related to the preparation and processing of grains and food were carried out − a fact witnessed by the finds of millstones and large pots (pithoi). As the excavations have not been carried out completely, another excavations season is expected in 2007. The finds were preliminarily dated as belonging to the stage Ha A, in accordance with Central European chronology

The Area of Križevci in the Late Bronze Age and the Manufacturing of Bronze Objects in Northwestern Croatia

U radu se navode tipološka i kronološka obilježja nalazišta kasnog broncanog doba na podrucju Križevaca. Rezultati njihove analize dovode se u vezu s ostalim nalazištima na podrucju sjeverozapadne Hrvatske. Stoga se u analizi uzimaju u obzir i nalazi koji su vec bili objavljeni u razlicitim publikacijama sa spomenutog podrucja.The area of Križevci belongs to the region of north-western Croatia. From the archaeological point of view, it is a very interesting area brought into connection with the region of the south-eastern Alps, Panonia and the Carpatian Basin. Although there are some significant sites in the area of Križevci from all periods of the Prehistoric, but also from the Antique and the Middle Ages, the most interesting are those dating from the protohistorical period, or more exact, from the Late Bronze Age. Part of the findings was delivered to the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb and the City Museum of Križevci as a part of accidentally discovered finds, about the circumstances of the discovery of which nothing or extremely little is known. The finds are mostly different bronze objects. Of the explored localities from that period, a settlement from the Late Bronze Age with evidence of metallurgic activities, discovered on the location of the brickworks in Križevci, where the rescue excavation has been carried out, is very significant. More recently, on the basis of a survey of the ground surface, a site has been discovered on the position of Majurec - Gradina, the date of which is probably the very beginning of the Late Bronze Age. The most significant finds from the Late Bronze Age certainly come from the mountains of Kalnik. A group of bronze objects was accidentally discovered while the foundations for the so-called Wilhelm cottage were being dug. Ceramic pieces are to be found on the surface all the way from the climbers’ lodging on Kalnik to the position on Igrišce, where in 1987 the research was begun, and continued in 1988 until 1990 through the cooperation between the City Museum of Križevci (Zoran Homen) and the Archaeological Institute of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb (prof. dr. Nives Majnaric-Pandžic). The research produced very significant results, which mostly relate to the ceramic finds from an early phase of Urnfield culture (Baierdorf-Velatice group or Zagreb group) and the finds of moulds for metal. On grounds of the moulds (picture 3), dross and numerous bronze objects, N. Majnaric-Pandžic (1992) defines this part of the settlement as a melting workshop. The largest part of the finds is needles (picture 2); a knife and a bead were also discovered. The find of a channelled stone, which was probably used for the processing of metal, is also interesting. The ceramic materials, collected in the exploration on Igrišce, have been analysed with great detail by the typologically-statistical method and they mostly belong to the Baierdorf-Velatice group, to which they are also connected by the finds of typical Velatice cups (picture 4). A part of the discovered objects was established by analysis to belong to the later Urnfield culture; their number is, however, negligible. The finds of heaths with ceramic pieces as flagging, for which reason they are also established to belong to the early phase of Urnfield culture and are definitely related to the finds with metallurgic character, are also to be mentioned. We arrive at the conclusion that the area of Križevci played a significant role in the early phase of Urnfield culture. It is a period of an extreme flourishing of metal industry, shown by the large number of remains from the phase II in the eastern group of the area between rivers. This western group of the area between rivers, however, also had a rich metal industry, if the finds of the remains like those from Budinšcina are to be judged by (picture 1). (Translated by Marina Bertovic

Zufallsfund eines Bronzegürtels aus der Siedlung Mačkovac-Crišnjevi (Nova Gradiška)

U radu se analizira slučajni nalaz brončanog pojasa iz naselja Mačkovac-Crišnjevi kod Nove Gradiške koji je ukrašen nizovima sitno iskucanih točaka. Na osnovi analize tehnike i motiva ukrašavanja donose se paralele sa sličnim nalazima u regiji i srednjoj Europi. Pretpostavlja se, na osnovi nalaza iz ostave Mačkovac, da je u naselju postojao još jedan pojas koji svojim motivima i načinom ukrašavanja nalikuje pojasu iz Slavonskog Broda – Livadićeva ulica.Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird der Zufallsfund eines mit Reihen von punzierten Pünktchen verzierten Bronzegürtels aus der Siedlung Mačkovac-Crišnjevi bei Nova Gradiška analysiert. Anhand der Analyse der Ziertechnik und -motive werden Parallelen zu ähnlichen Funden in der Region sowie in Mitteleuropa gezogen. Die Hortfunde aus Mačkovac lassen darauf schließen, dass es in der Siedlung einen weiteren Gürtel gab, dessen Motive und Verzierungen dem Gürtel aus der Livadićeva-Straße in Slavonski Brod ähnlich sind

Temple rings and the structure of grave goods found in the Velika Gorica graveyard

U radu se donose svi nalazi sljepoočničarki iz grobova u Velikoj Gorici. Neke od njih su već objavljene u radu Vinski-Gasparini 1973, a ovdje se donose nanovo rekonstruirane, kao i one koje nisu dosada bile poznate. Jedan je dio sljepoočničarki iz uništenih grobnih cjelina. Uglavnom pripadaju tipu 2 prema Starè 1960. Donosi se statistička analiza grobnih priloga u Velikoj Gorici i posebno se navodi učestalost sljepoočničarki na grobljima Velika Gorica i Dobova. Sljepoočničarke se analiziraju prema analognim primjercima iz srednje Europe i dovode se u vezu sa srodnim nalazima pozamenterijskog stila u Karpatskoj kotlini.The article presents all the temple rings found in the graves in Velika Gorica. Some of them, previously published in the 1973 Vinski-Gasparini book, have been reconstructed while others are new. Some temple rings come from destroyed graves. According to the 1960 classification by Starè, they mostly belong to Type 2. The article also provides a statistical analysis of grave goods in Velika Gorica, in particular the incidence of temple rings in the Velika Gorica and Dobova graveyards. The temple rings are analysed on the basis of analogous samples from Central Europe and are associated with related passementerie-style findings from the Carpathian Basin

Excavation of the Multi-Layer Kalnik-Igrišće Site in 2007

Tijekom travnja i rujna 2007. godine nastavljena su arheološka iskopavanja nalazišta Kalnik-Igrišće na katastarskoj čestici 233. Ukupno je otvorena površina od 60 m2, a istraženi su slojevi u sondi 1 do relativne dubine oko 1,30 m. U ovom se radu donose preliminarni rezultati istraživanja u sondi 1 i sondi 2. Otkriveni su slojevi i strukture iz rimskog vremena (ognjište i dijelovi zemunica) i kasnoga brončanog doba (jame i ognjišta). Za izdvojiti je nalaz rimskog viska i novca iz druge polovine 3. st. Kasnobrončanodobni nalazi se okvirno datiraju u vrijeme Ha A i Ha B.The Kalnik-Igrišće site is situated on the southern slopes of Kalnik Mountain at around 500 m above sea level. From 1988 to 1990 systematic excavations were conducted on the cadastral plot no. 40 (Borje Cadastral Municipality) (Majnarić-Pandžić 1992; Vrdoljak 1992; Vrdoljak 1994; Vrdoljak, Forenbacher 1995), while these new systematic excavations, launched in 2006 (Karavanić 2007), are being conducted on the cadastral plot 233 (Kalnik Cadastral Municipality) which is the property of the public forest management company Hrvatske šume. The management of Hrvatske šume has been notified of these excavations. Overall, in April and September 2007 an area of 60 m2 was opened (Fig. 1). The majority of movable finds from Kalnik-Igrišće in 2007 is, of course, pottery. The finds are dated to various historic periods. In the surface levels (SJ 001 and 002) these items are mixed, so that medieval, Roman and La Tène pottery can be found together with that of the Late Bronze Age. Below these surface layers there are closed complexes in the form of hearths or pits from the La Tène and Roman periods which cut through the Late Bronze Age layers. The inventory of Late Bronze Age pottery are mainly various types of larger pots decorated with lines made by finger incisions. Their dating is very broad, as they appear through the entire Late Bronze Age from Ha A to Ha B. In the excavation report for 2006 (Karavanić 2007), it was pointed out that in this part of the settlement the biconical cups so frequent in earlier excavations on cadastral plot no. 40 (Vrdoljak 1994) were found only sporadically or not at all. Therefore, on the basis of pottery items a horizontal stratigraphy of the site was assumed. A very significant find is a cup decorated with the so-called pseudoschnur ornamentation, found in SJ 012 (the “gravel” layer), which was found above a layer of soot (SJ 014), pits (SJ 013, 015, 018, 019) and hearth (SJ 016, 020). The fragment can be dated into Ha B and is a characteristic find at Slovenian sites of the Ruša group, e.g. at the eponymous site, the Ruše cemetery (Müller-Karpe 1959, T. 108, B1, M2) and at Brinjeva gora (Pahič 1989-1990). One such decorated fragment was also found in earlier excavations on plot no. 40 (Vrdoljak 1994, T. 33.1). In summary, the result of excavations on cadastral plot no. 233 (Kalnik Cadastral Municipality) is a multi-layered medieval, Roman, Celtic and Late Bronze Age site. The Middle Ages are represented only by sporadic fragments of pottery in the surface layer, while other periods are represented with structures and cultural deposits. From the Roman period, there is a hearth (Fig. 3) and a burial which can be dated, thanks to the discovery of coins, to the second half of the third century. La Tène finds, based on stylistic features, were dated to the Late La Tène. The most significant results were obtained in Late Bronze Age layers and structures, which can be dated to the early and younger Urnfield culture which encompasses phases Ha A and B. Over an area of 60 m2, part of a settlement with hearths (Fig. 2) were found, as well as pits for supplies alongside which daily kitchen activities took place, such as food preparation, weaving, etc. Excavations in 2007 also extended the dating of the Late Bronze Age settlement on Igrišće to Ha B. It should be possible to prove the existence of an earlier and younger phase of habitation in the Late Bronze Age using stratigraphic methods. An attempt will be made to complete these results by C-14 analyses

Archaeological Excavations of the Kalnik - Igrišće Settlement

U radu se donose preliminarni rezultati arheološkog iskopavanja višeslojnog nalazišta Kalnik-Igrišće koje je provedeno u srpnju 2008. godine. Tijekom tih istraživanja otkriveni su slojevi iz razdoblja kasnog Latena i mlađe faze kasnoga brončanog doba (stupanj Ha B). Cilj ovih istraživanja bio je spojiti slojeve i strukture kasnoga brončanog doba iz obje sonde, kako bi se dobila što cjelovitija slika o naseobinskim strukturama. Otkriveni su ostaci kuće s ognjištem, drvenim gredama, rupama za stupove. Na podu kuće pronađeno je dosta karboniziranog zrnja žitarica i divljih jabuka koje su pronađene u keramičkim posudama. Na osnovi tipologije keramike moguće je zaključiti da se radi o mlađoj fazi kulture polja sa žarama koja ima dosta srodnosti s grupom Ruše u Sloveniji.On the southern slopes of the Kalnik Mountain, archaeological excavations of the settlement at the Kalnik-Igrišće site resumed in July 2008. The site encompasses cadastral plot 233, owned by the Croatian forest management company Hrvatske šume. The objective of the excavations was to connect the layers and structures from both trial trenches, covering an overall surface of 60 m² (Fig. 1). During excavations of the upper part of trial trench 2 stratigraphic units (029-032) were uncovered, which – based on the typological characteristics of the pottery – can be dated to the Late La Tène period, and which are linked to the remains of the floor of the house in trench 1 (SU 004 and 005) (Karavanić 2007). All other stratigraphic units that can be seen on the map (Fig. 2) belonged to the Late Bronze Age period, or to the younger stage of the Urnfield culture. The Late Bronze Age layers in most of trial trench 2 (A-E/1-6) were partially destroyed by later structures, and post holes are the best preserved (SU 035, 037, 040, 042, 044, 048, 052). In the lower part of the trial trench, a layer of soot was found (SU 049, 055), which is associated with SU 014 and probably constitutes the remains of a house floor. The largest concentration of Late Bronze Age finds is in squares A-C/6-9, where under a layer of soot a high concentration of pottery and the remains of carbonized cereals were discovered (Fig.2), while the remains of a wooden beam were uncovered at the eastern profile of the trial trench. At the bottom of the excavation area, in squares B-C/11-12, there was a larger hearth (SU 057-058) that had a smooth surface and a substructure of yellow sandy soil. Pottery finds, stones and bone artefacts suggest that in this part of the settlement, everyday household activities proceeded that were associated with weaving (spindle whorls and weights) and food preparation (remains of cereals and vessels), and it is possible that a certain phase of pottery production proceeded here as well (remains of stone polishers). Some fine ceramics finds (Fig.3) suggest that pottery production in this part of the Kalnik-Igrišće settlement is typologically and culturally associated with the Ruše group in Slovenia, particularly with the settlement at Brinjeva gora (Pahič 1981; Oman 1981), and there are also many analogies with the settlement Špičak near Bojačno (Pavišić 1986/1987; 1993; 2001). These two settlements are directly associated with the Ruše cultural group in Slovenia, and they are dated in the Ha B stage, i.e. the younger Urnfield culture. The excavations at Kalnik-Igrišće have shown significant differences in relation to the excavations of 1988-1990 (Majnarić-Pandžić 1992;1998), in which the part of the settlement from the early Urnfield culture was discovered, where bronze-casting activities took place

The Mačkovac-Crišnjevi Settlement as a Contribution to Identifying the Beginnings of Urnfield Culture in Slavonian Posavina

U radu se daju rezultati istraživanja prapovijesnog naselja Mačkovac - Crišnjevi (Nova Gradiška) koja su se odvijala u razdoblju od 1997. do 2001. godine, a nastavljaju se i dalje. Na osnovi nalaza keramike i metalnih predmeta naselje se datira u stupanj Br C i D, s nešto elemenata Ha A. Naselje je kulturno srodno drugim nalazištima grupe Barice - Gređani i Virovitica.The village Mačkovac is situated on the left, Croatian bank of the Sava River, approximately 15 km south of Nova Gradiška. It was first mentioned in the literature already at the end of the 19th century, parallel to a hoard of bronze artifacts found at the Klupko site (Ilić-Oriovčanin, 1874; Ljubić, 1889). This was the first in a series of hoards found in the neighboring area. It was published in 1973 (Vinski-Gasparini, 1973, T. 73), along with the hoard from the neighboring village Siče (Vinski-Gasparini, 1973, T. 95). The third hoard from this area, from Dolina on the Sava, was published by Schauer in 1974. The locality is situated 1 km north of the village, on a site called Crišnjevi, 92 m above sea level, thus topping a floodplain at 90 m above sea level. It covers approximately 2 hectares of land. On its southern side it is defined by the natural depression called Prišnjica, in which water accumulates throughout most of the year, making access to the settlement difficult. In the surrounding area there are a few other sites with Late Bronze Age pottery. In the vicinity there are two more sites, Glavičica with tumuli, and the Late Bronze Age settlement Babine Grede. In 1985 another hoard was uncovered on Crišnjevi (Karavanić and Mihaljević, 2001), which brought about trial excavations in 1997. Its interesting results contributed to the continuation of excavations. Up to the present day, 323 m2 have been investigated. Over the years many pottery objects, animal remains, a human tooth (verbal communication by M. Šlaus) and several bronze objects were unearthed. Three layers can be distinguished at the site. The surface layer consists of humus damaged by plowing, with pottery and daub finds. Beneath this comes a dark brown, almost black clay layer with plenty of daub, pottery and charcoal, representing a cultural deposit settled in the area outside or above the settlement facilities. On the bottom there is a layer with many animal bones and coal. On Crišnjevi no remains of above-ground houses were uncovered, but only of smaller furnaces. One furnace has a regular oval ground plan, with two layers of a 20 cm thick clay coat, whereas others were made of a substruction of pottery fragments and a 2-3 cm thick clay coat. Above the furnace with the thicker coat there was an implosion made of daub fragments and parts of furnace. In the implosion a bronze ingot and a bellows nozzle (T. 2, 14) were found, and in the vicinity dross fragments as well, indicating metallurgical activity in this part of the settlement. In 2000 and 2001, a 15 cm thick stratum of hard, packed clay was unearthed above the bottom layer, on which there was a furnace (Fig. 2), as well as numerous heaps of pottery and daub fragments. The earth in this stratum was obviously leveled in order to create a surface for specific economic activities in the settlement; thus it might have been a house surface, within which there were smaller fireplaces and furnaces. In it only a limited number of finds was unearthed, only a few pottery and daub fragments. Considering the excavated surface, a relatively large number of metal objects was unearthed in Mačkovac. Those were mostly bronze needles. Thus regular sewing needles were found, as well as two needles with a biconical head (Vrdoljak, Mihaljević, 2000, Fig. 2, 1-6). Needles with a simple biconical head as well as those with a rounded head are simple, long-lasting utensils. Apart from a few exceptions, these needles cannot be used for accurate dating. In Moravia they were dated in early Urnfield culture, and in Hungary, in the hoards Romand and Velemszentvid, in late Urnfield culture. The needle (T. 4, 5) would correspond to the Deinsdorf type (Říhovský, 1979; Innerhofer 2000). Most similar to the needle from Mačkovac is that from grave-mound I, from a skeletal grave at the Velke Hosteradky site (Říhovský, 1963, 66, T. 1,; B6). Similar needles were also found in the Polešovice hoard in Moravia (Salaš, 1997, T. 23, 574-577), where they were dated in late grave-mound culture and early Urnfield culture (Salaš, 1997, 40). Needles of the same type were also found at other localities in northern Croatia, e.g. in Ilok (Vinski-Gasparini, 1973, 180, T. 19, 1-2), Bogdanovci (Vinski-Gasparini, 1973, T. 19, 3), and Slavonski Brod (Vinski-Gasparini, 1973, T 19, 4). These needles, along with other finds, correspond with the group of finds representing the Middle Bronze Age basis for the development of Urnfield culture and are dated into the end of the Middle Bronze Age and the beginning of the Late Bronze Age. Apart from those needles, there is also a needle from the Virovitica site (Vinski-Gasparini, 1973, T. 10, 10) that represents the Middle Bronze Age needle type with a nailshaped head which Teržan used as an argument for dating the beginning of the Virovitica group in the period Br B2-C (Teržan, 1995, 327). The most numerous group of finds in Mačkovac is pottery. The paper gives a selection of finds from all these years. Pot types found in Mačkovac are distributed over a large territory and in different Urnfield culture groups. Mostly we are dealing with pots with a rounded body and an everted rim, of different sizes, with one or two ribboned grips beneath the rim. Often they are decorated with a horizontal rib or a plastic ribbon with finger-prints (T. 1, 7), sometimes combined with a vertical ribbon, which is connected with the rim. The same forms of pots are found in the settlement Oloris (Dular, 2002), in Laminci near Bosanska Gradiška (Čović, 1983, 65-70, T 1; Đurđević, 1987, 50) and Saghegy (Patek, 1968). Interesting are pots decorated by clustered applications at the bottom (T. 3, 4), which are also found at the Laminci locality (Čović, 1983, 65-70). Such applied ornaments also occur in Transdanubia at the Gelsesziget site within the gravemound culture (Laszlo, 1994, 226), as well as at the Urnfield culture necropolis Voers-Battyani (Honti, 1993, 152, 155). Bowls are represented with a much richer repertoire of forms. Several varieties of rounded bowls with a flat rim (B3a, B3b, B3e) and one with an everted, horizontally flattened rim (B3d) were out. They occur in the early Urnfield culture settlements of Oloris (Dular, 2002) and Saghegy (Patek, 1968), as well as at the necropoli of Barice (Čović, 1958) and Mala Brusnica (Belić, 1963-1964). The bowl variety of rough manufacturing, with thicker walls and a flat bottom with vertical, horn-shaped protrusions (B3c) (T. 3, 2) has no closer analogies. Řihovsky mentions them in his work as an element of the grave-mound culture which was conveyed into early Urnfield culture, the Blučina-Kopčany horizon (Říhovský, 1982, 17, 42). Patek dates them as early as Br C and defines them as a form conveyed from gravemound culture (Patek, 1968, 102, T. 1, T. 6). Bowls with a broadly ribboned rim (B6), a regular find on each necropolis of the Virovitica and Barice-Gređani groups, were also found in Mačkovac, and they appear in early Urnfield culture since Br C. Among them is also a fragment decorated with an oval knob in the interior (T. 3, 7). Deep bowls with a rounded (B5a) (T. 1, 1-2, 4-6; T. 4, 2, 4) or slightly biconical (B5b) (T. 1, 3; T. 4, 1, 3) belly account for more than a third of all bowls in Mačkovac and are the most remarkable vessels at the site. They were all reductionally baked, they may have one or two ribboned grips, the portion where the belly turns into the neck is accentuated by a shallow groove, and often their belly is decorated with oval, knob-shaped protrusions (German Buckel) surrounded by a groove. Similar bowls were found in the necropoli of the Barice-Gređani group (Minichreiter, 1982, T. 4, 6, 8, 15), the necropoli in the surroundings of Bjelovar (Majnarić-Pandžić, 1988, 18-23), in Virovitica and Sirova Katalena (Vinski-Gasparini, 1973, T. 8, 15), and Moravče near Sesvete (Sokol, 1996, Fig. 13, 14). Particularly interesting is the analogy of bowls from Vinkovci (Dimitrijević, 1979, 141) that opened a number of questions pertaining to their chronological and cultural position. It is a chance find, culturally determined already in 1966 (Dimitrijević, 1966, 68) as part of the Hatvanoid- Bebrin culture and dated into Br A2 and Br A3. The scientific literature leans on this opinion due to a lack of investigation (Dimitrijević, 1979; Čović, 1983), or refers to it as Brod culture (Petrović, 1970; Belić, 1968; Lozuk, 1993, 2000), persisting upon dating into the Early Bronze Age. Bosnian literature, after the excavation in Laminci, subscribes the earlier published finds to Urnfield culture (Čović, 1988; Đurđević, 1987). After having studied the materials preserved in the Brodsko Posavlje Museum and comparing them to all the published localities it can be concluded that we are dealing with pottery artifacts from a settlement which is notably related to those from the Mačkovac-Crišnjevi site and therefore chronologically classified as belonging to the end of the Middle Bronze Age and the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, concurrent with the Virovitica group and culturally belonging to the Barice-Gređani group. The preliminary analysis of metal and ceramic finds dates the settlement into the latest phases of Middle Bronze Age and the very beginning of the Late Bronze Age or the Virovitica group. To conclude, the settlement lasted from stage Br BC until stage Br D with a few elements of Ha A. The principal economic activities were farming and livestock breeding with occasional fishery, and there are also testimonies to metallurgic activity that took place near the furnaces. At present we cannot estimate how many inhabitants the settlement had since only a small area has been excavated, but it can be assumed that it was a smaller village community