Vin^A–Belo Brdo: Vernissages of Eneolithic Belgrade and Its Vicinity I1
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MILO[ SPASI] Belgrade City Museum, Belgrade VIN^A–BELO BRDO: VERNISSAGES OF ENEOLITHIC BELGRADE AND ITS VICINITY I1 UDC: 903"636"(497.11) e-mail: [email protected] DOI: 10.2298/STA0959027S Received: January 25, 2009 Original research article Accepted: May 4, 2009 Abstract. – The following paper will discuss the problems of Eneolithic settlements of Baden and Kostolac culture at Vin~a near Belgrade. Eneolithic horizons from Vin~a site were scarcely published owing to the fact that both Baden and Kostolac layers are not well stratified because of heavy medieval devastations. In spite of all post-depositional destructions Eneolithic settlements at Vin~a show enormous significance for understanding the life of the period, both on the micro and macro-regional scale. At the same time, this work is a sort of an insight into the results of ongoing analysis of material culture and socio-economic patterns of Eneolithic period settlements in Belgrade and its vicinity. Key words. – Vin~a, Eneolithic, Baden and Kostolac culture, Settlement organization, Chronology. in~a–Belo Brdo is situated on the right bank Vin~an settlements between 4,5 m and 2,5 m of vertical of the river Danube, in the immediate vicinity section, and correctly dated them to his Danubian IV–V V of Serbian’s capital Belgrade. Its importance cultures, that is to Baden culture and Middle Bronze age is recognized as the the eponymous site of the Late period.7 Neolithic Vin~a culture. The abundance of Neolithic In the course of new excavations at Vin~a (1978–1986; architectural remains, ceramic vessels, anthropomorphic 1998–2008) numerous Eneolithic finds were associated figurines, chipped and ground stone, and bone tools has with small Bodrogkerseztur necropolis, Baden and Ko- drawn attention shortly after the first excavations in early stolac settlements, of which only Bodrekeresztur necro- 20th century conducted by Serbian archaeologist Miloje polis has been published adequately.8 The full scientific Vasi}2. Owing to the thickness of the cultural layers with analysis of Baden and Kostolac cultural horizons is still more then 10 meters of archeological deposits, Vin~a became the key site for studying Balkan Neolithic and 3 cross-cultural relations in whole Europe. 1 Current paper presents the shorter version of my BA thesis Although the finds from Eneolithic and Bronze Age Baden and Kostolac Settlements at Vin~a–Belo Brdo defended on settlements have been neglected for long time, sporadic October 2007 at Department of Archaeology on Phaculty of Philo- reports of so called non Vin~a or Pannonian ceramic sophy, Belgrade University, under the mentorship of prof. Milo{ vere were published by M. Vasi}4 and V. Miloj~i}, the Jevti}. 2 Vasi} 1932–1936. first scholar who has attributed Eneolithic pottery to 3 Childe 1958; Miloj~i} 1949; Gara{anin 1951; Chapman 1981. 5 Baden and Kostolac cultural layers at Vin~a. In the 4 Vasi} 1911, 126–132; Vasi} 1936, 135–139. meantime typological and stylistic characteristics of 5 Miloj~i} 1949, 73. Eneolithic and Bronze Age pottery from Vasi}’s exca- 6 Srejovi} 1957, 73–79; Jovanovi} 1963, 19–24. vations at Vin~a were briefly evaluated by D. Srejovi} 7 Childe 1958, 94–95. and B. Jovanovi}.6 V. G. Childe also referred to post- 8 Tasi} 1984, 69–75; Tasi} 1995, 165; Jevti} 1986, 135–144. 27 Milo{ SPASI], Vin~a–Belo Brdo: Vernissages of Eneolithic Belgrade and its Vicinity I (27–51) STARINAR LIX/2009 missing except the proliferation of study on Baden As it is obvious from the ground plan of Baden anthropomorphic figurines9, and partially published settlement (Fig. 1), the dug-out objects themselves were Kostolac ceramic finds.10 In the following chapters the not grouped in any organized manner, except in the case author will present his analysis of Baden and Kostolac of irregular cluster of seven pits excavated in the settlements from Vin~a–Belo Brdo. northwestern part of the trench II. Still, the connection between the objects in the mentioned cluster isn’t interpretable since the function of each locus itself isn’t THE BADEN CULTURE SETTLEMENT clear. The dug out objects contained neither the floor ORGANIZATION debris nor the remains of postholes which could suggest the residential purpose of the pits. However, it should After the abandonment of the site by the bearers of be stressed that objects 18 and 19 contained fragments Late Vin~a D2 culture and the reuse of the Vin~a in of burnt house daub, the evidence which could be indi- middle Eneolithic elapsed a significant time period, the cative for functional interpretation of a structure as a so called hiatus, which according to relative chronology, dwelling on every single layered site. But in case of could last around two or three centuries. The first reuse Vin~a, one cannot claim with certainty that the daub in of the site was in connection with small Bodrogkerszetur features represents the remains of Baden culture architec- necropolis which consisted of four flat graves dug in to tural activity, or it was simply thrown in a pit as garbage abandoned Vinca settlement. Shortly afterwards, new po- from the Vin~a horizon, after leveling and cleaning of pulation occupied Vin~a, the bearers of Baden culture, the site by Baden inhabitants. Also, none of the excavated who formed a completely new type of settlement with structure was dug-out in the course of acquisition of dug-out houses, open-air hearths and refuse pits (Fig. 1). water or clay, because their lowest levels didn’t reach Dug-out features were of circular or ellipsoid shape the clayish subsoil of Vin~a settlement. Deductively, it whose size varied from 1,00 m to 2,50 m in diameter, could be concluded that Baden culture dug-out object and up to 0,90 m in depth. As a result of implemented from Vin~a served either for residential, storage, gar- field methodology during the 1978–1984. excavations bage, ritual utility or their function changed during their seasons, which considered removing of unified artificial life time. layers, up to depth of one spade (cca. 30 cm), some of the Although N. Tasi} mentions above ground structures dug out pits were very shallow, with evidenced depths and houses of Baden culture,11 except one open-air ranging from 0,15 m to 0,40 m. Regarding the function hearth, there isn’t solid confirmation for such claim in of 17 excavated dug-out structures there is not much to field documentation. Also, further difficulty with defining say since almost all of them were heavily devastated with and dating above ground features is the fact that Baden intrusions of Middle Bronze Age settlement and medieval culture horizon is severely devastated with activities of necropolis. The most numerous part of material culture later occupants of the site, during the Eneolithic, Middle repertoire from dug-out features are sherds of ceramic Bronze age and Medieval period. Therefore, in many vessels. Almost all of the excavated Baden culture objects cases when above ground structure is only partially pre- also contained animal bones and river shells, while in served and when there isn’t any diagnostic material, just few pits there are documented worked animal bones which is in a clear context with the excavated structure, and/or chipped or ground stone tools, levels of ashes and one can not safely date it neither to Eneolithic nor to small daub fragments. The fact that in not a single Baden Middle Bronze age Vatin culture. Only one above ground culture dug-out structure, intact and in situ artifact assem- Baden culture structure has been documented in the blages have not been found shouldn’t be regarded as an course of 1978–1984. excavations. That is an open-air evidence for functional determination of all such struc- hearth with burnt floor founded with pottery sherds. tures as refuse pits. Rather, such situation should be The exact appearance of the hearth couldn’t be recon- sought as an implication of mentioned devastations, and structed since it was only the burnt floor and its founda- as distinct life biography of each structure which could tion that were preserved. The hearth hadn’t had calotte be functionally used as a house, storage, refuse or ritual pit in different time sequence of the site occupation. How- ever, due to the lack of informations about exact size of the excavated structures and knowledge about (post)depo- 9 Tasi} 1980–1981, 27–33; Tasi} 1984, 70–71; Tasi} 1995, 56. sitional processes it is impossible to give a solid inter- 10 Tasi} 2001, 411–418; Nikoli} 2000, 10. pretation of any dug-out object’s life biography. 11 Tasi} 1984, 69. 28 Milo{ SPASI], Vin~a–Belo Brdo: Vernissages of Eneolithic Belgrade and its Vicinity I (27–51) STARINAR LIX/2009 05 m ENEOLITHIC HORIZONS 1978–1998 Fig. 1. Ground plan of Eneolithic horizons with above ground buildings of Late Vin~a horizon Sl. 1. Plan eneolitskih horizonata sa osnovama nadzemnih gra|evina poznovin~anskog horizonta and its function was probably in the sphere of everyday those two horizons. On the other hand, a misleading path activities in the settlement such as cooking, and/or for determining the relationship between Baden culture maintaining the light and warmth, and scaring the settlement and Bodrogkerszetur necropolis was the stra- beasts. It looks as the hearth isn’t in any obvious context tigraphic analysis of correlation between the absolute with some other above ground or dug out Baden feature sea-level altitudes of Bodrogkeresztur graves and Baden but due to the fact that in the immediate vicinity of it is hearth in their vicinity.12 There isn’t enough stratigra- the foundation of the biggest dug out feature of the phic data for a claim that Bodrogkeresztur necropolis is Baden settlement, it shouldn’t be excluded that those younger then Baden settlement.