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Brod. According to archaeological ndings, it belongs to the early phase (Linear A) of the Starcevo culture and has a special ritualburial

culture, the rst Neolithic period in SE Europe, and 15 ofthem in the Sava River Basin around the city of Slavonski

methods of absolute age determination of organic samples(such as wood, bone, charcoal, cereals) is the radiocarbon(14C) method. The concentration of the 14C activity in the

decays without replenishment. Thus, by measuring theremaining concentration of the 14C activity in a material

puried CO2 is then catalytically converted to methane,which is used as the counting gas in GPC. Alternatively,CO2 is used for benzene synthesis: CO2 in reaction with

ARTICLE IN PRESSlithium produces lithium carbide that is subsequentlyhydrolyzed to acetylene, which is after purication poly-merized on the vanadium catalyst [3]. We use Oxalic Acid I

0168-9002/$ - see front matter r 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2007.05.132

Corresponding author. Tel.: +385 1 4571 271; fax: +385 1 4680 239.E-mail address: krajcar@irb.hr (I. Krajcar Bronic).Brod. In this area, two large and important early Neolithicarchaeological sites have been recently discovered. The 14Cdates from ZadubravljeDuzine were presented in Ref. [1],and here we present the 14C dates from the Neolithicsettlement Slavonski BrodGalovo (Fig. 1).

2. 14C dating

One of the most well-known and most often used

one can determine the time elapsed from the death of theorganism (maximal age of 50,000 years).At the Rudjer Boskovic Institute in Zagreb, the 14C

method has been used for dating various samples for morethan 30 years [2]. The measurement techniques by gasproportional counter (GPC) and liquid scintillation coun-ter (LSC) are used [3]. After pretreatment by theacidbaseacid method, organic samples (charcoal) arecombusted in a stream of pure oxygen. The obtained andconstruction in period 60705630 cal BC. In the younger phase (53804960 cal BC) the settlement expanded and the burial area became

smaller. Combination of archaeological ndings and 14C dates thus allowed a reconstruction of the 1000-year-long existence of this

settlement that existed simultaneously with the nearby settlement ZadubravljeDuzine, dated earlier to 60005000 cal BC. These are the

rst absolute dates of the beginning of neolithization in Northern Croatia.

r 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PACS: 93.85

Keywords: 14C dating; Neolithic; Starcevo culture; Croatia

1. Introduction

In the region of the Northern Croatia about a hundredsettlements are known from the period of the Starcevo

atmosphere and biosphere is approximately constant,because the balance has been established between thenatural production and the radioactive decay of thatisotope. However, following the death of an organism, 14Carea separated by two wooden fences from its residential part. The vertical stratigraphy revealed two phases of the settlementNuclear Instruments and Methods in Phys

14C dating of early NeolitSlavonski Brod in

I. Krajcar Bronica

aRudjer Boskovic Institute, BijbInstitute of Archaeology, Ul. grada

Available onli

Abstract

In Northern Croatia, more than hundred settlements are known

south-east (SE) Europe. Here we present the 14C dating of nine cResearch A 580 (2007) 714716

c settlement Galovo nearorthern Croatia

K. Minichreiterb

ka 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

kovara 68, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

18 May 2007

m the period of the Starcevo culture, the rst Neolithic period in

rcoal samples from the Neolithic settlement Galovo in Slavonski

www.elsevier.com/locate/nima

and an internal fence indicate a special formal characterof this pit, where probably a prominent member with ahigh position in the tribal community hierarchy was

ARTICLE IN PRESSs an(for GPC) and Oxalic Acid II (for LSC) as modernstandards, and anthracite as a background standard. Agecalculation follows the conventional protocol [4] based onLibby half-life of 5568 years and using AD 1950 as thereference year. The results are presented as the conven-tional 14C age expressed in years before present (BP, where0BP AD 1950), with 1s error, and normalized for stableisotope fractionation by using the default d13C values(24%) for charcoal [4]. The ranges of calibrated calendaryears (cal BC) are obtained using OxCal v.3.10 [5] and aregiven with condence level of 68.2%. Here, two samples(Z-2935, 2936) were measured by the GPC technique andthe others by the LSC.

3. Site and sample description

The settlement Galovo in Slavonski Brod has been

Fig. 1. Locations of Neolithic settlements in northern Croatia. Settle-

ments Slavonski BrodGalovo and ZadubravljeDuzine are marked.

I. Krajcar Bronic, K. Minichreiter / Nuclear Instrumentextensively studied since 1995 when it was discoveredduring excavations for the brickyard. Archaeologicalndings place it into the early Neolithic period, at thebeginning of the development of the Starcevo culturetheLinear A phase. This settlement is among the earliest siteswithin the Starcevo culture complex with a ritualburialarea separated by wooden fences from the residential part.Nine charcoal samples were dated by the 14C method(Fig. 2).From the burial area of the settlement, samples were

taken from a larger pit 9 (sample Z-2936) and a smaller pit15 (Z-2935). The burial pit 9 contains a clump of potterywith animal bones in its centre, and a cattle horn, buriedcult-like at the bottom of the central space. This burial is ofthe same kind as the one found in pit 10 of ZadubravljeDuzine [1]. Two kilns of a cigar-like shape in the northernpart of pit 9 are also similar to kilns from ZadubravljeDuzine, but the fuel sources are outside the pit, and theyprobably served only for ritual purposes. Between thekilns, two human skeletons in a contracted position werediscovered [1]. The third skeleton without its skull wasfound in the southern part of the pit, near three groups ofpottery vessels with numerous animal bones (ceremonialfeasts). The pit-dwelling 9 had no large roof construc-tion. In a small burial pit 15 a crouched male skeletonwith only a rear portion of its skull was buried and alarge group of stone axes and other tools, potteryfragments, clay discs, and parts of zoomorphic religioussculpture (duck head) were discovered around it. Thepit was surrounded by holes for wooden beams arrangedin rows so that a wide arcade existed above the entrancesection of the dwelling. The arcade outside the pit

Fig. 2. Map of settlement Galovo near Slavonski Brod, Croatia. Positions

of charcoal samples for 14C dating are marked by stars. Three samples

from a stratigracally lower layer are marked by squares.

d Methods in Physics Research A 580 (2007) 714716 715buried.In the residential area, several large pits (pit 64, 153 and

155) were discovered. Interior of some of them was dividedinto areas for different purposes, e.g., the large working pithouse 155 consisted of two areasin the western part fourkilns were built (sample Z-3588 from one of them) and theeastern part was used for pottery preparation. Working pithouse 205 contained two kilns, one for baking bread(Z-3574) and the other for ring pottery vessels, and withthe upright loom (Z-3575) for making fabric.Stratigracally below three large pits (64, 153, 155,

Fig. 2) some cult structuresarched wooden fenceswerediscovered and dated (Z-3584, Z-3586, Z-3587 fromstructures 89, 149 and 389, respectively). Most likely,rituals in honour of the deceased took place here.Pit house 37 (Z-3583) in the northern part of the studied

area could not be stratigracally connected to other pits. Italso differs from others pits in the settlement having onlyone room inside, which together with the absence ofritual items points to the purpose of the pitit was used asa sleeping room.

The residential pit house 37 and the small burial pit 15 inthe burial area belong to the latest known phase of the

ARTICLE IN PRESSI. Krajcar Bronic, K. Minichreiter / Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 580 (2007) 7147167164. Results and discussion

Fig. 3 shows the numerical conventional 14C ages andgraphical distribution of calibrated ages of all datedsamples. The obtained 14C dates correspond to theexpected archaeological age. The period between 6070and 4960BC is the most probable time of existence of thesettlement at Galovo.The 14C data alone (Fig. 3) show two obvious periods of

the settlement development. However, the vertical strati-graphy in the western, residential part revealed two phasesof the settlement construction both dated by 14C to60705630 cal BC. The oldest samples were taken from

6000CalBC 5000CalBC

Calibrated date

Z-3584 6994140BP

Z-3587 686665BP

Z-2936 6835110BP

Z-3574 687537BP

Z-3575 684958BP

Z-3588 682271BP

Z-3583 630080BP

Z-2935 6190130BP

Fig. 3. Conventional 14C ages (numerical values) and ranges of calibrated

years (distributions) of nine charcoal samples.wooden fencesritual objects (samples marked by squaresin Fig. 2) stratigracally below working pits, indicatingthat in the earlier phase the ritualburial area occupiedlarger space in the western part.In the later phase (around 5700 cal BC) the settlement

extended towards the pits with the dead. Above the westerncult structure and its northern arched wooden fence, whichlost its function through this new construction, three largepit houses were built (pit 64, 153, 155). Respecting thetradition and signicance of the cult structure, the group ofnew pit houses was built in a semicircle around it instead inthe northsouth direction, which was a rule in thesettlement for the building of other pit houses. In thisphase of settlement extension, between the eastern burialarea and the pit houses a new short wooden partition wasbuilt in order to detach the ritual space from the residentialone, even though the separation of these two spaces wasmore symbolic than physical.settlement (53804960 cal BC).The dates obtained for the second Neolithic settlement

of the Starcevo culture in the surroundings of SlavonskiBrod (ZadubravljeDuzine, 60005000 cal BC) indicate thesimultaneous existence of both settlements [1]. Thecorresponding archaeological ndspottery, stone tools,kilns, kult-like burialssubstantiate such a conclusion,and place both settlements to the Linear A phase of theStarcevo culture, the rst Neolithic culture in this area.However, in ZadubravljeDuzine the burials were foundwithin the residential area, while at the settlement Galovo aspecial area for rituals and burials was establishedseparated by arched wooden fences from the residentialpart. The settlement Galovo is thus the oldest Neolithicsettlement in Croatia having such an organization.

5. Conclusions

Combination of archaeological ndings and 14C datesallowed a reconstruction of the 1000-year-long existence ofthe Neolithic settlements Galovo near Slavonski Brod(60704960 cal BC), that existed simultaneously with thesettlement ZadubravljeDuzine. Systematic archaeologicalinvestigation of the Galovo settlement will continue also infuture, because there are indications that the settlementoccupied a much larger area than studied up to now.By using the 14C dating method, we obtained the rst

absolute dates of the beginning of neolithization, i.e., thebeginning of the Starcevo culture in Northern Croatia. Ourdates, together with other 14C dates from various Neolithicsettlements in Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Hungary canhelp in studies of the chronology of neolithization ofsoutheast Europe.

Acknowledgments

This work supported by projects 098-0982709-2741 and197-1970685-0681 by the Ministry of Science, Croatia.

References

[1] I. Krajcar Bronic, K. Minichreiter, B. Obelic, N. Horvatincic, in:

Radiocarbon and Archaeology, Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2004,

pp. 229246.

[2] B. Obelic, N. Horvatincic, A. Durman, in: J. Evin, Ch. Oberlin, J.-P.

Daugas (Eds.), 14C at Archeologie, Lyon, France, 1999, pp. 233238.

[3] N. Horvatincic, J. Baresic, I. Krajcar Bronic, B. Obelic. Radiocarbon

46/1 (2004) 105116.

[4] M. Stuiver, H. Polach. Radiocarbon 19/3 (1977) 355363.

[5] Ch. Bronk Ramsey. The OxCal Program, v.3.10, /http://www.rlaha.ox.ac.uk/oxcal/oxcal.htmS, 2005.Z-3586 7061152BPGALOVO

14C dating of early Neolithic settlement Galovo near Slavonski Brod in Northern CroatiaIntroduction14C datingSite and sample descriptionResults and discussionConclusionsAcknowledgmentsReferences