THE OLDEST CULTURAL HORIZON OF TRENCH XV AT DRENOVAC

8/10/2019 THE OLDEST CULTURAL HORIZON OF TRENCH XV AT DRENOVAC

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Starinar LVIII/2008, 29-50S. Peri, The Oldest Cultural Horizon of Trench XV at Drenovac

SLAVIA PERI, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade

THE OLDEST CULTURAL HORIZON OF TRENCH XV

AT DRENOVAC

Abstract: Re-excavation of a Neolithic site at Slatina Turska esma in Drenovac near Parain started in 2004. Trench XV, with an

area of 36 sq. m., was explored between 2004 and 2006. The cultural layer in this trench ended at the depth of approx. 6m, where a pit

was noted and dened as a dwelling structure. The back-ll of the pit and the layer immediately above were covered with alluvium,

so that the archaeological nds below the alluvium can be considered a closed unit. The results of the preliminary analyses of the

stratigraphy and small nds below the alluvium have revealed that the pit had been abandoned before the ooding and that, for a

longer period, there was no dwelling structure in that place. The main features of the small nds from the pit itself indicate the earlier

Neolithic origin, i.e. the earlier period of the Starevo culture group.

Key words:Drenovac, Neolithic, settlement, pottery.

UDCDOIPreliminary communication

Received: January 24, 2009Accepted: May 04, 2009

Slavia Peri, e-mail: [email protected]

* The article results from the project:Lepenski Vir Culture: Cultural processes and transformations during 9. to 6. Millennium BC

(no 147009 D) funded by the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.

The Neolithic site of Slatina Turska esma,better known in the literature as Drenovac, cer-tainly belongs to the group of the most impor-

tant Neolithic sites in Serbia. It is an area with remainsof a Neolithic settlement, containing surface ndsacross 35 hectares and a massive cultural layer, whosedepth exceeds 6m at some locations. The site is situat-ed about nine kilometres from Parain and belongs tothe group of the Neolithic settlements along the westbank of the Morava River, being 3.5 km away from the

river bed. Today, the site extends to both sides of theBelgrade Ni highway, although the major part lieseast of the highway route. In somewhat broader geo-graphic sense, Drenovac belongs to the middle Mora-va valley (Central Pomoravlje), which is a region with

over eighty recorded Neolithic sites.1The remains of aNeolithic site at Drenovac were discovered, like mostNeolithic sites in this region, in early sixties of thetwentieth century. At the time, the Regional Museumin Jagodina staged the rst systematic archaeologicaleld survey. The topic of the Neolithic in the middleMorava valley is closely linked to S. Vetni, the cu-rator of the Regional Museum in Jagodina for manyyears, who has recorded the biggest number of theNeolithic sites referred to above2.

The huge quantities of surface nds, from frag-mented pottery, burnished and chopped stone artefacts,

1 Peri 2004, 20, Map. No 2.2 Vetni, 1974, 123-163.


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anthropomorphic gurines to lumps of daub, as wellas the rst excavation results, undoubtedly indicatedremains of a Vina settlement with a long and con-tinuous duration. But the issue of the presence of theStarevo culture group representatives was raised atthe same time. Namely, there were some fairly con-vincing elements supporting the assumption of theexistence of a Starevo settlement, so that questionsabout the time when the Starevo settlement may havebeen established and how long it may have lasted werealso asked and answered.

We have already presented the history and re-sults of the investigation of the Neolithic in the middleMorava valley in our previous works, in which wehave also commented on some of the offered solutions.We have especially highlighted our doubts that it waspossible, based on the material available then, to dis-tinguish six horizons with phases Drenovac Ia-b, IIa-band IIIa-b (which in fact would include the whole de-velopment period of the Starevo group)3in the noted0.30 to 0.60m thick Starevo layer.

Being aware of the fact that subsequent interpre-

tations were mostly based on the original conception,as well as that the results of the excavations from 1968

to 1971 remained mostly unknown to the public, theresearchers working within the framework of the proj-ect Permanent Archaeological Workshop CentralPomoravlje in Neolithisation of South East Europerenewed, along with sorting and processing of smallnds, excavation work for the purpose of re-examina-tion of the earlier stratigraphic observations. A trench,labelled as Trench XV, was opened at Drenovac. Thetrench lay opposite so called, according to S. Vetni4,straight north cut II, i.e. about 20 meters west of thehighway route (g.1).

The exploration of Trench XV started in 2004,and stopped in 2006. The original dimensions were5x5m, but in 2005, after an unauthorized change in-icted on the prole, the trench was enlarged to itsnal dimensions of 6x6m. The base of the trench wasdivided into four 2.50x2.50m quadrants, and laterinto 3x3m quadrants. The quadrants were markedwith gures 1 to 4, starting from the northwest cor-ner of the trench.

3 Peri 2004, 154 Vetni 1974, 125.

152.93152.55

152.67

152.28

152.21

151.88

BEOGRA

D

NI

-

150.82

151.05

150.77

146.14

151.92

151.58

152.38152.06

152.69152.25

151.72

151.66

151.56

150.50

SONDA XV

10m0

Kv 1 Kv 2

Kv 3Kv 4

N

Fig. 1. Trench XV in

relation to the

Belgrade - Nis highway

Sl. 1. Sonda 15 u odnosuna auto put Beograd - Ni


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Due to the massiveness of the cultural layer,which at this section of the site reached the depthof 6m, the oldest layer was not explored across thewhole base of the trench, but in its southeast section

only. In other words, the whole of quadrant 3 and ahalf of quadrant 2, i.e. 15 sq. m., were investigated.The deepest layer was excavated in two campaigns in2005 and 2006.

Prior to getting to analyze the elements charac-terizing the deepest layers of this trench, we have todene what we imply by the term the oldest culturalhorizon. Considering the common use of this term,mostly equated with the notion of cultural phase, aswell as the stratigraphic situation in Trench XV, theterm cultural horizon, as used in this paper, will re-

fer to one, we could say, closed unit with a number ofstratigraphic elements. The content of this unit shouldreect a certain cultural expression with a clear rela-tive chronological position.

In that context, the layers under the clearlymarked layers of charcoal with a lot of soot, visiblealong the whole eastern and northern proles of thetrench (g.2), belong to the oldest cultural horizon ofTrench XV. The oldest cultural horizon is seeminglya compact cultural layer of fat soil with the thicknessvarying from 0.30 m in the southern prole of quadrant

3 to 1.10 1.20 m in the northern prole of quadrant2. This datum clearly shows that the top level of thislayer was sharply falling along bearing North South,or in other words the layer was getting visibly thin-ner from the northern prole to the southern prole.However, the fall of the top level of the layer cannotbe followed in the whole length of the eastern proleof the trench, since it starts only towards the end ofthe eastern prole of quadrant 2 (g.2). The oldestcultural layer is separated from the charcoal layer bylayers of alluvium present in the form of a layer oflight gray clay soil (silt) and a layer of yellow sand,

which overlap to a certain extent, but do not match(g. 3). They, in fact, separate the oldest cultural hori-zon from the oldest Vina structures in this section ofthe settlement. The top and bottom levels of the allu-vium follows the fall line of the top level of the oldesthorizon, with the alluvial layers rising to the southernprole towards the inner section of the trench, but thelines along which they get inside the trench, i.e. quad-rant 3, do not match. The layers of alluvium have beenformed through natural process of sedimentation, sothat the layer of yellow sand was the rst to form, but

it did not cover the whole ooded section. The factthat the yellow sand layer vanishes somewhere around

Fig. 2. Bottom of excavation in quadrant 2 and 3 with

layer of re in eastern and northern proles

. 2. 2 3

Fig. 3. Cross section of alluvium layer and layer of

dark gray soil

. 3.


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in the eastern section to the middle of the eastern pro-le of quadrant 3, which leads us to the same conclu-sion, like in the case of the sand layer, that the north,i.e. north-east, boundary line of the silt layer is notstraight but roughly semi-circular, although with no-tably smaller diameter.

The fact that the boundary lines of the alluvium

layers were not straight but semi-circular prompts theconclusion that that section of the Neolithic settlementwas not at at the moment of ooding, but there wasa small elevation, like a knoll, there instead. Since thesilt layer was not noted in the proles of quadrant 2, itseems logical to assume that the highest point of theelevation could not have been ooded and that the al-luvium layers must have encircled the elevation at cer-tain heights.

As we can see, there are two kinds of layers be-tween the charcoal layer and the subsoil: two natural

layers resulting from ooding and one, only seeming-ly, compact cultural layer.

Fig. 4. Base of quadrant 3 with layer of yellow sand

. 4. 3

the middle of the western prole, i.e. at the very begin-ning of the eastern prole of quadrant 3, provides evi-dence in this case. The north, or more precisely north-east, boundary line of the light yellow sand layer is notstraight but roughly semi-circular (g. 4). The layerof light gray clay soil spreads over the yellow sandlayer. It was rst interpreted as the subsoil layer, but

having been penetrated at some places in the easternsection of quadrant 3, it eventually turned out to be alayer of silt, sediment left after ooding. This layer ofa varying depth, stretching along the whole southernprole of quadrant 3, where it covers the yellow sandlayer, extends to the inner side of the trench lying im-mediately on the already mentioned layer of the oldestcultural horizon. The silt layer here and there cross-es the boundary between quadrants 2 and 3, with itsnorthernmost points almost in line with the describedbeginning of the slope. The photographs taken in 2005

(g. 5) show that the silt layer encompasses mostlythe west half of quadrant 3, and that it can be followed


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However, when the eastern and northern pro-les of quadrant 3 are observed, a certain differencein colour within the layer between the alluvium andsubsoil appears obvious. The lower level of this layer,

sitting immediately on the subsoil, is darker and looserthan the other part of the layer reaching the soot layer(g. 6). The difference in colour and content is evenmore pronounced in the northern prole of quadrant 3because a surface with red red earth and thin layersof soot and ash are noted in the north-west corner ofquadrant 3 (g. 6). However, it is more important toemphasize the fact that the mentioned parts of the lay-er, which could be dened as two units, are differentin content, in the quantity and quality of small nds.On one hand, there is a layer sitting immediately on

the subsoil dened in the excavation journal as a layerof dark gray soil. Its thickness, at some points, reachesup to 0.70m. This layer contains far more and betterpreserved small nds, with prevailing pottery frag-ments, but also animal bones, burnished and choppedstone implements, parts of jewellery, and so-calledamulets. On the other hand, small nds, mostly tinyfragments of pottery, rare stone artefacts and a fewanimal bones, appear in the layer above the dark graysoil only sporadically.

This difference in colour and content, and, ac-

cordingly, in the character of the lower level of the cul-tural layer below the alluvium layers becomes fairlylogical in the light of the fact that the cultural layer inTrench XV ends with a pit of an irregular shape andvarying depth. The trench encompasses the eastern andsouthern edge of the pit. Based on the available resultsof the investigation, the pit seems to have been of aprolonged oval shape. The investigated section of thepit was widest at 2.70m at the level from which it wasdug, and 2.40m at the bottom, while it was longest at5.50m at the level from which it was dug. The pit wascut from the level of so-called original humus, which

is to say 0.10 to 0.20m above the subsoil. The pit hadslightly slanted walls, and, most likely, a at or slight-ly rounded bottom. Given the considerable number ofnds of red red earth with one at surface, which weredenoted as house oors, the walls and bottom of the pitmust have been coated. The nds of a house oor werepresent in the 0.30 0.70m thick layer of dark graysoil, which was the backll of the pit. The fragmentsof the house oor were commonly found in differentlevels of the layer, but some nds can be considered tohave been found in situ.In the rst place, those were

the nds along the southern prole of the quadrant,closer to the south-east, i.e. C corner, immediately

beside the southern edge of the pit, where, in additionto the fragments of the house oor, pieces of daub,probably being parts of an above ground structurealong the edge of the pit, were noted (g. 4). Another

big fragment of the house oor was noted next to thewestern prole of quadrant 3 (g. 7). North of thisnd of the house oor, in the very prole towards thenorth-west corner of the quadrant, some pieces of redred earth were noted, along with thin layers of con-centrated soot and ash, which indicates the possibilitythat remains of a certain structure are present there.Considering the very loose layer, the presence of sootand ash, and the reddish colour of the backll, we mayassume the existence of a small hearth structure whichmay have extended into the northern prole of quad-

rant 3. Since the layer with soot and ash gets under thered earth in the western prole, the red earth mayhave been the remnants of an above-ground structure,like in the section along the southern prole of quad-rant 3. It is worth mentioning that, at the approximate-ly same level of the house oor and the surface withred red earth and soot , again closer to the westernprole of quadrant 3 at the depths 5.22 5.25m, themost intensive presence of larger pottery fragmentsand a fragmented vessel were noted. All this leads usto the conclusion that the level of the pit oor may

have been at the mentioned depths. Of course, belowthe level of the house oor and the light yellow claysubsoil, there was still a thin layer bearing, althoughnot in a considerable number, tiny pottery fragments,a few int artefacts and animal bones. This is the layerbelow the house oor which formed as the result ofthe occupation of the structure, and partly after the col-lapse of the structure and breaking of the house oor.Thus, the lower level of the layer between the layerof soot and the subsoil, which stands out because it issomewhat darker in colour than the upper levels, is, infact, the backll of the pit, i.e. the debris layer of the

structure which was dug there.In order to determine the character of the pit, the

following has to be considered: the noted architecturalelements daub fragments belonging to the above-ground structure, fragments of the house oor found insitu and those coming from the backll layer, the ndsindicating the existence of a hearth, the character ofsmall nds two large fragments of grindstones, pot-tery nds, fragments of a bracelet and so-called amu-lets. In addition, the fact that in the 2005 campaign ahole with a diameter of 7 to 8 cm, which can be justly

understood to be the hole of a brace, or a support ofthe roof structure, was noted should also be taken into


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Fig. 5. Base of quadrant

3 with layer of gray clay

. 5.

3

Fig. 6. Northern prole

of quadrant 3

. 6.

3

account. Having considered all this, we can state thathere we have the remains of a dwelling structure, part-ly dug into the subsoil and with a low above groundwattle-and-daub structure.

Given the character of the structure, a more sub-tle differentiation of layers within the backll of the pitcan be made. On one hand, we can see the differences

along the horizontal lines - in the colour and characterof the layer above the assumed level of the house oor,

with distinctively reddish colour of the backll layer inthe northern prole of quadrant 3 compared to the restof the backll, being dark gray in colour. On the otherhand, there are differences in the content and characterof the layer along the vertical lines, notably betweenthe pit backll, in the true meaning of the word, andthe thin layer immediately below the house oor.

A somewhat lighter cultural layer of a varyingdepth was noted above the pit backll. It reached the


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Fig. 7. Western prole of

quadrant 3 with in situ

house oor

. 7. 3

Fig. 8. Western prole of

quadrant 3

. 8.

3

maximum thickness along the northern prole of thetrench at between 1.00 and 1.10m, and the minimumthickness in the southern prole at between 0.10 and0.20m. The layer was compact, consisting of fat andsolid soil, with a shade of colour slightly lighter thanthe backll. The content of this layer was almost uni-form from the bottom to the top, with a very small

quantity of small nds, mostly tiny pottery fragments,animal bones and stone artefacts.

As we can see, the oldest cultural horizon ofTrench XV at Drenovac is made up of the two seem -ingly independent units: upper later unit, made upof a compact layer of a varying thickness under thealluvium and above the pit backll, and the earlier unitconsisting of the pit and its backll.

The Vina pits, dug into the oldest cultural ho-

rizon of Trench XV and visible in the northern andwestern proles of quadrant 3 (g. 6, 8), cannot be


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ascribed to this horizon. There are two levels of dig-ging through alluvium layers into the upper half of theoldest horizon. The later digging started from the levelabove the layer of re and it can be seen in the western

prole of quadrant 3 (g. 8). The earlier digging wasunder the level of re and can be seen in the northernprole of quadrant 3 (g.6).

However, for any further cultural and chrono-logical considerations, along with the already men-tioned facts, the following facts have to be taken intoaccount:

There was no yellow sand inside the pit, i.e. notraces of ooding were noted.The closest the yellow sand layer got to the in-terior of the pit was from its southern side, i.e. it

reached its southern edge at the spot where theremains of above-ground structure and in situfragments of house oor were noted along thesouthern prole of quadrant 3.The yellow sand layer started rising northwardexactly from this line.Several other thin layers of yellow sand, certainlybeing of the same origin, were noted above thislayer in the southern prole of quadrant 3.There is a village road some fty metres south ofTrench XV. Its route probably follows the dried

river bed of the Drenovaki potok, which musthave been very active in the Neolithic, oftenooding this section of the settlement. Greenishdeposits of calcined moss on the pottery frag-ments and stone pebbles in the cultural layer im-mediately below the yellow sand layer providethe hints in the same direction, which undoubt-edly conrms that these nds remained in wa-ter or in a very humid environment for a longerperiod.All this allows of the following conclusions:

rstly, that at the time of oods water gushed from

the south to the north; secondly, when this section ofthe Neolithic settlement was ooded, in other wordsat the time of alluvium layer formation, this structurewas not used (its above ground structure had alreadycollapsed and the pit had been lled); and thirdly, thedebris layer of this structure was, in fact, the base onwhich, through the process of sedimentation, the knollformed.

Small nds of these units are the best indicatorsof the cultural character and chronological position ofthe oldest horizon in Trench XV. On one hand, there

is the structure itself and its debris layer, where thesmall nds were most numerous and culturally and

chronologically most sensitive. On the other hand,the top level of the layer above the backll is almoststerile, with sporadic and highly fragmented potterynds, a few animal bones and rare int akes. The bot-

tom level of this layer, in the zone of contact with thebackll, is only slightly richer in small nds, but thosends cannot match the nds from the structure eitherin number or quality. At the same time, the compact-ness of this layer and its content undoubtedly indicatethe conclusion that, from the collapse of the dwellingstructure until the rst Vina structures, building activ-ities were interrupted in this section of the settlement,or to put it more precisely, this location was temporar-ily abandoned. Since it is not a sterile layer, we canhardly claim that there was a discontinuity in life at the

settlement, but nevertheless, it is evident, a bit unusualthough, that there were no traces of building activitiesabove the oldest dwelling structure in the layer whosethickness reaches up to 1.20m along the northern pro-le of the trench.

Therefore, the question justly arises as to howthe layer above the pit backll was formed, how longthe process lasted, or in other word, what happened inthis Neolithic settlement from the time when the struc-ture from the deepest layer collapsed until the momentwhen the oldest Vina structures were erected above

it, and whether a cultural and chronological continuityof the settlement in that period can be established.As for the presence of nds in the oldest dwelling

structure in Trench XV, it should be noted that the ma-terial was basically concentrated at the bottom of thepit, along the western prole of quadrant 3, especiallyin shallow depressions, which were, most probably,subsequent deformations resulting from the pressure.Since these are preliminary observations, the most in-dicative nds for determining the closer cultural as-sociation of nds and the chronological position of thestructure itself are the nds made of clay that can be

classied into three groups: pottery vessels, nds des-ignated as jewellery and so-called amulets.

The pottery nds from the dwelling structure, aswell as from the layer above the backll, even at therst glance give impression of cultural sameness andchronological propinquity, indicating the Starevo ori-gin by their features. On the other hand, the presenceof other two groups of nds is also very indicativebecause so far they have only appeared in Starevosettlements of the ascribed Early Neolithic origin.

We have already pointed out that all the pottery

nds from the oldest dwelling structure display cul-tural propinquity and typological uniformity. In this


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paper we shall focus on the basic and most indicativefeatures of the pottery nds, while a detailed analysisand typological elaboration will be the topic of anotherpaper. As in the case of the other contemporary Neo-

lithic settlements, the pottery nds from this structurehave been classied into three categories, based onthe raw materials used for their production, or in otherwords, their fabric:

The pottery of coarse fabric was made of claycharacterized by the inevitable presence of or-ganic admixtures and sand of varying particlesizes, so that grits are sometimes visible not onlyin the cross section of a broken piece, but also onthe surface of the vessel (Plate IV, 3a-b, 9,11,14;Plate V, 2a-b). Given the thickness of walls of

pottery fragments, coarse fabric may be regard-ed as a characteristic of larger vessels, althoughit sometimes occurs with vessels of smallerdimensions.The pottery with medial or medium quality fab-ric, which is the most frequent, was made of claywhich regularly contained organic admixtures,but somewhat ner and better rened, as well asne sand, which was usually part of the raw ma-terial. Almost all forms of vessels are representedin this class of pottery.

The pottery with ne fabric is the second most frequent, and it also regularly contained organicadmixtures without visible or recognizable in-gredients. Finely rened clay was mostly usedfor production of vessels of smaller dimensions.When broken, the pottery with coarse fabric is

almost always unichrome black or dark gray; thepottery with medium fabric is three-layered with theblack or dark gray middle part and reddish externaland internal parts of the wall; and the pottery with nefabric is uniform in colour, often gray or red, rarelywith the light gray middle part.

Treatment of internal and external surface ofthe vessel is, perhaps, the most indicative culturaland chronological characteristic of the pottery in thisstructure. Prior to the analysis of the modes of pot-tery vessels surface treatment, it should be noted thatin this case, like at some other sites such as Blagotinand Lepenski Vir, the earlier view that the Starevopottery, from the earlier and middle Neolithic alike, ischaracterized by absolute prevalence of coarse potteryhas to be rejected5. Namely, the mentioned analysesof the pottery of Blagotin and Lepenski Vir, like of the

material from Trench XV at Drenovac, have shownthat coarse pottery, in the true meaning of the word,

is the least frequent category at the Starevo sites. Thepottery with coarse fabric makes a very small percent-age at the Starevo sites, especially at those from theearly period. Furthermore, this kind of pottery is al-

most always accompanied with well nished internalsurface, sometimes even burnished. Depending on thepurpose and dimensions, the external surface of thecoarse pottery vessel occurs in several variants, but inrare cases only it could be considered to be coarse.Regardless of the quality of the external surface treat-ment, almost as a rule, it is covered with a ne red slip(Plate V, 1b, 2a-b). Meticulous examinations of pot-tery with magnifying glass has helped detect red spots,appearing as slip residues, on 95% of external surfacescalled pseudo-barbotine or roughened surface. These

spots could not be noticed by means of the ordinarymethod of Neolithic pottery examination.

Pottery from this structure can be sorted by themode of vessel surface treatment into two groups orcategories: the rst group with different treatments ofexternal and internal surfaces (Plate I. 3a-b; Plate IV;5a-b; Plate V, 1a-b, 4a-b, 5a-b), and the second groupwith the same or almost the same mode of treatmentof both surfaces (Plate IV, 8a-b, 12a-b; PlateVI, 6a-b;Plate VI, 12, 13a-b). Naturally, there are several vari-ants within each group with regard to the quality of

treatment, which depended on the purpose of the ves-sel and, consequently, the extent to which the basicraw material was rened.

The vessels of the rst category display a higherdegree of burnishing on the internal than on the ex-ternal surface. This approach to surface treatment, aswe have already said, was predetermined by the di-mensions, i.e. purpose of the vessel. Namely, the ex-ternal and internal surfaces were treated in a differentway only in the case of larger vessels - that obviouslyserved the purpose of safe handling of these vessels.

It has been already pointed out that this prac-

tice of different treatment of the internal and externalsurface on some forms of the Starevo pottery hasrecently been ercely debated. Eventually, an almostunanimous view on the reason which led to the prac-tice of leaving the uneven external surface has beentaken. However, certain differences regarding the in-terpretation of the sequence of phases followed in thetreatment of the vessel to achieve the nal look of theexternal surface have remained, which has resulted inthe adoption of different terms designating that par-ticular look of the external surface of the vessel6.

5 Vukovi 2004, 87 89; Peri, Nikoli 2004, 181 -182.6 Vukovi 2004, 89 91; Peri, Nikoli 2004, 183.


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This mode of surface treatment is mostly limitedto the conical bowls with the diameter of up to 0.40m.The explanation that the vessels of smaller dimensionswere easy to move due to their small size, which di -

minished the need for a noticeable difference in thedegree of burnishing between the external and inter-nal surface, seems plausible.

The second category of surface treatment implieduniform or almost uniform treatment of both externaland internal surface, and judging from the availablends, it was remarkably more frequent than the rstcategory. Certainly, there are several levels of qualitywithin the second category, but by the rule, the sur-face was minutely smoothed, and often covered witha thinner or thicker slip (Plate IV, 6; Plate V, 3, 6a).

The quality of treatment depended directly on fab-ric. Since the vessels with coarse and medium fabriccontained unrened and insufciently ground organicadmixtures or sand with different particle sizes, inthe process of smoothing their external and internalsurfaces only a thin lm formed. During ring of thevessel, due to combustion of organic admixtures, thatlm often burst creating an uneven spot in the form ofthe parts of a stalk negative (Plate V, 1a, 5b). On theother hand, the vessels with ne fabric had a betterrened basic mass, due to the presence of well-ground

organic admixtures, which allowed of better quality ofthe vessel surface treatment. With the slip on, the sur-face became not only even, but also smooth and oftenlustrous (PlateII, 2-3, 5-6, 11).

As for the represented forms, at this stage ofmaterial processing, taking into account the degreeof fragmentation, we can clearly distinguish two ba-sic forms of the vessels: bowls and pots. Among thebowls, we can recognize conical, slightly rounded,semi-globular and globular bowls, with rounded rimsor rims thinned from the inner side, sometimes slightlyinverted, and a at bottom (Plate I-II 1-12; VI, 12-13).

The bowls have different dimensions regardless oftheir proles. On the other hand, pots predominantlyhave bigger dimensions and more developed proles,with more or less emphasized rims and unemphasizedor distinct necks with various proles (Plate II, 13;Plate III). Due to their dimensions, pots regularly haveat, but reinforced bottoms.

The important feature of the pottery from thisstructure is a very small number of decorated frag-ments. Among ornamentation techniques impresso,executed by nail impressions or pinching, absolutely

prevails, with the wheat grain motif surmised on somefragments, and single or double application or incised

lines found only sporadically (Plate III, 2; Plate IV,1-2, 13; Plate V, 4a, 7 ). For the time being, no ndswith painted or barbotine decoration have been found.Once again, it should be emphasized that the treat-

ment resulting in uneven exterior surface, that manyauthors name pseudo-barbotine or proto-barbotine,should not be regarded as part of the Starevo cultureornamentation system, because this mode of surfacetreatment resulted from practical needs, rather thanaesthetic drives. However, the assumption that thispractical need evolved into tradition should not be ex-cluded. When certain technological and technical dif-culties were overcome, for example with appearanceof handles, the need for that particular way of surfacetreatment ceased to exist, but it was retained as a rec-

ognizable mode of decorating pottery vessels.The second group of nds is made up of 21 frag-

ments of ceramic links made of ne rened clayin light shades of brown colour. A fragment with theoval cross section and internal diameter of 1.9 cm andexternal diameter of 3.9 cm, perhaps stands out. Itsdimensions make it similar to a ring (Plate VI, 4). Theother 20 fragments, out of which two or three could beassumed to have belonged to the same object, are cir-cular in cross section with the diameter from 0.5 cm to0.9 cm. Their internal diameters range from 5.5 to 6.5

cm and all represent parts of links with roughly regularcircular shape. Judging from their internal diameters,these fragments can be rightly assumed to representfragments of bracelets (Plate VI, 1-3).

Finally, the third group is composed of partlydamaged objects with a prolonged cylindrical ortongue-shaped body and two horned extensions at theupper part. Although its function has not been suf-ciently explained yet, these objects are commonlydened as amulets (Plate VI, 5-11). In terms of basicshapes, three main types of nds can be distinguishedamong amulets:

prolonged with a cylindrical body and roundedlower part, horizontal horned extensions and thelength varying from 3.6 to 7.8 cm (Plate VI, 5-7);prolonged with a triangular cross section andpointed lower part, with a depression from theinner side of the horns base and the length of 4cm (Plate VI, 8);short amulets with tongue-shaped bodies of differ-ent dimensions and differently proled inner sidesof the upper part of the amulets (Plate VI, 9-11).The nds belonging to the second and third group

were concentrated either immediately along the south-ern wall of the pit or in the northern half of the pit, but


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nds of amulets. However, the repertoire of representedforms, and specially ornamentation techniques and rep-resented ornamental motifs, at Drenovac is very modestin comparison to the repertoire at Donja Branjevina and

Rudnik. In this case, like in the previous cases, the issueof relative chronological relations between the oldestcultural horizon at Drenovac and the mentioned EarlyNeolithic settlements or individual phases of multilay-ered settlements remains unresolved.

Outside the original area of the Starevo culture,corresponding analogies can be drawn to Romaniansites in Transylvania Ocna Sibiului Triguri andGura Baciului, within the layers associated with thePrecris culture23, and the sites in north-west Bulgariawith the similar material, especially Duljanica

Smarde and Hotnica Peterata.24

Based on this short review of analogies for thestated groups of nds from the oldest cultural horizonin Trench XV at Drenovac, two main conclusions canbe drawn. The rst concerns the rst group of nds,i.e. pottery. The corresponding analogy of the mostfrequent forms, the modes of their treatment and orna-mentation can be drawn between Drenovac and almostall settlements on the territory of Serbia associatedwith the Early Neolithic. However, the pottery fromthe systematically explored settlements compared tothe pottery from Drenovac is richer and more diverse

in ornamentation, which is especially true for Grivac,Divostin and Donja Branjevina, where the ornamenta-tion system is marked by the presence of nds withwhite painted ornamental motifs. There are many rea-sons for that, but a reliable explanation of this issuemay be postponed until more comprehensive excava-tion at Drenovac is conducted and the material fromother sites in the middle Morava valley published.

The second conclusion resulting from the reviewof analogies has to do with the fact that the commonfeature of all the mentioned Early Neolithic sites bothin the original Starevo area and outside it is our thirdgroup, i.e. amulets. J. Vukovi and N. Elenski25haveprovided more detailed insight into this intriguinggroup of nds. Their papers conrm that those objectsappeared across a wide and culturally diverse area, forwhich we cannot comfortably assert that it was underthe direct inuence of the representatives of the EarlyNeolithic coming from the original Starevo area orrepresentatives of some other cultures, for example,in Thessaly.

The interpretations of the purpose and functionof these objects, which were made of clay, but also

of bone and stone, as the raw material, were based onthe assumption that they had been used as decorative

objects labrets, amulets, as paraphernalia for certaincult activities or objects used for counting foodstuffs26.Considering all the elements accompanying this typeof nds, the assumption that those objects were used

as cult paraphernalia and that they certainly should beassigned to the sphere of the spiritual culture seemsmost likely. It was a common phenomenon in all thecultures and cultural groups on a fairly large territory.These nds undoubtedly represent the integral part ofan important novelty of living, that is to say economyof prehistoric inhabitants of those areas at the begin-ning of the Neolithic. It is absolutely certain that theirappearance cannot be attributed to emergence of agri-culture, because there were no amulets in the Middleor Late Neolithic, when agriculture reached the stage

of full development. The nds with wheat grain motifactually correspond to the rst phase of agriculturaldevelopment. Thus, there is animal breeding as anoption, actually the rst phase in animal breeding de-velopment, which was the process of getting closer,creation of mutual trust that eventually led to domes-tication of certain animal species and their permanentliving in the Neolithic peoples settlements. Two veryimportant facts support this assumption. Firstly, at allsites with two or more nds different types of amu-lets were present, with quite uniform ways of model-

ling, form and dimensions of the certain type regard-

less of the culture within which they were found. Thisprompts the conclusion that amulets can be interpret-ed as schematic representation of heads of differenthorned animals whose domestication was under way.The second fact, which can support our assumptionthat amulets were used as paraphernalia of a cult inthe process of domestication of wild animals, is clear-ly marked time limits to their occurrence, since theydid not appear in the Middle Neolithic or later, whichmeans that these objects were used in a relatively shortperiod only. They were produced and used as long as

the need for the cult being integral part of certain eco-nomic activities existed.

23 Vlassa 1972; Iuliu 1995, 28-67, T. V-VIII, XXVII, XXX 1-4;Lazarovii, Maxim, 1995, 374-384, Fig. 39-43; Ciuta 2002.

24 Elenski 2002, 28-29; Elenski 2003, 17-18. I have got the data onthe cultural and chronological character of the whole materialfrom these two sites from my colleague N. Elenski, who especiallyhighlighted the propinquity of the pottery nds from the sites innorth-west Bulgaria and Drenovac and Blagotin. I am very muchobliged to him for this information.

25 Vukovi 2005; Elenski 2004.26 1996; Vukovi 2005, 34-36.


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Accordingly, we can state that all three groupsof nds, and especially rst and third, are recogniz-able in terms of culture and chronology and that they,without reserve, can be associated with the Early

Neolithic context, i.e. early period of the Starevoculture development, or Proto-Starevo, according toD Srejovi. Since just a small area at Drenovac hasbeen excavated, it could not provide all cultural ele-ments characteristic of the time when that structureexisted. Nevertheless, the nds we mentioned aboveoffer enough elements for placing the oldest culturalhorizon of Trench XV into the concrete cultural andchronological framework. Once the analyses in prog-ress are completed, we shall be in a better positionto give the precise answer regarding the relative and

chronological position of this horizon in relation tothe other Early Neolithic sites, mentioned above, ortheir particular phases, but is clear now that our ma-terial belongs to the Early Neolithic. Considering thecharacteristics of material at the site of Meure, weassume that the nds from Drenovac must have beensomewhat younger.

The second important fact that can be drawnfrom the given data has to do with the issue of conti-nuity of life in the settlement at Drenovac. We said atthe beginning of this paper that the materials from the

structure and the layer above the backll are cognate,although the layer above the structure offered scarce

small nds, and pottery fragments were so small insize that they were chronologically less sensitive. Inany case, at this stage of material processing we canconrm that there is no distinctive difference between

the materials, or in other words that within the oldestcultural horizon of Trench XV there are no elementsbased on which a precise cultural and chronologicaldifferentiation can be made, i.e. no basis for deningdifferent development phases within the stated strati-graphic units can be established.

Some issues remain unresolved - as to how thelayer above the debris layer of the oldest dwellingstructure in this section of the settlement formed, andwhether, before the rst documented ooding of thissection of the settlement, this layer was equally thick

everywhere, even in the section of the settlement en-compassed by the southern half of the trench, i.e. byquadrant 2, or in other words, whether its inclinationsouthward is the result of erosion. However, it is al-most certain that there is no continuity between ourStarevo structure and earliest Vina structures, whichalso bear some specic elements of Starevo tradition.This means that the question whether there is any linkin this settlement that can connect the Early NeolithicStarevo and Vina horizons remains opens. In anycase, we can safely note that the oldest cultural hori-

zon of Trench XV is a closed unit, fully reliable for thepurpose of cultural and chronological considerations.


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Plate I

I


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Plate II

II


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Plate III

III


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Plate IV

IV


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Plate V

V


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Plate VI

VI

Documents

THE OLDEST CULTURAL HORIZON OF TRENCH XV AT DRENOVAC