Some Observations on Communications and Contacts in the Central Balkan and Neighbouring Regions During the 7th to 5th Century BC Based on the Distribution of Weapons

Abstract

This paper will discuss main Central Balkan communication routes as well as the distribution of weapons and defensive equipment of the 7th–5th centuries BC. It will also provide a general picture of the main cultural groups and Paleo-Balkan tribes, as based on the historical sources, and compare their geographical spread with specific archaeological material. Frequently used communications routes based on some additional observations will be pointed out, too. In the earlier periods, the main Balkan communication routes had certainly led through the Morava – Vardar axis and the Morava – Nišava – Isker – Marica road, but during the 7th–5th centuries BC, these routes gradually faded out use and Drim, Ibar, Western Morava and Drina River valleys become the main corridors of north-south communications.