Godišnjak Centra za balkanološka ispitivanja

Critics and Reviews

Sabina Vejzagić; Dženefa Merdanić Šahinović — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Chronicle

Sabina Vejzagić — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

On some fundamental problems in the study of Balkan prehistory

Blagoje Govedarica — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

No other discipline is determined by external issues to such a degree as is archaeology. Let it suffice to mention the fact that very important archaeological finds are usually not discovered by archaeologists, but by amateurs and farmers in fields. Further, the direction of archaeological investigations is generally not defined by scientific reason, but by cultural, political and economic interests, including tourism and construction activity. Hence, one consequence is the lack of systematic research strategy. This inevitably leads to a poorly argued scientific synthesis, which has to be corrected every few years, or completely rejected. Such problems burden archaeological practice in all parts of Europe, yet the discipline has still not developed a comprehensive strategy for the systematic resolution of these issues. Due to a combination of different circumstances, all of these problems are particularly prominent in the study of prehistory of the Balkans, and this will become apparent from the tree examples presented in the paper.

The earliest burial complexes of the Kubey cemetery

Leonid Subbotin, Igor Manzura — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The article presents materials of the Kubey kurgan cemetery in the North-West Black Sea region which is dated to the late Eneolithic. The most ancient graves of the cemetery stratigraphically and chronologically can be divided in three successive horizons. According to kurgan architecture, burial rite and inventory primary burials can be attributed to the Cernavoda I culture of the late Eneolithic. Secondary graves in the kurgans can be assigned to the Zhivotilovka type and to the group of graves with extended skeletons. The most ancient graves of the Kubey cemetery obviously support an idea that the territory of the North-West Black Sea region can be included in the area of the Cernavoda I culture.

Kopilo burial ground near Zenica - New insights into burial practices during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages in central Bosnia

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The cooperation between the Austrian Archaeological Institute (Austrian Academy of Sciences) and City Museum Zenica in the frame of the project “Visualizing the unknown Balkans” resulted in the discovery and subsequent archaeological investigations of the first documented graveyard of Late Bronze and Early Iron Age in central Bosnia at the site Kopilo. The excavations conducted in 2021 and 2022 brought to light the cemetery located on the terrace below the previously investigated hilltop settlement and provided new insights into the mortuary practices of the local prehistoric population. In total, we unearthed 46 graves, with 51 individuals of all age groups. Most of the graves were placed in stone constructions that included several inhumation burials. We also found clear evidence of grave reopening and reuse, multiple burials and graves containing only selected body parts. The spectrum of metal and pottery finds consists of local, regional and forms of supra-regional distribution, indicating well-established communication networks of the community that used the cemetery.

Results of the archaeological research at the site of Baričko brdo – Lug (preliminary report)

Majda Šutić, Adnan Kaljanac, Jesenko Hadžihasanović — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

During the year 2022, an archaeological survey was carried out in the locality Baričko brdo – Lug on several micro-locations with the goal of determining the quantity and nature of the archaeological potential on the given archaeological site. During the campaign, spanning two different phases, 25 ETPs, 7 test probes and 15 test trenches were opened, as well as 12 geophysical networks were recorded. These activities have shown that the archaeological site Baričko brdo – Lug was inhabited during prehistoric times, and from among the fond features one fireplace can be singled out due to its size, shape and other archaeological remains found on it. The remains of the fireplace were initially recorded in ETP 13 during the first phase of archaeological survey, and completely discovered during the second phase by expanding the excavation space around ETP 13 to the test probe 5. It should be noted that during the excavation of this unit its condition was photo-documented and later three-dimensional models of each stage of its excavation were created. Also, LiDAR recording of the site was carried out during the second phase of the archaeological survey. From the archaeological material, it is possible to single out remains that can be dated to a period that would correspond to the younger phases of the Vis–Pivnica culture, which would place the material in the late Bronze Age, while radiocarbon dating of the remains was also carried out, with the dates obtained corresponding for the period between 706 and 416 cal. BC (68.3%), and between 681 and 406 cal. BC (95.4%), which on the other hand suggests a date from the older periods of Iron Age. The results obtained based on the analysis of archaeological material and the results of radiocarbon dating additionally put in the spotlight the lack of investigation of the Iron Age period in northeastern Bosnia, as well as the lack of knowledge of the entire Iron Age in this area, and it is possible to state that earlier formed chronologies were built on analogies with areas that are culturally completely different systems and in themselves indicators of ignorance of the real archaeological situation not only in this but also in other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Geopolitical position and administrative affiliation of the Iapodes in the Roman province of Dalmatia

Amra Šačić Beća — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Romans specified the Iapodes as one of the most bellicose indigenous communities. Nevertheless, the preserved works of Roman authors show that even the Romans were aware that the Iapodes were, in fact, an alliance of smaller communities. The Romans gave a generic name to this alliance based on their experience in warfare and their knowledge of their territory. In terms of topic, this paper is divided into three units. The first part addresses the question of a fragmentary identity of the Iapodian communities based on literary and epigraphic sources and literature analysis. Using the same methodology, the second part analyses the problem of the position and number of the Iapodes in Conventus Scardonitanus. In the last part, using the example of the Iapodian communities whose assumed territory was in the valley of the Una River, shows the existence of a separate local identity especially manifested through the role of the elites.

The mobility of the elite in the Roman Province of Dalmatia

Almir Marić — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The paper analyzes the specific occurrence of local officials from the period of the Principate who performed administrative and priestly functions in several different cities in the province of Dalmatia. According to some authors, this type of movement is called geographic mobility. Five examples from the province were analyzed, of which one is from Doclea, three from Salona and one from municipium S. They are mostly dignitaries who were in office at the end of the first and during the second century. The officials we deal with performed mostly common functions such as decurion, duovir or priest of the imperial cult. However, on their inscriptions we also come across duties that are very rare in the epigraphic corpus not only of the province of Dalmatia but of the Roman Empire in general, such as dispunctor and curator rei publicae.

The issue of determining the location of Ecclesia Bestoensis – in support of the knowledge of Early Christianity in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Edin Veletovac — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The issue of the location of the Bestoen Diocese (Ecclesia Bestoensis) has captured the attention of historiography in the countries of former Yugoslavia, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Its location is associated with the location of Bistuensium municipium which is attested by six epigraphic monuments. Based on epigraphic monuments and the analysis of written sources and archaeological materials, we will try to determine the location of the municipal seat – the center of the Bestoen Diocese. Afterwards, the information offered in the acts of Salona church councils from 530 and 533, referring to the said diocese and its bishop, will be analyzed.

Epitaphs of the scribe Semorad

Gordan Čahtarević, Zijad Halilović — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This paper focuses on Semorad, the most renowned scribe - dijak of medieval inscriptions on stećaks. It is known in the existing literature that Semorad signed six stećaks at the Boljuni site near Stolac. However, this paper reveals that his sphere of activity extends to Nevesinje and Kalinovik. In the stećak necropolis at the Pitomi Brijeg site in Morine, the municipality of Nevesinje, seven inscriptions on stećaks bear the signature of Semorad. Additionally, one inscription is found at the Bojičića Valley site, Crvanj Mountain, in the municipality of Kalinovik. The inscriptions are written in medieval epigraphic Cyrillic, featuring archaic orthographic conventions characteristic of the medieval Bosnian region in the 15th century. Their graphic inventory includes a blend of the constitutional script type with minuscule letter forms.

Where have Stećci “gone”?

Tatjana Mičević-Đurić, Edita Vučić — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Stećci, monolithic tombstones, are the bearers of the unique sepulchral culture of the Bosnian and Hum Middle Ages. Considering the fact they are located in natural surroundings, and regarding their total number, artistic and design characteristics, stećci represent the cultural phenomenon of medieval Europe. Due to the previous reflections on the stećak as a phenomenon of the Bosnian Middle Ages, the following issues were not debated: Where did the stećak tombstones “disappear”? Did stećci just stop being made or did they continued to “live” in certain modified forms of the tombstones? There are also later tombstones, both Muslim and Christian, which, through the evolution of form, depict specific situations of coexistence of members of different religions.

A medieval epitaph in the Sejmenska mosque in Zenica in 2023

Ikbal Cogo — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The topic of the paper is the accidental discovery of a medieval text written on a small stone tablet. The epitaph in question is written in Bosnian, which mentions two brothers, Vlatko and Cvitoe, and the scribe of the text, Radivoj. According to linguistic features, the stone inscription is dated to the 15th century. The find was noticed in the middle of June this year in the eastern wall of the Sejmenska mosque in Zenica, during the construction works being carried out on the interior and exterior of the building. Sejmenska mosque was probably built during the 17th century and since 2007 has been a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Triangle from the Past: A Late Ottoman measuring instrument

Aleksandar Jašarević — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In this study, we present an unusual instrument that is rarely seen in museum collections. This richly decorated brass triangle belongs to a group of objects used by Ottoman architects and engineers. The level or havāyī terāzū is an instrument that has a wide application in geometry, architecture, military engineering, hydraulic works, and topography. With its rich decoration, it can certainly be seen as a work of applied art and an artifact that – alongside its functional role – also has a symbolic value. Dating of the level is possible based on comparisons with other finds, especially those from the collections of the Pera Museum in Istanbul and the Petrovic Collection at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. However, the level from the Museum in Doboj is significant because it was cast in a form that is unique among levels known to date. Detailed descriptions of the instrument can be found in medieval Persian and Arabic treatises, later Ottoman studies, and Renaissance European publications. Finally, this study provides an opportunity for the wider public to learn about a lesser-known artifact, and to encourage the publication of similarly little-known ones.

Preface

Blagoje Govedarica — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000