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Trial Excavations of a Prehistoric Site in Vlatkovac

Daria Ložnjak Dizdar orcid.org/0000-0002-5769-2269 ; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Hrvoje Potrebica orcid.org/0000-0002-5474-4254 ; Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Numerous prehistoric finds have been uncovered in the north-eastern part of the Požega Basin, suggesting dense habitation of an area in which no large-scale archaeological excavations have so far been conducted (Fig. 1). Relatively small-scale trial excavations in Vlatkovac (Čaglin Municipality, Požega-Slavonia County) were conducted in July 2010 with the aim of gathering more facts about incineration graves of the Late Bronze Age Barice-Gređani group, discovered in 1987. In the surveying of agricultural surfaces, pottery fragments of Sopot and Lasinja cultures were recorded. The site is situated on an oval hill on the southernmost slopes of Krndija, which fall away towards the River Londža, on whose southern bank the northern slopes of Dilj start rising (Fig. 2). On the central, levelled part of the hill, three probes were set in which fills of a relatively large semi-sunken pit dwelling and oval pits were uncovered. These contained significant quantities of pottery shards, house daub and stone artefacts (Fig. 3).
According to their shape, technique and motifs, the pottery shards can be assigned to the Lasinja culture of which there were a large number of settlements in the Požega Basin. The find of a wholly preserved and richly decorated beaker in the fill of pit SU 9 is particularly noteworthy (Fig. 4). Also collected were Sopot culture pottery shards, such as the high foot of a bowl from the fill of a relatively small oval pit SU 18 (Fig. 5). Part of excavated smaller structures in Vlatkovac also belong to the Sopot culture, of which there were numerous settlements in the eastern part of the Požega Basin, where mostly stray and surface finds were collected.
Late Bronze Age graves were not registered in the trial excavations, which is due to the relatively small excavated surface, as well as the fact that it was not possible to excavate a surface which covered incinerated remains and on which shards of ceramic vessels had previously been collected. Other Late Bronze Age grave finds from the Požega Basin have also been described in Požega and Grabarje, though the number of contemporary settlement finds is somewhat larger. It is assumed that the finds from Vlatkovac belong to the northern edge of the Barice-Gređani group distribution area, whose northern border passes along the southern slopes of Krndija and Papuk.
The results of trial excavations in Vlatkovac suggest the existence of an outstanding prehistoric site with remains of Sopot and Lasinja culture settlements as well as a Late Bronze Age Barice-Gređani group cemetery from the early phase of the Urnfield culture (13th-12th century BC). According to the number of unearthed complexes, the Vlatkovac site represents an outstanding prehistoric site in the north-eastern part of the Požega Basin, which has so far been insufficiently excavated.

Keywords

trial excavations; Vlatkovac; Požega Basin; Sopot culture; Lasinja culture; settlement; Late Bronze Age; Barice-Gređani group; cemetery

Hrčak ID:

89783

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/89783

Publication date:

25.10.2011.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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