Original scientific paper
Cultural Elements on Cemeteries in north-western Bosnia
Pia Šmalcelj
; Njegoševa 5, 10000 Zagreb HR
Abstract
This work examines early mediaeval burial grounds located in north-western Bosnia: it provides an overview of material from each of the four sites (Junuzovci, Gomjenica, Mahovljani, Petoševci) in light of new
research as well as data from original publications. It also reflects on early Croatian elements at these sites as well as on certain forms that are specific for this group of sites. The work aims to explain the occurrence of these elements and to place them within the historical context. First of all, Gomjenica and all other row cemeteries described in this work are very interesting archaeological sites. The first publications about these cemeteries determined them as “mixed” ones, where elements of the Bijelo brdo, Köttlach and early Croatian culture meet and mix with each other. In the case of Gomjenica, it was determined that it contains elements of all three cultures. Further, the author adds that the finds in Bagruša might have “eastern” elements reminding of Old-Hungarian ones, whereas the Mahovljani cemetery
reveals elements of the Bijelo brdo and Köttlach culture.
New finds and works from the past few decades put those cultural determinants into question; particularly the strong Köttlach presence in these sites was being questioned. There are several factors that must also be considered when talking about these three cemeteries. The
Majdan mountain was an important source of iron ore in ancient times and smelters were located in the surroundings of Prijedor. The important Roman routeconnected the mining areas around the rivers Japraand Sana with the littoral (Salona) and Pannonia in the north (Siscia, Sirmium); the roads Salona-Siscia, Salona-Servitium. It is believed that this traffic route dates back to the rule of the Ostrogoths, who used it for communication with their provinces. Thereby, it should be pointed out that Castra (present-day Banja Luka) was obviously located at the route Salona-Servitium, since its position is at the only natural passage from south to north. Ivo Bojanovski states that also
the place Ad Fines was located in this area, which can be recognized in present-day Mahovljani or Laktaši.Hence, the area with the cemeteries explored is rich in minerals. Sisak has been a metallurgical centre
since ancient times and communicated, i.e. formed an economical entity with the area around the Sana and Japra rivers and Prijedor, at least to Ad Fines. This region was inhabited by an ethnically indeterminable population of Slavic origin, which was to some extent influenced by the late ancient tradition. However, the question is whether it was the case of a first-hand (Romanized barbarian population of the pre-Avar period) or rather second-hand or indirect
influence (Croatian territory, area of the Eastern Alps, southern Balkans). These influences were certainly less pronounced than in the early mediaeval Croatian state, and even less than in the Eastern Alps. I think that we cannot further speculate on the nature of this population, except that it can be stated that the process of Christianisation lagged behind the Christianisation process in Croatia for example. This is testified not only by the fact that there were no discoveries of distinctive Christian signs on cemeteries in northwestern
Bosnia, but also by the discovery of vessels or vessel fragments in inhumation graves in Bagruša and Gomjenica. About incineration graves and whether they are an integral part of the cemeteries in Bagruša and Gomjenica or rather earlier burials of another
Slavic community that preceded the one with the inhumations, or whether the mentioned graves are exceptions or were used to bury individuals that were connected with older beliefs, I cannot even speculate at this moment.
There is a relatively significant number of finds belonging to the early Croatian culture on cemeteries from 10th and 11th century in north-western Bosnia. However, equally present is material that could be
linked to the early Croatian one and has most analogies
in the early Croatian territory; nevertheless, it represents an apparently local form. Taking into consideration also the assumed earlier and smaller community buried in Bagruša, which reveals- although to a smaller extent- in its material “pure” early Croatian graves and graves with mixed material, the question
arises what the reason for the occurrence of such material
and what the taste of this population was. Junuzovci
and also most finds of the Bijelo brdo culture from the cemeteries in question are a good example of how such material was not missing, so that the community had to find other ways. The subject of this work also excellently illustrates the major problem of (Croatian) archaeology. The respective four cemeteries are subject of many discussions
(it is sufficient just to count the number of works dealing with this subject), but their conclusions are scattered among various publications that deal with certain aspects of these cemeteries. Information on
the material itself from original publications is not complete (which is understandable considering the time and conditions of the research itself), but is nonetheless the only available one even today (for example, the catalogue often lacks information whether the artefact is moulded or not, which is not always evident from the drawings). There is also a lack of quality photos that would display the objects better than the ones from the time of the first publication. Such amount of information seems chaotic at first glance, while the change of terms over the decades does not help.
Keywords
Junuzovci; Gomjenica; Mahovljani; Petoševci; grape-like earrings of type Bijelo brdo; hair-loops with three biconical beads and loops; hair-loop with biconical bead fixed by a loop on each side; Old-Hungarian material
Hrčak ID:
92569
URI
Publication date:
17.12.2012.
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