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Trial archaeological investigations at AS3 Beli Manastir-Sudaraž, north, on the route of the A5 Beli Manastir – Osijek – Svilaj motorway in 2013
Tatjana Tkalčec
orcid.org/0000-0003-3963-7706
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Between the 3rd and 5th October 2013 the Institute of Archaeology carried out test archaeological investigations at the site AS 3 Beli Manastir – Sudaraž, north, discovered in the previous field survey on the route of the future motorway A5 Beli Manastir – Osijek – Svilaj.
The site lies south-west of Beli Manastir, near the Sudaraž village in the Osijek-Baranja county (Fig. 1). The site extends in the lowland area on a slightly elevated hill, which yielded the highest concentration of finds (∇ 94.22 asl), rising above the wider surrounding terrain by around half a metre (Fig. 2).
The archaeological investigations lasted for two and a half working days and covered a surface of 2299 m2 in 18 test pits (Fig. 3).
The test excavations ascertained that this position was inhabited from prehistory to the Middle Ages. Over a hundred archaeological features were documented (residential and work-related structures, pits, fireplaces, ovens etc.) (Fig. 4-7).
The material from the prehistoric periods consists of potsherds collected on the surface of several structures, pointing to the habitation during the Neolithic (probably the Starčevo culture) and the Eneolithic (Fig. 8-10). There are a number of pits without surface scatters that would facilitate their chronological attribution, so it is not entirely clear during which of those two periods the intensity of habitation was greater.
A late medieval settlement was built on the same place where the prehistoric settlements once stood, or somewhat more to the north. The test excavation of that settlement yielded abundant ceramic finds, a dense cluster of above-ground residential and work-related structures (traces of post-holes, especially in trench 8, Fig. 7), but also house cellars or semisunken late medieval houses (Fig. 4-6). Besides, fireplaces, a kiln and refuse pits were also documented. The texture, decorative methods, rim profilations and signs on the bases of vessels indicate that the pottery assemblage belongs to the Late Middle Ages – the second half or the end of the 13th century and the 14th century (Fig. 11-14).
Keywords
trial archaeological investigations; A5 motorway; Neolithic; Eneolithic; Late Middle Ages; Beli Manastir
Hrčak ID:
128686
URI
Publication date:
17.10.2014.
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