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The Area of Križevci in the Late Bronze Age and the Manufacturing of Bronze Objects in Northwestern Croatia
Snježana Karavanić
Sažetak
The area of Križevci belongs to the region of north-western Croatia. From the archaeological point of view, it is a very interesting area brought into connection with the region of the south-eastern Alps, Panonia and the Carpatian Basin. Although there are some significant sites in the area of Križevci from all periods of the Prehistoric, but also from the Antique and the Middle Ages, the most interesting are those dating from the protohistorical period, or more exact, from the Late Bronze Age. Part of the findings was delivered to the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb and the City Museum of Križevci as a part of accidentally discovered finds, about the circumstances of the discovery of which nothing or extremely little is known. The finds are mostly different bronze objects. Of the explored localities from that period, a settlement from the Late Bronze Age with evidence of metallurgic activities, discovered on the location of the brickworks in Križevci, where the rescue excavation has been carried out, is very significant. More recently, on the basis of a survey of the ground surface, a site has been discovered on the position of Majurec - Gradina, the date of which is probably the very beginning of the Late Bronze Age. The most significant finds from the Late Bronze Age certainly come from the mountains of Kalnik. A group of bronze objects was accidentally discovered while the foundations for the so-called Wilhelm cottage were being dug. Ceramic pieces are to be found on the surface all the way from the climbers’ lodging on Kalnik to the position on Igrišce, where in 1987 the research was begun, and continued in 1988 until 1990 through the cooperation between the City Museum of Križevci (Zoran Homen) and the Archaeological Institute of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb (prof. dr. Nives Majnaric-Pandžic). The research produced very significant results, which mostly relate to the ceramic finds from an early phase of Urnfield culture (Baierdorf-Velatice group or Zagreb group) and the finds of moulds for metal. On grounds of the moulds (picture 3), dross and numerous bronze objects, N. Majnaric-Pandžic (1992) defines this part of the settlement as a melting workshop. The largest part of the finds is needles (picture 2); a knife and a bead were also discovered. The find of a channelled stone, which was probably used for the processing of metal, is also interesting. The ceramic materials, collected in the exploration on Igrišce, have been analysed with great detail by the typologically-statistical method and they mostly belong to the Baierdorf-Velatice group, to which they are also connected by the finds of typical Velatice cups (picture 4). A part of the discovered objects was established by analysis to belong to the later Urnfield culture; their number is, however, negligible. The finds of heaths with ceramic pieces as flagging, for which reason they are also established to belong to the early phase of Urnfield culture and are definitely related to the finds with metallurgic character, are also to be mentioned. We arrive at the conclusion that the area of Križevci played a significant role in the early phase of Urnfield culture. It is a period of an extreme flourishing of metal industry, shown by the large number of remains from the phase II in the eastern group of the area between rivers. This western group of the area between rivers, however, also had a rich metal industry, if the finds of the remains like those from Budinšcina are to be judged by (picture 1). (Translated by Marina Bertovic)
Ključne riječi
northwestern Croatia; Križevci; Kalnik; Late Bronze Age
Hrčak ID:
2597
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.12.2005.
Posjeta: 2.314 *