The cultural and chronological context of sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Cuka near nis (southeastern Serbia) and their significance for understanding the emergence and development of the central Balkans eneolithic

11000, г. Белград, ул. Князя Михайла, д. 35/4, Республика Сербия

Цель. Разработать культурный и хронологический контекст 2 одноимённых многослойных доисторических объектов на юго-востоке Сербии, чтобы понять процесс энеолитизации на Центральных Балканах.

Процедура и методы. Исследование основано на методах сравнительного анализа и синтеза, а также интерпретации существующих и свежих данных, полученных в ходе археологических раскопок в местах Бубаня и Велика-Хумска-Чука близ Ниша. Были приняты во внимание следующие факторы: географическое положение, ресурсы, взаимные пространственные отношения, стратиграфические характеристики, хронология, характер поселений во время энеолита и другие соответствующие данные.

Результаты. Представленные культурно-хронологические контексты двух исследованных участков, а также других современных участков, по сравнению с рисунком предшествующих поселений Винча, указывали на характер изменений, произошедших в середине V тысячелетия до н. э.

Теоретическая и/или практическая значимость. Результаты исследований способствуют восприятию процессов трансформации внутри позднеолитических сообществ и процессу энеолитизации на территории Центральных Балкан.

Ключевые слова: Бубань, Велика Хумска-Чука, Центральные Балканы, V и IV тысячелетия, географическое положение, пространственные

Introduction

archaeological bubanj humska history

The process of the formation of the Eneolithic in the territory of the Central Balkans has traditionally been associated with large- scale migrations that marked the end of the Late Neolithic Vinca culture. According to such a scenario, groups of newcomers, bearers of the Bubanj-Salkuta-Krivodol cultural complex (hereinafter: BSK) inhabited the territory of the preceding communities of the Vinca culture and gradually repressed them [1, p. 204-205; 2; 3, p. 28; 4, p. 158-- 159]. The majority of authors consider that the aforementioned cultural complex was formed within the territory of western Bulgaria, on the core of the Gradesnica culture, between 4500 and 4400 cal BCE [5; 6; 7]. Its gradual expansion towards the north and east encompassed primarily the areas of present-day southeastern Romania and eastern Serbia, which consequently constrained the territory of the Vinca culture. The key arguments for such a violent end of the Neolithic settlements were increased frequencies of settlements on raised grounds, on naturally fortified places, the so-called Gradina settlements, fortification features (ditches and palisades), and burnt final habitation horisons [4, p. 158--159]. It has previously been considered that life in most of the Vinca settlements ended between 4650 and 4550 cal BCE [4; 8], and such high dates for the end of the Vinca culture resulted in a hiatus between the final horison of Vinca settlements and early BSK settlements. Furthermore, early BSK settlements, which could serve as a cause for an almost synchronous end of life in many Vinca settlements, have not been recorded in Serbia and Romania [5; 7]. However, new radiometric measurements have indicated a prolonged duration of the Vinca culture in certain micro-regions (up to approximately 4400 cal BCE) Milanovic D. The Copper Age in the Central Balkans. In: Parkinson W. A., Gyucha A., Galaty M., eds. Oxford Handbook of Balkan Prehistory. Oxford, Oxford University Press (готовится к печати в 2022 г.). [9; 10], compared to the previous stance of D. Boric. Likewise, fresh data indicate that early BSK settlements have existed in the territories of both Serbia and Romania Там же. [10].

Recent research suggests that Vinca settlements have rarely been formed on dominant and rasied ground, while it seems like the number of such settlements gradually increases, although their chronology is often unknown [11; 12], and the material culture resembles the earliest BSK settlements, which aggravates the precise cultural distinction [10]. What is certain is that during the BSK cultural complex (4500--3800/3700), the number of such settlements increases [12; 13]garia in the second half of the 5th millennium BCE. In: Gori M., Hellmuth-Kramberger A., Krapf T., Rec- chia G., eds. Archaeology of Mountainous Landscapes in Balkan Prehistory. Universitдtsforschungen zur prдhistorischen Archдologie, Rudolf Habelt, Bonn (готовится к печати в 2022 г.).. Apparently, the fortifications represent a characteristic of the Vinca settlements starting from the Early Vinca (Vinca А-B), and a similar trend amplifies during the Late Vinca (Vinca C-D) and continues during the BSK period Milanovic D. The Copper Age in the Central Balkans. In: Parkinson W. A., Gyucha A., Galaty M., eds. Oxford Handbook of Balkan Prehistory. Oxford, Oxford University Press (готовится к печати в 2022 г.); Milanovic D. The interply between lowland and highland zones: Engaging the landscape of eastern Serbia and western Bulgaria in the second half of the 5th millennium BCE. In: Gori M., Hellmuth-Kramberger A., Krapf T., Recchia G.,eds. Archaeology of Mountainous Landscapes in Balkan Prehistory. Universitдtsforschungen zur prдhistorischen Archдologie, Rudolf Habelt, Bonn (готовится к печати в 2022 г.). [4, p. 166-169; 14, p. 201-238; 15], especially considering the fact that naturally fortified and elevated plateaus of topographically limited sites should likewise be considered as elements of fortifications [16]. Besides, burnt habitation horisons are characteristic for most of the Vinca and BSK settlements, as it remains unclear whether the burning represents a part of a ritual and a social act connected with the practice of abandoning of parts or entire settlement and/or conflicts and intentional fires [4, p. 166] Milanovic D. Centralni Balkan u 5 milenijumu pre n. e: obrasci naseljavanja i drustveno-ekonomske promene. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade, 2017 p. 274-275, 286.. However, it seems as if the complex process of transformation of the Vinca culture included a series of internal and external factors [4, p. 159-162], which have led to the gradual abandonment of long-lasting large settlements, micro-regions, and regions, and the formation of the new cultural milieu of the Copper Age Milanovic D. The Copper Age in the Central Balkans. In: Parkinson W. A., Gyucha A., Galaty M., eds. Oxford. Such a new cultural environment implied smaller and spatially closer settlements, increased inhabitation of dominant high grounds, and the establishment of new relations between the settlement and social groups, which included more frequent conflicts [13; 17; 18]Handbook of Balkan Prehistory. Oxford, Oxford University Press (готовится к печати в 2022 г.)., the increased significance of stockbreeding, the increased significance of new crafts, especially metallurgy of copper, gold and other metals, enhanced social mobility and reorganization of trade networks [19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24]. Such a cultural environment or the process of eneolithisation has been perceived in this paper through the example of the settlement dynamics of two eponymous multilayered sites, Bubanj and Velika Humska Cuka near Nis (southeastern Serbia), during the Eneolithic of the Central Balkans.

The geographic setting, resources, and spatial relations between Bubanj and Velika Humska Cuka

The sites of Bubanj in Novo Selo and Ve- lika Humska Cuka in Hum are located within the Nisava and South Morava confluence zone, in the proximity of the present-day city ofNis. Geomorphologically, the area represents a part of the Nis Basin which stretches between the Selicevica Mountain and Jastrebac-Kalafatbarrier (fig. 1).

Fig. 1 / Рис. 1. Geomorphological map of Serbia (Zremski) with the highlighted area of southeastern Serbia and the positions of sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Cuka / Геоморфологическая карта Сербии (Зремски) с выделенной областью юго-востока Сербии и положениями памятников Бубань и Велика Хумска Чука

The Nis Basin is approximately 44 km long, 22 km wide, and it encompasses an area of 630 km². The wider area in which the sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Cuka are located lies within the Serbian-Macedonian Mass. The terrain is primarily comprised of crystalline shales, covered by volcanic sediments of the Lece region and the Neogenic sediments represented by systems of ditches and valleys of the South Morava River and its tributaries. The Nisava River is the largest tributary to the South Morava River, in which it inflows some 10 km downstream of Nis. The river springs in Bulgaria, below Mali Kom (1840 m), and its flow, which follows the southeast-northwest direction, encompasses a total of 218 km² [25, p. 33]. Nisava runs through a wide valley where it meanders due to small river fall, and through narrow gorges with significantly higher river fall.

The archaeological site of Bubanj is located 5 km west of the city of Nis, on the western fringe of the lowest river terrace, next to the wide alluvial plain of the South Morava River, approximately 7 km southeastern of the confluence of Nisava and South Morava rivers (fig. 1-2).

Fig. 2 / Рис. 2. A topographic map with the positions of sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Cuka, toponyms that indicate salinated soils and saltwater springs, deposits of flint and copper / Топографическая карта с расположением стоянок Бубань и Велика Хумска Чука, топонимы, обозначающие засоленные почвы и источники соленой воды, месторождения кремня и меди

Источник: данные авторов

An ellipsoid loess elevation with an altitude of 198 m, oriented northwest-southeast, with a length of more than 300 m and a width up to 170 m, has once risen within the vast plain, exceding the surrounding terrain up to 15 m in height. Formerly, the Nisava River flowed next to the site, on its northern side, but following the melioration during the 60s of the 20^th century, the river flow has been altered as it now runs further north of the site. In the course of archeological excavations in 1935 and between 1954 and 1958, all three plateaus of the site were preserved: eastern (approximate surface of 0.85 ha), central (approximate surface of 0.3 ha), and the smallest, western (approximate surface of 0.09 ha). Those plateaus, together with the surrounding slopes of the site, covered an area of approximately 5 ha. The southern and western slopes were the most accessible, while the eastern slope connected the site with the river terrace. The northern side of the site, towards the Nisava River, was inaccessible due to the degree of slope, while the mild slope in the west led towards the confluence of Nisava and South Morava rivers. The eastern portion of the location, within a width of 80 m, was damaged by railroad construction even before the first excavations in 1935, and it was almost completely devastated in the second half of the 20^th century by the construction of the highway and the accompanying bypass. Currently, solely the northeastern portion of the site, with a length of around 70 m and a width of approximately 5 m remains preserved, representing less than 1% of the former surface of the site. The construction of modern infrastructure and Penitentiary southern and eastern of the site, the territorial expansion of the village of Novo Selo towards the west and south of the site during the second half of the 20^th and the 21^st century, as well as the aforementionedshifts of the river flow, have significantly altered the former surroundings of the site.

In terms of geology, the immediate vicinity of the site of Bubanj (within a diameter of 10 km), lies on alluvial sediments, while the hinterland is represented by conglomerates, sandstones, sands, marls, limestones, and clays. Judging by geological and topographic characteristics of the surrounding terrain, the settlement at the site of Bubanj was oriented towards river terraces on the east and southeast, and the alluvial plain on the west, north, and northwest. Due to numerous meanders of the Nisava River before the aforementioned melioration during the second half of the 20^th century, a marshy environment was represented. Three types of soil are present in the territory of the site of Bubanj, within a diameter of 10 km: fluvisol is the most represented, followed by vertisol, and eutric cambisol as the least represented type of soil (fig. 3).

Fig. 3 / Рис. 3. Pedology of sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Cuka within a 10 km diameter / Почвоведение памятников Бубань и Велика Гумска Чука в пределах 10 км в диаметре

Источник: данные авторов

The site of Velika Humska Cuka is located on a dominant elevated plateau on the northeastern periphery of the village of Hum, approximately 7 km north of Nis (fig. 1-2). The plateau itself is comprised of four terraces, each on a different height level. The length of the site in the east-west direction is approximately 200 m and the width of the site in the north-south direction is approximately 160 m, measuring a total surface of around 3 ha. The highest point on the central and also the smallest plateau lies at the altitude of 454.79 m. Each of the aforementioned terraces is some 5 m lower than the previous one, and the lowest terrace lies at the altitude of 435-440 m. The Hum River, nowadays a rivulet, surrounds the site on its northern and western sides. Due to vertical slopes, all of the sides of the site are hardly accessible, save for the northern, which is through a smaller saddle connected with the neighboring Mala Humska Cuka. The elevation of the central plateau, compared to the bank of Hum rivulet (333 m) is 121,79 m. Several cavelets have been recorded beneath the central plateau, on the western portion of the site, at the altitude of approximately 400 m.

Geologically, the narrower and wider zone of the site is comprised of Miocene formations of sandstones, bituminous shales, and marls. On the other hand, the area east of the site (and further to the south and west) is represented by formations of conglomerates, sandstones, sands, marls, limestones, and clay, while the hinterland is also covered with dolomites, shales, and cherts. The site lies directly on calcomelanosols (calcareous- dolomite chernozem), regosol, and orthents on limestone. An area covered with eutric cambisol is present in the southern side of the site, while the hinterland of the site is covered with significant areasof vertisol, calcocambisol (brown soil on limestone and dolomite), and calcomelanosol (fig. 3).

The existence of toponyms that indicate surfaces with saline soils and springs of saltwater in the wider area or the periphery of the researched territory (within a diameter of 10 km) of the sites of Bubanj (Slana Bara, Slatina 1 and Slatina in Lalinac) and Velika Humska Cuka (Slatina 1) point to the importance of animal husbandry and hunting in those settlements and the possibility of salt procurement for both human and animal diet (fig. 2).

Velika Humska Cuka lies 8.5 km northeast of Bubanj. Flint deposits are represented at the Kremenac location which lies 2.1 km west of the site in the village of Hum, and it is considered that those deposits were exploited in prehistory [26, p. 289-290; 27; 28], while copper deposits are located 8.3 km northeastern of the site. Claypits in the vicinity of both sites (one about 300 m from Velika Humska Cuka and one near Bubanj) point out the possibility that the population from those sites was using those pits for pottery production.

The history of research and stratigraphy

The importance of previous excavations is reflected in the fact that materials uncovered at the sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Cuka, and publication by A. Orsic Slavetic in 1940 have served M. Garasanin to define two phases of the Bubanj-Hum group of the Central Balkans on the 3^rd International Congress of Prehistorians in Zurich in 1950, prior to his excavations [29, p. 8]. M. Garasanin conducted archaeological excavations at the site of Bubanj between 1954 and 1958, and at the site of Velika Humska Cuka in 1956, whichenabled him to define and further elaborate the cultural development of the Bubanj-Hum group [30; 31; 32; 33; 34], and subsequently provide certain complements and modifications according to the new data on the Eneolithic cultures of the neighboring regions [29, p. 8-16; 35, p. 154-166].

The site of Bubanj