Proto-neolithic settlement in Djerdap

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    LEPENSKI VIR: PROTONEOLITHIC AND EARLY NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENTSAuthor(s): DRAGOSLAV SREJOVISource: Archaeology, Vol. 22, No. 1 (JANUARY 1969), pp. 26-35Published by: Archaeological Institute of AmericaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41667932.Accessed: 25/01/2015 08:03

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    LEPENSKI VIR

    PROTONEOLITHIC AND

    EARLY

    NEOLITHIC

    SETTLEMENTS

    By DRAGOSLAV

    SREJOVIC

    In the central

    part of

    the Iron

    Gate

    Gorge

    at

    Lepenski

    Vir

    ( The Whirlpool

    of

    Lepenci'),

    a

    new

    prehistoric

    ulture

    was discovered

    n

    1967

    which

    forms

    link betweenthe

    classical Meso

    lithic

    and

    Early

    Neolithic

    cultural

    groups of

    the

    Danubian

    region

    and

    sheds new

    light

    on the

    emergence f

    Neolithiccivilization

    n

    the

    greater

    part

    of

    Southeast

    nd

    Central

    urope

    Lepenski

    Vir

    is

    situatedon the

    right

    bank

    of

    the

    Danube,

    fourteen

    nd a

    half

    kilometers

    p

    the river

    from

    Donji

    Milanovac,

    approximatelyat the end

    of

    the so-called

    Upper Gorge

    of

    the

    Iron Gate

    (as

    the

    gorge

    is called

    on the

    border

    between

    Roumania

    and

    Jugoslavia).

    The site

    of

    the

    prehistoric

    ettlements

    clearly

    ndicated

    n

    the

    surrounding andscape:

    it

    is

    surrounded

    by

    great

    imestone

    ocks

    on the south nd

    north,

    nd

    by

    teep

    cliffs

    f

    the

    Korso Hill on the

    west,

    while

    on

    the

    east,

    on the

    eft

    bank

    of

    the

    Danube,

    rises

    the

    denuded

    peak

    Treskavac,

    which ooks like a

    giant

    marker

    for

    the

    settlement.

    t was

    in this

    picturesque

    andscape

    that a

    concealed

    U-shaped

    recess,

    ying

    n theshadows

    of

    a

    primeval

    wood

    was chosenas the siteof thesettlement. he re-

    cess

    is accessible

    only by

    a

    narrow

    path

    from

    he

    south

    ide

    where,

    t a distance

    of

    a kilometer

    nd

    a

    half,

    there s a

    canyon

    that

    opens

    up

    a

    short

    passageway

    o the

    mountainous

    interland Thus

    the site looks like an

    isolated oasis

    lost

    among

    the

    rocks,

    woods

    and

    the

    river The

    first

    ettlers

    couldhave

    gained

    easy

    accessto

    it

    by

    water

    only

    At Lepenski

    Vir,

    the

    ultural

    ayer,

    he

    hickness

    f

    which aries

    rom

    .5

    to

    2.15

    meters,

    s

    divided

    nto

    three

    istinct

    trata.

    he

    earliest

    I)

    lies

    directly

    n

    thehard imestone

    edrock,

    t a

    depth

    f

    3.5

    to

    1.95

    meters.Within

    t,

    t

    s

    possible

    o

    distinguish

    t

    least

    five

    uilding

    orizons

    Lepenski

    Vir

    I

    a

    to

    e).

    The

    uppermost

    orizon

    f

    Stratum is covered

    ith

    oess-

    like brown

    sand

    whichforms he second cultural

    stratum

    II)

    of

    varying

    epth 0.30

    to

    0.60

    meter)

    with

    one

    habitation orizon

    Lepenski

    Vir

    II).

    The

    third,

    he

    atest ultural

    tratum,

    ying

    t

    a

    depth

    f

    between

    .45

    and

    0.30

    meters,

    onsists f two

    habi-

    tationhorizons

    Lepenski

    Vir III a and III

    b).

    Horizon

    II

    a,

    the

    depth

    f

    which

    verages

    ne

    meter,

    is

    of

    blackish

    olor

    nd consistsf soft

    arth,

    while

    Horizon

    II

    b,

    varying

    n

    depth

    from

    .50

    to

    0.30

    meter,

    ontains

    considerable

    uantity

    f

    stones

    nd

    is

    composed

    hiefly

    f

    hard

    clay-like

    arth.

    tratum

    III is

    covered

    with

    layer

    f

    humus

    0.30

    to

    0.10

    meter)

    cut at a

    number

    f

    places

    by

    burials

    from

    later

    rehistoric

    ndhistoric

    pochs.

    In

    color

    nd

    general

    omposition,

    trata and

    II

    clearly

    iffer rom

    tratum

    II. This

    sharp

    break

    n

    the

    Lepenski

    ircultural

    eposit

    ecomes

    ven

    more

    distinctive

    pon

    analysis

    f the

    finds rom he vari-

    ousstrata.

    The first

    nhabitantsf

    Lepenski

    Vir

    settled

    nly

    the

    U-shaped

    ecess,

    aking

    p

    an

    area

    about

    eventy

    meters

    ong

    and

    about

    forty

    meters

    wide.

    The

    con-

    centration

    f

    life

    in

    this

    relatively

    estrictedrea

    eventually

    ed to the

    mergence

    f

    a

    settlement

    hich

    as it

    conformed

    o the

    natural

    utline fthe ite

    ook

    on

    the form

    f a

    giant

    horseshoe,

    r

    more

    precisely,

    of a

    trapezoid

    ith

    slightly

    ent

    ase.

    26

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    Lepenski

    ir

    a

    -e: the

    ive

    uilding

    horizons hat

    appear

    are house

    30

    (I

    a),

    house

    30

    a

    (I

    b),

    house

    29

    (I

    c),

    house

    2

    (I d),

    house

    1

    (I e).

    Lepenski

    ir

    view rom

    the

    outh f

    the

    north-

    western

    art

    of

    Settle-

    ment, the arliestul-turalstratum. f the

    fifty-eight

    ouses

    ound,

    all

    are nthe

    orm f a

    trapezoid

    n

    thecenter

    of

    whichs a

    hearth.

    he

    numbersn

    the

    photo-

    graph

    re

    the

    numbers

    assigned

    y

    the xcava-

    tors o the

    houses.

    27

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    Lepenski

    ir:

    view rom

    hewest

    f

    he outheast

    art

    f

    Settlement

    ,

    showing

    ouses

    umber

    5,50,

    7,

    and

    1.

    Lepenski

    ir

    house

    umber

    4 with

    he

    ectangular

    earth

    ur-

    rounded

    y

    series

    f

    small

    ed tone

    labs

    et

    vertically

    n the

    earth,

    n

    the

    ormf sosceles

    riangles

    ith

    rojecting

    ides.

    LEPENSKI VIR

    continued

    Within

    tratum a

    total

    of

    fifty-eight

    ouses

    has

    been

    discovered,

    nderwhichthere

    were

    traces

    f

    forty-six

    ther

    uildings.

    hesehouses

    104

    in

    all),

    however,

    o not

    belong

    o

    the

    earliest

    ettlement

    ut

    can be assigned o five uccessive uildingphases.

    All

    of

    the

    buildings

    iscoveredn Stratum

    ,

    re-

    gardless

    f

    differences

    n

    size

    (their

    loor

    reas

    range

    from

    ive

    nd

    a half

    o

    thirty

    quare

    meters)

    ave

    not

    only

    the same

    plans

    and

    proportions,

    ut also the

    same

    rrangement

    f

    building

    lements.

    he

    materials

    used

    were

    wood

    and

    grey, ellow

    nd

    pale

    red stone

    (limestone, andstone,

    nd

    porphyry)

    hich

    colors

    the

    urrounding

    andscape.

    he foundationsf all

    of

    the

    houses

    re

    n the

    form

    f a

    trapezoid

    he

    base

    of

    which

    bends

    slightly

    utward.

    n

    the center

    f the

    houses,

    owards he

    onger

    ide,

    are hearths

    n

    the

    form f

    sunken

    ectangular

    asins

    ined

    with

    arge

    limestone

    locks

    et

    on

    edge.

    The

    floors re

    made

    of a kindof hard imeplaster nd regularlyave

    a

    thin

    polished

    urface

    oating

    f

    pale

    red

    or

    white.

    Stone

    culpture

    nd sacrificialessels re

    set

    nto

    he

    floor

    ear he

    hearths,

    sually

    t the

    pex

    of a

    border

    or frieze

    made

    up

    of thin

    edslabs.

    The

    housesdid

    not have vertical

    walls.

    Instead,

    he

    superstructure

    was

    in

    the form f

    a

    saddle-roof

    iththe

    rooftree

    slanting

    rom he

    base

    down

    owards

    he horter

    aral-

    lel side

    of

    the

    trapezoidal

    ouse

    foundations.

    he

    entrance as

    regularly

    n

    the

    middleof

    the

    longer

    side,

    but

    wo tone

    hresholds

    et at

    an

    angle

    directed

    movement

    xclusively

    oward he ateral

    arts

    f

    the

    house.

    The

    largesculptured

    oulders iscovered

    n

    the

    floors f thehouses

    re,

    together

    iththe architec-

    tural

    emains,

    he most haracteristiceatures

    f

    the

    culture

    epresented

    n

    Stratum.

    All

    of

    these

    oulders

    were

    found

    n situ

    nd

    generally

    ere

    firmly

    et nto

    the

    floor

    near

    the hearths

    n

    such a

    way

    that heir

    finished

    ide

    faced

    the

    entrance,

    .e.

    the

    east.

    Only

    boulders

    f

    hard,

    coarse-grainedellow

    or

    greyish

    sandstone

    ere

    selected or

    culpture.

    egardless

    f

    the

    motives,

    he

    modeling

    lways

    remained

    losed

    within

    he

    frameworkf

    those

    arge

    boulders;

    he

    artist ltered

    he

    natural

    orm

    nly

    nsofar s

    it

    did

    not

    interfereith ts

    basic

    structure.

    he

    modeling

    was done

    by

    pecking, resumably

    y

    means

    of

    flint

    tools nda mallet.

    Stratum I

    yielded

    a

    total

    f

    twenty-three

    orks f

    sculpture

    nd

    eighteen

    acrificial

    tonevessels

    with

    relief

    decoration.

    ccording

    o their

    motives,

    he

    sculpture

    an

    be

    classified

    nto two

    groups:

    figures

    modeled

    n

    a naturalistic

    tyle

    nd

    works

    n which

    apparently

    nly

    abstract

    rabesques

    re

    represented.

    Human

    and

    animal

    heads

    the

    only

    figures

    sed

    as

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    Lepenski

    ir:

    Settlement

    ,

    view of

    the

    central

    house

    number

    4)

    with wo

    culptured

    oulders

    and

    n

    ellipsoid

    tone acrificialessel n

    frontf

    the earth.

    Close-up

    f the

    hearth

    f

    house

    umber4

    with

    the

    rectangular

    earth

    urrounded

    y

    the eries

    of

    labs

    ormingriangles.

    Lepenski

    ir : in

    front

    of

    the

    hearth f

    house

    number

    1 was

    found

    his

    burialwith he

    skeleton

    extended.

    human kull

    was

    placed

    on

    the

    left

    shouldernd an

    ox head

    on

    the

    right

    houlder

    f

    the eceased.

    29

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    Lepenski

    ir : stone

    ace

    number)

    photographed

    n situ

    in

    front

    f

    the

    hearth

    f

    house

    number

    1.

    It

    is of

    yellow

    sandstone

    nd 2 cm.

    igh.

    Stone

    acewith

    udimentary

    ody sculpture

    um-

    ber

    )

    found

    n

    house umber

    8

    at

    Lepenski

    ir .

    It s of

    yellow

    andstonend

    1

    cm.

    igh.

    Sandstoneltar

    rom ouse

    umber

    5 at

    Lepenski

    ir

    ;

    28x 16 m.

    Lepenski

    ir

    :

    sandstone

    culpture

    number

    2)

    found

    n

    house umber

    3.

    t

    appears

    o

    represent

    an

    animal

    ead,

    4 x

    19

    cm.

    30

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    Lepenski

    ir

    II:

    sandstone

    culpture

    umber 4

    showing

    he

    ornamental

    atterns

    haracteristicf

    the

    culpture

    oundn

    Stratum

    I;

    height,

    4

    cm.

    LEPENSKI

    VIR

    continued

    subjects

    are

    usually

    ife-sizednd

    always

    ave

    learly

    indicated

    acial

    features.

    here

    are

    no

    chronological

    differencesetween

    he

    figures

    nd the ornamental

    sculpture;

    nd

    there re even

    works

    epresenting

    u-

    man or animalfiguresnd sixteenwithabstract e-

    signs.

    t seems

    hat he

    group

    f

    ornamental

    culpture

    also

    employs

    igure-motives

    hich

    re,

    however,

    nte-

    grated

    nto

    more

    complex ompositions

    hich the

    artist,

    ecause f therestrictions

    mposed

    n him

    by

    the natural orm

    f the

    boulder,

    chematized

    o the

    extreme

    nd dissolvednto

    bstract

    orms

    nly

    n

    the

    actual

    process

    f

    transposing

    is vision nto

    stone.

    Sculpture

    rom

    his

    group

    is

    mainly

    overed

    with

    curvilinear

    otives:

    endrils,

    ircles,

    arts

    f

    spirals

    and,

    only

    xceptionally,

    ections f

    meanders

    n

    com-

    binations

    hich

    int t

    wastikas.

    An

    exceptionallace

    mong

    he

    works f art f this

    period

    belongs

    to

    a

    fairly

    arge fragmented

    and-

    stone lab (not illustratedere)whichhas engraved

    on it a

    hunting

    cene.

    Only

    the

    lower

    part

    of

    this

    large

    omposition

    as

    been

    preserved

    in

    it the

    figures

    of

    two hunters

    hrowing

    pears

    at an animal

    are

    clearly

    isible

    mong nigmaticigns

    n

    the

    form f

    trapezoids.

    Apart

    from

    culpture

    nd

    sacrificial

    essels,

    nly

    tools,

    weapons

    nd bone and

    stone

    ornaments ave

    been found

    on the

    floors f the

    houses.

    The most

    numerousreflint

    oolswhich

    ll

    belong

    o themicro-

    lithic

    ndustry

    scrapers,

    otched

    lades,

    triangular

    and oval

    burins,

    lades

    and

    points).

    In

    contrasto

    flint

    mplements

    the

    size

    of

    which aries

    rom

    .70

    to

    2.5

    centimeters),

    tone

    tools are

    macrolithic.

    n

    thefloors f almost ll of thehouses,massive and-

    stone

    nd schist

    lubs were

    found

    with

    dimensions

    ranging

    from

    0.20 to

    .455 meter.

    The

    flat sur-

    faces

    of

    these

    heavy

    lubs

    are

    frequently

    ecorated

    with

    engraved

    avy, igzag

    or

    angular

    ines,

    while

    some of

    these ools

    viewed as

    a

    whole,

    are in

    the

    form

    f a snake

    r

    fish. ther

    requent

    inds nclude

    marble

    rnaments

    nd

    boulders

    with a

    deep

    groove

    along

    he

    middle.

    There

    are

    also

    tools made of

    antler

    nd tubular

    bones.

    n

    addition o

    very

    primitive

    ools

    made

    of

    split

    one

    roughly

    ut at

    one

    end,

    there

    re

    normally

    finished

    wls

    of

    various

    ize

    and

    shape,

    as well

    as

    extremelyinely

    orked

    oolsand decorative

    eedleswith arved rnaments.

    The

    settlement

    of Stratum

    II

    does not

    exceed

    the

    boundaries

    f the

    arlier

    ettlement,

    ut ts

    build-

    ings

    re

    considerably

    ess

    numerous

    nd

    more

    widely

    spaced. They

    are

    technically

    implified,

    uilt in

    a

    cruder

    ay

    nd

    do not

    have

    hardfloors

    nd

    carefully

    built

    nternal

    tructures.

    ithin

    his

    horizon,

    hirty-

    Lepenski

    ir

    toolmade f

    ntler;

    length,

    .8

    cm.

    31

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    Sculptured

    oulder

    f andstonerom

    he

    econd

    culturaltratum

    II)

    at

    Lepenski

    ir;height,

    cm.

    Sculptured

    oulder

    number7)

    of

    andstoneromouse

    number

    4 of

    Lepenski

    ir

    I;

    height,

    1cm.

    Lepenski

    ir I: two

    andstone

    orks

    oundn

    house

    umber4.

    Number

    1

    Left),

    1

    cm.

    igh;

    umber

    8

    Right)

    0

    high,

    35

    wide 22cm.

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    9/11

    LEPENSKI

    VIR

    continued

    five ouse

    oundations

    ave

    been

    learly istinguished,

    but

    he

    bundance f stone locks nd slabs

    found n

    the

    whole

    explored

    rea

    ndicates

    hat

    t

    least

    thirty

    houses

    were

    nhabited

    t

    the

    ime f theformationf

    StratumI. The buildingstill retain hetrapezoidal

    form

    nd

    are not

    nfrequently

    f

    impressive

    imen-

    sions.

    Wood and stone are

    still the

    basic

    building

    materials

    large, eavy

    tone

    locks

    re still

    used

    the

    position

    nd

    form f the hearths emain

    he

    same.

    Yet one

    feels

    hat

    n

    spite

    f

    the

    persevering

    endency

    towards he

    monumental,

    he earlier

    fine

    sense

    of

    proportion

    nd

    the care n

    finishing

    oth

    thewhole

    and

    the

    details

    ave

    been ost.

    Sandstone

    culpture

    onstitutes,

    n this

    hase

    oo,

    he

    most characteristiceature f the household

    quip-

    ment.

    t

    is

    interesting

    hat

    n

    this

    period,

    he

    sculp-

    turedworks

    are

    made

    exclusively

    f

    boulders

    he

    dimensionsf which

    ange

    from

    orty

    o

    sixty

    enti-

    meters.Although oththe position nd the basic

    subjects

    f the

    sculpture

    ontinue

    o

    be

    the

    same,

    considerable

    lterations

    re visible

    n

    stylisticoncep-

    tion

    nd

    technique.

    he

    surfaces

    f the econd

    lane

    are

    considerably

    eeper,

    o

    that he

    culpture

    akes n

    a

    more

    pronounced

    lastic

    quality.

    The

    technique

    becomes

    onsiderably

    reer,

    ut

    on the

    other

    and,

    he

    earlier,

    killfully

    chieved

    armony

    etween

    henat-

    ural

    outline

    f

    the

    boulder nd

    the

    plastic

    content

    infused

    nto

    t

    has

    been

    disturbed.

    A

    totalof fifteen orks f

    sculpture

    as

    discov-

    ered

    n

    Stratum

    I.

    Seven

    of thesehave

    figures

    nd

    the

    remaining

    ight

    are

    decorated

    with

    ornamental

    patterns.

    he

    figuresgainrepresentnly

    he

    human

    head,

    butnow

    they

    have

    pronounced

    ish-likeea-

    tures;

    n

    somecases

    they

    ttain

    monumental

    ropor-

    tions.

    Two

    figures

    rom

    his

    phase

    combine

    rna-

    mentalmotiveswith human

    features.

    ore

    striking

    changes,

    owever,

    re

    noticeable

    n the

    worksmodeled

    in

    the ornamental

    tyle.

    n

    this

    phase,

    curvilinear

    motives

    ield

    o rectilinear

    rnaments,

    ith

    prev-

    alenceof

    chevrons,

    igzags

    or

    broken

    ngular

    ines

    and

    plaits.

    While

    the ools

    nd

    weapons

    f

    stone

    nd

    bone

    rethe ame

    s

    in the

    precedinghase,

    certain

    decline

    n

    thenumber

    f

    stone

    mplements

    s notice-

    able,

    although

    his tratum

    ielded

    n

    exceptionally

    finelyngraved

    tone

    lub

    n

    the

    form

    f a

    fish.

    The finds from the two latest habitation ori-

    zons

    a

    and

    b)

    which

    ormtratumII and overlie he

    earlier ettlements

    ntirely,

    re

    of

    particularmpor-

    tancefor the

    understanding

    nd

    chronology

    f the

    culture

    epresented

    n

    Strata

    and I. The settlements

    of

    Stratum

    II are

    associated ith

    he

    full

    flowering

    of the

    Early

    Neolithic

    eramic

    ulture,

    he

    Starevo-

    Krs-Cris ulture

    lready

    well-known rom

    xcava-

    tions n this

    region.

    n

    their

    buildings

    nd

    general

    layout,

    he

    settlementsf Stratum

    II differ

    harply

    from hose

    n

    Strata

    and

    II.

    While the earlier

    et-

    tlements

    xpanded

    long

    he

    west-eastxis

    and

    always

    remained ithinheU-shaped ecess, orizons II a

    and

    III b

    spread

    north

    nd

    south

    eyond

    he

    bound-

    aries of the

    U-shaped

    recess

    nd cover

    n

    area of

    approximately

    500

    square

    meters. he

    houses

    as-

    sociated

    with

    these

    horizons

    III

    a

    and

    b),

    though

    only

    partly reserved,

    learly

    how that

    he

    old

    ar-

    chitectural

    attern

    as

    been

    completely

    bandoned

    and

    that he

    sense

    for a

    planned

    building

    nd

    com-

    fortable

    welling

    has

    been

    lost.

    The

    basic

    building

    materials no

    longer

    tone,

    ut earth.

    ven

    wood is

    not

    usedto

    any ignificant

    xtent.

    he

    changes

    n

    the

    type

    f

    building

    re so

    pronounced

    hat

    very

    adical

    alterationsf

    the

    general

    onditionsf

    ife,

    nd

    pre-

    sumably

    f

    the

    climate s

    well,

    must

    be

    assumed.

    Horizon II a is characterizedypitsofvarious ize,

    some of whichwere

    certainly

    sed

    as

    underground

    dwellings.

    n

    the later

    ettlement

    Horizon

    III

    b)

    quadrangular

    mud huts

    were

    built above

    ground.

    Inside

    themon the floor f

    stamped lay,

    there s

    frequently

    n

    oven

    with

    U-shaped

    ase

    of

    rubble

    nd

    an

    upper

    structure

    f

    fired

    arth.

    Stone

    sculpture,

    microlithicools

    and

    heavy

    stone

    clubs

    disappear

    completely,

    ut

    the

    pottery

    hows

    surprising

    bun-

    dance

    f forms

    nd

    echniques

    f

    decoration.

    The

    pottery

    orms

    haracteristicf Stratum

    II

    include

    deep hemispherical

    owls,

    pherical

    essels

    with a

    curved

    or

    cylindrical

    eck,

    shallow conical

    dishes

    on a

    ring

    foot;

    also a

    unique

    ceramic

    orm:

    large

    vases with a wide

    quadrangular

    owl on a

    perforated

    uadrangular

    oot.

    The

    predominantype

    is monochrome

    are

    and

    pottery

    with

    roughened

    uneven xternal

    urface

    ecorated

    ith

    ncisions

    nd

    impressions

    f

    fingers

    r

    nails.

    Vases with

    white

    (Horizon

    III

    a)

    and

    later

    (Horizon

    III

    b),

    dark

    painted

    rnaments

    n a

    red

    background

    epresent

    nly

    sporadic

    inds.

    Numerous

    urnishedtone

    xes,

    bone

    tools

    nd

    pendants

    f

    fired

    lay

    or of

    bone

    complete

    the

    otherwise

    ery

    ich

    equipment

    rom hese

    atest

    habitation

    orizons.

    The special

    significance

    of

    Lepenski

    Vir lies in

    the

    fact that

    below the horizons

    with

    the

    material

    ofthe

    previously

    nown tracevo-Krs-Cris

    ulture,

    strata avebeen foundwith

    monuments

    f

    a

    prehis-

    toric ulture

    hich

    has

    been

    up

    to

    now unknownn

    the

    Danubian

    region

    nd

    in

    the

    broader

    uro-Asian

    territory.

    he

    archaeological

    aterial rom

    Horizons

    III

    a

    and III b is

    definitely

    ssociated

    ith

    he

    finds

    characteristicf

    the

    earliest

    hase

    of the

    Starevo

    Culture,

    which an

    be

    dated

    afely

    n

    the first

    alf

    33

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    Lepenski

    ir: Settlement

    ,

    view rom

    he orthwest

    owardhe

    anube.

    34

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    Lepenskiir

    toolmade f

    bone;

    length,

    cm.

    Sacrificialessel f

    clay

    ound

    n

    the

    loor f

    hut

    from

    ayer

    II

    b

    (Lepenski

    ir II

    b);

    height,

    4

    cm.

    nd

    width,

    0 cm.

    ofthe ifth illennium

    .c.

    This

    means hat he ulture

    represented

    n

    Strata

    and

    II

    precedes

    he

    formation

    of the

    Starevo

    roup

    nd

    that t must

    e defined

    n

    terms f a

    Protoneolithiculture hosecommunities

    did not

    yet

    have

    any knowledge

    f

    agriculture

    nd

    stock-breeding.y

    means f

    formal

    nalogies,

    oo,

    he

    finds rom

    trata and I

    can

    be

    associated

    nly

    with

    theforms ound n Protoneolithicnd the earliest

    Neolithic

    ulture

    f Asia

    Minor,

    r

    with

    ome

    forms

    of

    Mesolithicultures

    n

    Europe.

    he earliest

    tratum

    I

    settlement,

    ith ts

    planned

    house

    forms,

    tone

    sculpture

    nd

    plastered

    loors

    ecalls

    he

    architecture

    of Protoneolithic

    nd

    earliest

    eolithic ites

    f

    Pales-

    tine,

    yria,

    natolia,

    ran

    nd

    raq,

    uch

    s

    the

    ettle-

    ments n

    Wadi

    Felah,

    Jericho,

    ailar,

    Ras

    Shamra,

    LEPENSKI VIR

    continued

    Tel

    Ramad,

    Kalat

    Jarmo

    nd

    Tepes

    Sarab.

    In

    the

    same

    period

    there

    ppear

    sculptured

    ebbles

    n

    the

    Near

    East,

    e.g.

    in

    Eynan,

    Ain

    Shakri,

    har

    Hagolan

    and

    Gesher. hese

    analogies

    re

    probably

    f

    interest

    merelys cultural,otchronological,arallels. hey

    cannot

    e

    made

    use

    of

    in

    an

    attempt

    o

    explain

    he

    origin

    f the

    culture

    iscovered

    n

    Strata

    and

    II at

    Lepenski

    ir,

    or to

    establishts

    absolute

    hronology.

    At

    this

    tage

    t s

    possible nly

    o state

    he

    following

    that he

    culture

    iscovered

    n

    Strata and II

    origi-

    nated

    n

    the

    hilly

    andscape

    f

    the

    ron

    Gate

    region

    that

    ts

    enters

    ere

    robably

    ocated

    n

    the

    proximity

    of the

    great

    Danubian

    whirlpools

    whichare

    espe-

    cially

    onvenientor

    primitive

    ishing

    nd

    which,

    o-

    gether

    with

    the

    wooded

    hinterland

    bounding

    n

    game

    and

    wild

    fowl,

    provided

    wo

    practically

    nex-

    haustible

    ources f

    food,

    permitting

    he

    earliest et-

    tlers o

    live

    n

    one

    ocation or

    ong

    periods

    f

    time

    in spiteof their rimitiveconomy;hat t waspre-

    ceded

    by

    the

    great

    ut

    remote

    raditionf

    the

    Upper

    Palaeolithic

    anubian

    ultures

    nd

    that t

    developed

    at

    the

    critical

    tage

    when

    human

    ommunitiesn

    this

    part

    of

    Europe

    were

    bandoning

    he

    economy

    ased

    on

    hunting

    nd

    gathering

    nd

    beginning

    o

    produce

    food first

    hrough

    he

    domesticationf

    animals

    nd

    then

    y

    he

    ultivation

    f the

    oil.

    The

    culturendart

    of

    Strata and II were

    based

    on a

    hunting-fishing

    economy

    nd

    developed

    n

    the

    tmosphere

    f

    a

    kind

    of

    autocratic

    ocial

    order.

    The

    culture

    epresented

    in

    Horizons II

    a

    and III

    b,

    in

    contrast,

    as

    evolved

    by

    farmers

    nd

    stock-breeders,

    n

    a

    community

    ith

    a

    democratic

    organization.

    These momentous

    changesneconomyndsocial elations ere ufficient

    in

    themselveso

    alter

    basically

    he

    old

    culture,

    o

    that t

    s

    not

    necessary

    o

    presuppose

    n

    influx

    f new

    settlers

    r

    the

    presence

    f some

    direct xternal

    n-

    fluences. he

    progress

    made

    in

    the

    economic nd

    social

    spheres

    esultedn

    perceptible

    tagnation

    f

    some

    forms f

    culture,

    rimarily

    n the

    field

    f art

    and n

    religious

    oncepts.

    ecause f all

    this,

    t

    would

    seem

    hat

    he culture

    iscovered

    n

    Strata

    and

    II

    at

    Lepenski

    Vir

    bridges

    he

    gap

    hitherto

    xisting

    e-

    tween

    the

    Mesolithic

    nd

    Early

    Neolithic ultural

    groups

    f

    the

    Danubian

    egion.

    Theauthor asborn nKragujevac,ugoslavian1931.

    He was

    educated t the

    University

    f

    Belgrade

    where

    he

    receivedisdoctorate.e

    is

    now

    Present

    ocent n

    Prehistoric

    rchaeology,

    hilosophical

    aculty

    f

    the

    University

    f

    Belgrade.

    ince

    1955,

    Dr.

    Srejovi

    as

    been he

    principal

    nvestigator

    t

    excavationsf

    a

    num-

    ber f

    prehistoric

    nd

    Classical ites:

    Doclea,

    Municip-

    ium

    S

    (Komini),

    Domavia

    (Sase),

    Donja Brnjica,

    Korbovo,

    juljaci,

    mong

    thers.

    is

    most

    ecent ork

    is

    at

    Lepenski

    ir.

    35

    Thi d l d d f 147 91 1 45 S 25 J 2015 08 03 55 AM

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