Books by Dragan Milanovic
Bubanj, The Eneolithic and the Early Bronze Age Tell in Southeastern Serbia, Mitteilungen der Prähistorischen Kommission 90, 2020
Excavations in the 1930s and 1950s positioned the tell-settlement Bubanj near Niš (Serbia) as a k... more Excavations in the 1930s and 1950s positioned the tell-settlement Bubanj near Niš (Serbia) as a key site in the prehistoric Balkans. This publication presents the results of the recent excavations in the eastern plateau (2008–2014) and guides the reader through important data on the life of prehistoric communities in the Central Balkans and the Morava Region during the Eneolithic and the Bronze Age. The well-known ‘Bubanj-Hum Group’ of the central Balkans is embedded in a broad cultural horizon, which is discussed in this volume in many aspects. Interdisciplinary analyses and interpretations complement the image of everyday life in the region between the mid-5th and the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC.
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Stara iskopavanja na lokalitetu Bubanj-Praistorijsko višeslojno nalazište kod Niša/The Old Excavations at Bubanj Site-Multilayered Prehistoric Site near Nis, 2015
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Papers by Dragan Milanovic
Studia Praehistorica, 2023
The paper analyzed 364 sites from the fifth millennium BC in northwestern Serbia in order to obse... more The paper analyzed 364 sites from the fifth millennium BC in northwestern Serbia in order to observe the process of population fission from the large Late Neolithic settlements and the formation of smaller settlements tightly integrated with one another in the Early Eneolithic. Special attention was paid to the chronology, size, pedology, and topography of the settlements. Lowland-valley microregions were densely populated, while hilly and highland areas were sparsely populated. Larger sites are concentrated in the microregions of Mačva, Posavina, Pocerina and Tamnava, while the smaller ones are distributed across all microregions. The largest and most numerous settlements were oriented towards very fertile soil types and microregions, such as Mačva, while settlements on soils unsuitable for cultivation prevail in the microregions of Rađevina and Azbukovica, which are characterized by hills and mountains, as well as in the most populated microregion of Mačva. Hard-to-reach settlements of dominant elevations (hillfort-Gradina type) in the hilly and mountainous areas and slightly elevated settlements enclosed by ditches in the plain areas (Obrovac type), i.e., the formation of small and very small settlements was viewed from the perspective of the transformation of the Neolithic and the establishment of a new, Eneolithic way of life. The analysis showed the necessity of modern archaeological prospection for a precise positioning of all sites in order to increase the quality of pedological and topographical data, as well as for geomagnetic research and targeted projects in order to evaluate the site areas, human activities in the settlements and to control the chronology by dating as many excavated sites with secure contexts as possible.
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Studia Praehistorica, 2023
The paper analyzed 364 sites from the fifth millennium BC in northwestern Serbia in order to obse... more The paper analyzed 364 sites from the fifth millennium BC in northwestern Serbia in order to observe the process of population fission from the large Late Neolithic settlements and the formation of smaller settlements tightly integrated with one another in the Early Eneolithic. Special attention was paid to the chronology, size, pedology, and topography of the settlements. Lowland-valley microregions were densely populated, while hilly and highland areas were sparsely populated. Larger sites are concentrated in the microregions of Mačva, Posavina, Pocerina and Tamnava, while the smaller ones are distributed across all microregions. The largest and most numerous settlements were oriented towards very fertile soil types and microregions, such as Mačva, while settlements on soils unsuitable for cultivation prevail in the microregions of Rađevina and Azbukovica, which are characterized by hills and mountains, as well as in the most populated microregion of Mačva. Hard-to-reach settlements of dominant elevations (hillfort-Gradina type) in the hilly and mountainous areas and slightly elevated settlements enclosed by ditches in the plain areas (Obrovac type), i.e., the formation of small and very small settlements was viewed from the perspective of the transformation of the Neolithic and the establishment of a new, Eneolithic way of life. The analysis showed the necessity of modern archaeological prospection for a precise positioning of all sites in order to increase the quality of pedological and topographical data, as well as for geomagnetic research and targeted projects in order to evaluate the site areas, human activities in the settlements and to control the chronology by dating as many excavated sites with secure contexts as possible.
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Вестник Московского государственного областного университета. Серия: История и политические науки, 2021
Aim. To elaborate the cultural and chronological context of two eponymous multilayered prehistori... more Aim. To elaborate the cultural and chronological context of two eponymous multilayered prehistoric sites in southeastern Serbia, in order to understand the eneolithisation process in the Central Balkans. Methodology. The research is based on the methods of comparative analyses and synthesis, as well as the interpretation of the existing and fresh data acquired through archaeological excavations at the sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Čuka near Niš. The following factors have been taken under consideration: geographic setting, resources, mutual spatial relations, stratigraphic characteristics, chronology, character of settlements during the Eneolithic, and other relevant data. Results. The presented cultural and chronological contexts of the two researched sites, as well as other contemporary sites, compared to the pattern of the preceding Vinča settlements, indicated the character of changes that have occurred during the mid-5 th millennium BC. Research implications.The results of the research contribute to the perception of transformation processes within the Late Neolithic communities and the process of eneolithisation in the territory of the Central Balkans.
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Communities in Transition: The Circum-Aegean Area in the 5th and 4th Millennia BC , 2018
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Старинар LXIX, 2019
The paper presents the results of research on the regional distribution and geographic setting of... more The paper presents the results of research on the regional distribution and geographic setting of the 5th millennium BCE settlements in the Central Balkans. The research encompasses two successive archaeological cultures in the area between the
Danube Valley and the upper course of the Južna Morava River and compares the regional distribution of the settlements and their topographic and pedological aspects. It has been concluded that the relocation occured on a regional level, meaning the
abandonment or a reduced population of the regions which were densely populated during the Vinča culture. The emphasised dichotomy in the topographic type of the settlements with more or less equally distributed settlements compared to the altitude
and an increased focus on soils unsuitable for cultivation suggest the utilisation of a wider range of local resources and a greater degree of mutual connections between the BSK settlements. The observed trends are interpreted in correlation with the previous
knowledge on economic strategies of the population of the Central Balkans.
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STARINAR, 2021
The importance of salt in human and animal diets suggests that the local resources of saline soil... more The importance of salt in human and animal diets suggests that the local resources of saline soils, watercourses, and marshes with saline water had to be well known to past populations. Based on the analysis of the environs of a large number of Late Neolithic and Early Eneolithic sites, this research assumes the great importance of such resources. This paper examines the spatial relationships between settlements and these resources, in the example of five Late Neolithic settlements from the territories of the Pannonian Plain and the Central Balkans. The goals of the research are to provide an initial step in the reconstruction of potential locations for salt exploitation, and provide a better understanding of each settlement and, subsequently, its role and function in the local Neolithic settlement system. The research considers previously published results of the pedological analysis of the settlement environments and archaeological investigations of the settlements. If certain micro-regions and regions did not provide possibilities for the extraction of salt for both animal and human utilisation, salt, and probably cattle, had to be procured through exchange networks. However, if livestock could not be grazed in areas abundant in salt, then salt would have to be added to the animals' diet. We conclude that Late Neolithic settlements should not be observed in isolation, but rather аs parts of wider settlement systems including exchange networks with salt as a major commodity. This represents one of the crucial factors for the understanding of cultural development during the 5 th millennium BC.
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Archaeologia Bulgarica, 2013
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POTS AS MEDIA: DECORATION, TECHNOLOGY AND MESSAGE TRANSMISSION, 2024
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Starinar, 2011
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Votivna dvokolica iz Staničenja kod Pirota, 2015
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Realizovane su dve kampanje projekta Arheološka prospekcija aleksinačke opštine, koji organizuju ... more Realizovane su dve kampanje projekta Arheološka prospekcija aleksinačke opštine, koji organizuju Arheološki institut u Beogradu i Zavičajni muzej u Aleksincu. Prva kampanja sprovedena je u novembru 2014, a druga tokom marta i aprila 2015. godine. Sprovedeno istraživanje deo je višegodišnjeg programa kojem je cilj prikupljanje podataka o distribuciji površinskog arheološkog materijala koji odražava obrasce naseljavanja donjeg toka Južne Morave tokom svih perioda prošlosti.
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Arheologija u Srbiji, 2019
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Tokom realizacije projekata Arheološkog instituta Arheološka prospekcija Aleksinačke opštine i Ar... more Tokom realizacije projekata Arheološkog instituta Arheološka prospekcija Aleksinačke opštine i Arheološka prospekcija donjeg toka Južne Morave na prostoru od Niša do Ražnja evidentirano je devet lokaliteta iz kasnog neolita. Oni su raspoređeni od juga ka severu duž prve rečne terase Južne Morave na približno ujednačenim međusobnim rastojanjima. U dva slučaja konstatovana su neubičajeno mala rastojanja između naselja, a distribucija površinskih nalaza na dva lokaliteta, koja su prostorno blizu susednim, je sugerisala da je reč o naseljima koja su znatno manja od susednih. Jedan od ta dva slučaja odnosi se na lokalitet Srednje polje u Bradarcu, čija je veličina na osnovu distribucije površinskih nalaza procenjena na 7,5 ha. Stoga su u periodu 2017–2018. godine na tom nalazištu preduzeta geofizička istraživanja sa ciljem da se utvrdi precizna površina i granice naselja sa položajem i rasporedom struktura, kao i eventualne promene u kvalitetu sedimenata, koje bi se mogle dovesti u hrono...
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Arheologija u Srbiji - Projekti Arheološkog instituta u 2018. godini
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Старинар, 2011
Археолошким ископавањима 1954. године и 2008–2010. године на источном делу налазишта Бубањ у Ново... more Археолошким ископавањима 1954. године и 2008–2010. године на источном делу налазишта Бубањ у Новом Селу код Ниша констатовани су остаци насеља Чернавода III културе. Најновијим истраживањима испитане су насеобинске структуре у којима је проналажен археолошки материјал, првенствено керамички, који се на основу технолошких, морфолошких и орнаменталних карактеристика oпредељује керамичком стилу те културе. Поменути слој налази се непосредно испод беличастосиве пепељасте земље и танког слоја компактне земље сиве боје, који потичу из развијених фаза касног енеолита, и изнад раноенеолитских слојева. Досадашња истраживања праисторијског насељавања локалитета Бубањ доказују да су области јужног Поморавља и Понишавља укључене у културни комплекс Чернавода III-Болераз који захвата већи део југоисточне и централне Европе.
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Zbornik, 2009
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Vesnik - Vojni muzej
This Paper presents the remarkable finding of a bronze sword from the vicinity of Aleksinac, the ... more This Paper presents the remarkable finding of a bronze sword from the vicinity of Aleksinac, the so-called Mycenaean-type rapier. Sword has part of the handle, shoulders and upper half of the blade. Cracks and other minor damages are not recent, and the blade is slightly bent. Preserved length: 27,5 cm, blade with: 1,8 cm, handle with: 7,7 cm. Although we can find similarities with pieces from the original Mycenaean territories, it seems that the rapier from Aleksinac is most similar to the swords from the Balkan heartland, particularly with pieces from the Tetovo region, two Iglarevo swords and a few specimens from modern Bulgaria, Albania and Greece. Chronologically, we can place the sword from Aleksinac in Late Helladic IIIA period (1400 BC, Br C2-D). This sword presents evidence for the relationship between the central Balkans region and the Aegean world during this period and confirms the earlier hypothesis about the local workshop for the production of Mycenaean-like weapons.
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Books by Dragan Milanovic
Papers by Dragan Milanovic
Danube Valley and the upper course of the Južna Morava River and compares the regional distribution of the settlements and their topographic and pedological aspects. It has been concluded that the relocation occured on a regional level, meaning the
abandonment or a reduced population of the regions which were densely populated during the Vinča culture. The emphasised dichotomy in the topographic type of the settlements with more or less equally distributed settlements compared to the altitude
and an increased focus on soils unsuitable for cultivation suggest the utilisation of a wider range of local resources and a greater degree of mutual connections between the BSK settlements. The observed trends are interpreted in correlation with the previous
knowledge on economic strategies of the population of the Central Balkans.
Danube Valley and the upper course of the Južna Morava River and compares the regional distribution of the settlements and their topographic and pedological aspects. It has been concluded that the relocation occured on a regional level, meaning the
abandonment or a reduced population of the regions which were densely populated during the Vinča culture. The emphasised dichotomy in the topographic type of the settlements with more or less equally distributed settlements compared to the altitude
and an increased focus on soils unsuitable for cultivation suggest the utilisation of a wider range of local resources and a greater degree of mutual connections between the BSK settlements. The observed trends are interpreted in correlation with the previous
knowledge on economic strategies of the population of the Central Balkans.
Naime, u prvom slučaju reč je o fragmentovanom primerku tzv. mi-kenskog rapira. Mačevi ovog tipa retko se nalaze van matičnog područja mikenskog sveta, a na teritoriji Srbije do sada su registrovana samo dva primerka. Iako je mač oštećen i nepotpun, poseduje sve elemente za hronološko opredeljenje, pa se na osnovu brojnih analogija iz zatvorenih celina može odrediti u period Br C, odnosno u vreme između 1500. i 1350. godine pre n.e. u apsolutnim vrednostima. Ovaj primerak predstavlja pouzdano svedočanstvo o vezama centralnog Balkana i egejskog sveta u ovom periodu.
Drugi mač, takođe fragmentovan, pripada široko rasprostranjenom tipu jezičastih tzv. Rojtlingen ili Nencingen mačeva, ali do sada nepoznatoj varijanti na ovim prostorima, s obzirom na činjenicu da se rupice za oplatu nalaze samo na rukobranu mača, pa se možda može govoriti i o nekom primerku izrađenom u lokalnoj radionici.
Hronološki, mačevi ovog tipa pojavljuju se krajem perioda Br D i sa svojim poznim varijantama traju do Ha B2. Rojtinglen mačevi najčešći su u srpskom Podunavlju, ali se njihova pojava jasno zapaža i u dolini Velike i Južne Morave. Po svemu sudeći, tip Rojtinglen trebalo bi vezati za nosioce Gava kompleksa, imajući u vidu prostor centralnog Balkana i srpskog Podunavlja. U širem kontekstu, primerci ovog tipa nalaze se širom Evrope, a njihov znatan broj registrovan je u Panoniji.
Pomenuti nalazi ukazuju da je uzvišenje bilo korišćeno u starijem gvozdenom dobu, da je u antičkom periodu nasut sloj zemlje radi sahrane pod humkom a da je kasnije nastavljeno korišćenje humke za sahranji-vanje pokojnika u skladu sa hrišćanskom tradicijom. Običaj sahranji-vanja pod humkom i polaganje kočija ukazuje na sahranu osobe visokog društvenog statusa i praktikovanje tračke sepulkralne tradicije u vreme uspostavljanja vladavine Rimske države.