A New Bronze Age Mega-fort in Southeastern Europe: Recent Archaeological Investigations at Gradište Iđoš and their Regional Significance

The Late Bronze Age fortification of Gradište Idjoš in its regional context

Commanding a position near the edge of a loess plateau in the southern reaches of the central Carpathian Basin, the site of Gradište Idjoš (variously called Gradište kod Kikinde, Gradište near Idjoš or Idjoš Gradište in literature) in Serbian Banat is a major fortified site of the Later Bronze Age. Our investigations are refining its chronology, though the major phase of settlement appears to belong to c. 15th to 9th century BC, with a possible gap from the 11th to the 10th century BC. Clearly visible in historic maps of the area and in early aerial photographs (Fig. 1), the central fortification consists of a sub-circular rampart probably surrounded by a fosse and up to three other curvilinear ditches at progressively farther distances, all evident from a geophysical survey and aerial imagery. We will begin with a brief overview of the landscape setting of the site, followed by a description of the history of research. We then present an overview of the results of our geophysical survey and excavations at the site in 2014 and 2015, leading up to a preliminary discussion of the ceramics to demonstrate the chronology of the occupation. We conclude with a discussion of the social environment of the site in the Bronze Age, set within the landscape of the »mega-forts« within and bordering the geographical and historical region of Banat (an area now shared by Hungary, Romania and Serbia).

The Early History of War and Conflict. Edited by Svend Hansen and Rüdiger Krause, 2022

It is widely recognised that the Carpathian Basin was an important region of cultural innovation in the Late Bronze Age, yet in its south-east quadrant, our knowledge of where and how people were living remains fragmentary. This paper presents new research into settlement archaeology in that region by providing data on a newly discovered network of enclosed sites close to the River Tisza and River Danube in the Banat region of Serbia. It is apparent that well-resourced, socially complex and closely linked communities were living there. We further argue that communities extended beyond the site-specific and may have possessed regional-scale configurations in terms of their organisation and structure. It is shown that many exhibit defined features arising from intentional planning/design. Finally, we present preliminary thoughts on how these densely spaced sites may relate to each other organisationally and consider the role of built enclosures in these societies.

26th EAA Virtual Annual Meeting, 2020

Molloy, Barry (University College Dublin); Jovanovic, Dragan (City Museum Vrsac); Bruyere, Caroline (University College Dublin); Birclin, Miroslav (National Museum at Pancevo); Estanqueiro, Marta (University College Dublin); Milasinovic, Lidija (National Museum at Kikinda); Salamon, Aleksandar (National Museum at Zrenjanin)_________________________________________________________________________________________________________Until recently, knowledge of settlement design and pattern in the south-eastern Carpathian Basin during the Late Bronze Age has primarily arisen from microregional studies. The excavation of several large enclosed sites, coined mega-forts, in the last decade has begun to provide better information on aspects of social organization. However, limited progress has been made on understanding the ties that link these individual sites in their landscape and societal contexts. Radiocarbon dating programs at some of these sites indicate that we can speak of a horizon of mega-forts which emerged in the late 15th century BC, after the abandonment of tells, and continued to be occupied into the 13th century BC. The chronology and character of their abandonment remains unclear. With more than 10 now known, the rise of these forts is associated with the development of smaller but related settlement forms and the spread of channel-decorated pottery throughout the region. Though diversity of settlement and pottery style remains, it is argued that similarities increased in the south-eastern Carpathian basin at this time. Using Google Earth survey and ground-truthing for prospection, we have identified new sites in a network now totalling more than 40 settlements. These are set back from major rivers that would have facilitated inward and outward diffusion of ideas and materials. We argue for intentional design in the construction of sites, indicative of premeditated and coordinated planning. It is particularly noteworthy that many factors indicate that competition was probably subordinated to cooperation at an intra-site level. Commanding riverine communication networks and sharing common purpose, we believe these sites constituted a significant socio-political block or blocks. All this, we argue, is evidence for complex social relationships that extend beyond specific settlements and represent a collective regional social organization that exercised control at a landscape rather than settlement level.

The archaeological site of Gradište near Iđoš, in the municipality of Kikinda, Serbia, is well known in the archaeological literature of the region. Excavated on several occasions since 1913, the site is best known for the existence of a late Neolithic settlement where material culture belonging to both Vinča and Tisza communities was found in the same archaeological contexts. Furthermore, the site is known for a 250 metre diameter fortified settlement from the Late Bronze/Early Iron Age period. А new research cycle was initiated in 2014 in order to explain cultural processes during prehistory in this part of the Pannonian basin. The first season of the new research campaign was focused on geophysical prospection of an area of approximately 2 hectares, geological coring and excavation of four stratigraphic trenches across the site. This work has confirmed the existence of up to 2.5 metres of archaeological remains on the tell site with several daub structures detected and the existence of numerous archaeological features within the Late Bronze - Iron Age settlement.

Studien zur Archäologie in Ostmitteleuropa/ Studia nad Pradziejami Europy Środkowej, 2016

This volume is yet another publication in the Studien zur Archäologie in Ostmitteleuropa/ Studia nad Pradziejami Europy Środkowej series. It is based on the author’s doctoral dissertation concerning defensive settlements in Central Europe. The latter is one of the major focus areas in the archaeology of the period around 2000 BCE, encompassing numerous issues relating to the key phenomena of the Early Bronze age, such as social stratification, trade and exchange, warfare and metal production. At the same time, the book contributes to the broader discussion on Bronze Age defensive settlements presented as part of the SAO/SPEŚ series, supplementing general studies (volume 5), aspectual monographs (volume 9) and the findings from research conducted at the site in Bruszczewo (volumes 2, 13 and 14). This publication offers a comparative study of four areas in Central Europe: the Alpine region, south-western Wielkopolska, the Middle Danube Basin and Upper Tisza Basin, outlining a comprehensive panorama of the phenomenon and demonstrating regional variations. The author delivers a well-ordered disquisition concerning chief aspects of the functioning of settlements in the aforesaid cultural- -geographical regions, supported by abundant data. Given the shortage of monographic studies on the addressed issue, this book constitutes a significant building block in our knowledge about Bronze Age settlement forms, and compellingly suggests future directions of research.