Jovan D . Mitrović | National Museum in Belgrade, Serbia (original) (raw)

Papers by Jovan D . Mitrović

The Mechanism of Power_The Bronze and Iron Ages in Southeastern Europe, 2024

The lavishly decorated bracelets/anklets of the type Juhor are one of the most distinguished Bron... more The lavishly decorated bracelets/anklets of the type Juhor are one of the most distinguished Bronze Age objects of the central Balkans. The core distribution area includes the Morava Valley in Serbia, with other finds spread
between Slovakia, southern Hungary, eastern Croatia, and North Macedonia. From a typological point of view, previous studies identified three main groups: 1) large bracelets in a hollow cast; 2) large, full-casted bracelets;
3) smaller, full-casted bracelets. Based on weight and incised decoration, bracelets of the first two groups were unanimously described as status or prestige objects, worn only on special occasions and by prominent community members. A few of closed contexts, such as the inhumation grave from Iglarevo, the cremation grave from Kopačevo, or the hoards from Trućevac, Kórós, and Bodajk indicate a chronological frame between the 19th/18th and 16th/15th centuries BCE and show that the Juhor type occurs in regions with a different cultural background.
Apart from typological and chronological aspects, the technological background of these outstanding objects in terms of metal composition was less known. This paper will present the first results of archaeometallurgical analyses of 13 bracelets from the collection of the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade and the National Museum in Požarevac. The chemical composition of the objects points to copper alloy with a stable tin ratio between 8 % and 10 %. The copper used to produce bracelets has a geochemical signature (lead isotopes) corresponding to the local deposits in eastern Serbia and the slags from the copper-producing sites in the same area.

A Step into the Past Approaches to Identity, Communications and Material Culture in South-Eastern European Archaeology. Papers dedicated to Petar Popović for his 78th birthday, 2023

During the Early Bronze Age, the region of Syrmia had a very special position in the South Pannon... more During the Early Bronze Age, the region of Syrmia had a very special position in the South
Pannonian territory. Its location at a natural and cultural crossroads of Europe enabled it to play a
historical role and to be important in communications and the trade of various goods of that time, as
indicated by old and new archaeological research. One of the most important settlements of that time was
located on Gradina on Bosut, which is unequivocally documented by the impressive stratigraphic picture
from the fringe of Gradina. The hoard of gold objects, which is presented, analysed and interpreted in
detail within the social manifestations of the Early Bronze Age elite of the Vinkovci cultural community,
is undoubtedly the most significant discovery from that settlement. Together with other prestigious finds
in the region, especially hoards from Orolik and Stari Jankovci, they are considered a symbolic capital
of this exceptional territory, whose owners sovereignly represented themselves as active actors in the
pan-European phenomenon of the first elites and “rulers” of Bronze Age cultures.

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology , 2023

Bird bones were rarely used for production of artifacts, due to various reasons—they were much sm... more Bird bones were rarely used for production of artifacts, due to various reasons—they were much smaller and thinner than bones of mammals usually selected for tool production; they also have specific shapes and fine structure, inadequate for the majority of common artifact types. They were occasionally used for some specific objects, such as flutes, pipes, needle cases, and amulets. When it comes to the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age periods in south-eastern Europe, bird bone artifacts are rare; only few have been discovered thus far. In this paper, we will present one additional finding of a bird bone artifact, from the site of Zók–Gradina, situated in present-day Hungary. Excavations carried out in 1920 by the National Museum in Belgrade revealed a multi-period site, with major parts of the stratigraphic sequence belonging to the Late Eneolithic/Early Bronze Age Vučedol culture (2900–2500/2400 BC). Vučedol layers yielded relatively large quantities of worked bone, including one artifact produced from a bird bone, that will be presented here. The object in question was produced from the right radius of a Cygnus sp.; it is in the shape of an elongated tube; carefully cut at both ends. The function of this item is uncertain—it may have served as some sound-producing instrument (flute), or it was some sort of a handle or needle case. It is interesting to note that bird representations, in particular, ornithomorphic vessels, are among the specific traits of the Vučedol culture; therefore, the choice of a bird bone for the production of this artifact may have had a certain symbolic significance as well.

ГЛАСНИК СРПСКОГ АРХЕОЛОШКОГ ДРУШТВА 38, 2022

PLoS ONE 17(3): e0263823, 2022

In this paper we present the first results of an interdisciplinary research project focused on La... more In this paper we present the first results of an interdisciplinary research project focused on Late Bronze Age metallurgy in the western and central Balkans. The comprehensive chemical and lead isotope analysis, and a strict consideration of archaeological criteria, has provided a deeper insight into supra regional metal exchange networks between the 14 th and 9 th century BC in this part of Europe. Particularly interesting and surprising are results regarding the provenance of raw materials for copper production, which have a chemical composition and lead isotope ratios that closely correspond to ore deposits in the southern Alps (North Italy). Based on the examination of 57 objects of different functions, chronology and distribution, it becomes apparent that copper from the southern Alps was almost an omnipresent raw material in the territories of the western and central Balkans with only a few finds from North Macedonia to indicate alternative sources. The analyses demonstrate that the reuse of fahlore-based copper is attested for the first time in the regions under study. The remarkable fact that other archaeological parameters do not indicate such an intensive connection between the Balkan area and Northern Italy raises a number of questions. The sustained and long-lasting networks of raw material procurement stand in contrast to the expected cultural interaction between metal producing and metal consuming prehistoric societies. The results of this work also highlight the currently underestimated role of the southern Alps as one of the main copper producing areas in Bronze Age Europe, and demonstrate for the first time that the region of western and central Balkans was one of the major recipients.

Materiale şi Cercetări Arheologice XVI (SN), 2020

Figural representations from the Eneolithic period in the southeast Europe are not very common, e... more Figural representations from the Eneolithic period in the southeast Europe are not very common, especially in comparison with the Neolithic period, and they are also seldom discussed in the archaeological literature. In the Early Eneolithic Bubanj-Hum I culture, part of the Bubanj-Sălcuţa-Krivodol cultural complex, anthropomorphic figurines were produced from clay and bone; however, particularly in the central Balkan area they are rarely found. In this paper, we will present a fragmented figurine so far unpublished from the eponymous site of Bubanj. The figurine was discovered in 1956 and is currently stored at the National Museum in Belgrade. We will present its typological and technological traits and we will also discuss the place of this figurine within the wider context of the Early Eneolithic communities in the central Balkan area. Cuvinte-cheie: Eneolitic, cultura Bubanj-Hum I, complexul cultural Bubanj-Sălcuța-Krivodol, figurină antropomorfă
Rezumat: Reprezentările figurative eneolitice sunt relativ puține în sud-estul Europei, mai ales în comparație cu perioada neolitică și sunt rar discutate în literatura de specialitate. Pe durata culturii eneolitice timpurii Bubanj-Hum I, parte a complexului Bubanj-Sălcuța-Krivodol, figurinele antropomorfe erau realizate din lut și os; cu toate acestea, mai ales în zona central balcanică sunt rare. În aces articol vom prezenta o figurină fragmentară, anterior inedită, din situl eponim de la Bubanj. Piesa a fost descoperită în 1956 și este în prezent parte a colecțiilor Muzeului Național din Belgrad. Vom prezenta caracteristicile sale tipologice și tehnologice, discutând în același timp locul ei în contextul mai larg al comunităților eneolitice timpurii din zona central balcanică.

Books by Jovan D . Mitrović

The Mechanism of Power_The Bronze and Iron Ages in Southeastern Europe, 2024

The lavishly decorated bracelets/anklets of the type Juhor are one of the most distinguished Bron... more The lavishly decorated bracelets/anklets of the type Juhor are one of the most distinguished Bronze Age objects of the central Balkans. The core distribution area includes the Morava Valley in Serbia, with other finds spread
between Slovakia, southern Hungary, eastern Croatia, and North Macedonia. From a typological point of view, previous studies identified three main groups: 1) large bracelets in a hollow cast; 2) large, full-casted bracelets;
3) smaller, full-casted bracelets. Based on weight and incised decoration, bracelets of the first two groups were unanimously described as status or prestige objects, worn only on special occasions and by prominent community members. A few of closed contexts, such as the inhumation grave from Iglarevo, the cremation grave from Kopačevo, or the hoards from Trućevac, Kórós, and Bodajk indicate a chronological frame between the 19th/18th and 16th/15th centuries BCE and show that the Juhor type occurs in regions with a different cultural background.
Apart from typological and chronological aspects, the technological background of these outstanding objects in terms of metal composition was less known. This paper will present the first results of archaeometallurgical analyses of 13 bracelets from the collection of the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade and the National Museum in Požarevac. The chemical composition of the objects points to copper alloy with a stable tin ratio between 8 % and 10 %. The copper used to produce bracelets has a geochemical signature (lead isotopes) corresponding to the local deposits in eastern Serbia and the slags from the copper-producing sites in the same area.

A Step into the Past Approaches to Identity, Communications and Material Culture in South-Eastern European Archaeology. Papers dedicated to Petar Popović for his 78th birthday, 2023

During the Early Bronze Age, the region of Syrmia had a very special position in the South Pannon... more During the Early Bronze Age, the region of Syrmia had a very special position in the South
Pannonian territory. Its location at a natural and cultural crossroads of Europe enabled it to play a
historical role and to be important in communications and the trade of various goods of that time, as
indicated by old and new archaeological research. One of the most important settlements of that time was
located on Gradina on Bosut, which is unequivocally documented by the impressive stratigraphic picture
from the fringe of Gradina. The hoard of gold objects, which is presented, analysed and interpreted in
detail within the social manifestations of the Early Bronze Age elite of the Vinkovci cultural community,
is undoubtedly the most significant discovery from that settlement. Together with other prestigious finds
in the region, especially hoards from Orolik and Stari Jankovci, they are considered a symbolic capital
of this exceptional territory, whose owners sovereignly represented themselves as active actors in the
pan-European phenomenon of the first elites and “rulers” of Bronze Age cultures.

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology , 2023

Bird bones were rarely used for production of artifacts, due to various reasons—they were much sm... more Bird bones were rarely used for production of artifacts, due to various reasons—they were much smaller and thinner than bones of mammals usually selected for tool production; they also have specific shapes and fine structure, inadequate for the majority of common artifact types. They were occasionally used for some specific objects, such as flutes, pipes, needle cases, and amulets. When it comes to the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age periods in south-eastern Europe, bird bone artifacts are rare; only few have been discovered thus far. In this paper, we will present one additional finding of a bird bone artifact, from the site of Zók–Gradina, situated in present-day Hungary. Excavations carried out in 1920 by the National Museum in Belgrade revealed a multi-period site, with major parts of the stratigraphic sequence belonging to the Late Eneolithic/Early Bronze Age Vučedol culture (2900–2500/2400 BC). Vučedol layers yielded relatively large quantities of worked bone, including one artifact produced from a bird bone, that will be presented here. The object in question was produced from the right radius of a Cygnus sp.; it is in the shape of an elongated tube; carefully cut at both ends. The function of this item is uncertain—it may have served as some sound-producing instrument (flute), or it was some sort of a handle or needle case. It is interesting to note that bird representations, in particular, ornithomorphic vessels, are among the specific traits of the Vučedol culture; therefore, the choice of a bird bone for the production of this artifact may have had a certain symbolic significance as well.

ГЛАСНИК СРПСКОГ АРХЕОЛОШКОГ ДРУШТВА 38, 2022

PLoS ONE 17(3): e0263823, 2022

In this paper we present the first results of an interdisciplinary research project focused on La... more In this paper we present the first results of an interdisciplinary research project focused on Late Bronze Age metallurgy in the western and central Balkans. The comprehensive chemical and lead isotope analysis, and a strict consideration of archaeological criteria, has provided a deeper insight into supra regional metal exchange networks between the 14 th and 9 th century BC in this part of Europe. Particularly interesting and surprising are results regarding the provenance of raw materials for copper production, which have a chemical composition and lead isotope ratios that closely correspond to ore deposits in the southern Alps (North Italy). Based on the examination of 57 objects of different functions, chronology and distribution, it becomes apparent that copper from the southern Alps was almost an omnipresent raw material in the territories of the western and central Balkans with only a few finds from North Macedonia to indicate alternative sources. The analyses demonstrate that the reuse of fahlore-based copper is attested for the first time in the regions under study. The remarkable fact that other archaeological parameters do not indicate such an intensive connection between the Balkan area and Northern Italy raises a number of questions. The sustained and long-lasting networks of raw material procurement stand in contrast to the expected cultural interaction between metal producing and metal consuming prehistoric societies. The results of this work also highlight the currently underestimated role of the southern Alps as one of the main copper producing areas in Bronze Age Europe, and demonstrate for the first time that the region of western and central Balkans was one of the major recipients.

Materiale şi Cercetări Arheologice XVI (SN), 2020

Figural representations from the Eneolithic period in the southeast Europe are not very common, e... more Figural representations from the Eneolithic period in the southeast Europe are not very common, especially in comparison with the Neolithic period, and they are also seldom discussed in the archaeological literature. In the Early Eneolithic Bubanj-Hum I culture, part of the Bubanj-Sălcuţa-Krivodol cultural complex, anthropomorphic figurines were produced from clay and bone; however, particularly in the central Balkan area they are rarely found. In this paper, we will present a fragmented figurine so far unpublished from the eponymous site of Bubanj. The figurine was discovered in 1956 and is currently stored at the National Museum in Belgrade. We will present its typological and technological traits and we will also discuss the place of this figurine within the wider context of the Early Eneolithic communities in the central Balkan area. Cuvinte-cheie: Eneolitic, cultura Bubanj-Hum I, complexul cultural Bubanj-Sălcuța-Krivodol, figurină antropomorfă
Rezumat: Reprezentările figurative eneolitice sunt relativ puține în sud-estul Europei, mai ales în comparație cu perioada neolitică și sunt rar discutate în literatura de specialitate. Pe durata culturii eneolitice timpurii Bubanj-Hum I, parte a complexului Bubanj-Sălcuța-Krivodol, figurinele antropomorfe erau realizate din lut și os; cu toate acestea, mai ales în zona central balcanică sunt rare. În aces articol vom prezenta o figurină fragmentară, anterior inedită, din situl eponim de la Bubanj. Piesa a fost descoperită în 1956 și este în prezent parte a colecțiilor Muzeului Național din Belgrad. Vom prezenta caracteristicile sale tipologice și tehnologice, discutând în același timp locul ei în contextul mai larg al comunităților eneolitice timpurii din zona central balcanică.

by Vesna Vuckovic, Vojislav Filipovic, Roberto Risch, Jovan D . Mitrović, Vojislav Djordjević, Vajk Szeverényi, Carlos Velasco Felipe, Katarina Dmitrovic, Marija Ljustina, Carla Garrido García, Eva Celdrán Beltrán, János Dani, Gucsi László, Viktória Kiss, Petar Milojević, aleksandar bulatovic, Gabriella Kulcsar, María Inés F Fregeiro Morador, and D. Gómez-gras

Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER project, 2021

Introduction The proceedings before us, comprised of seven papers, are inspired by the subjec... more Introduction

The proceedings before us, comprised of seven papers, are inspired by the subject of the almost completed CRAFTER programme Creative Europe project. The full title of the project is Crafting Europe in the Bronze Age and Today, and in brief, the idea was to draw inspiration from Europe’s Bronze Age pottery to help revive modern-day artisanship. The project targets the appreciation of Europe's cultural heritage as a shared resource and the reinforcement of a sense of belonging to a common European space. In particular, it hopes to make cultural heritage a source of inspiration for contemporary creation and innovation and strengthen the interaction between this sector and other cultural and creative sectors. The main framework of the project was the idea that four potters from Spain, Germany, Hungary, and Serbia will draw on their skills to (re)create ceramic vessels representative of some of the most outstanding Bronze Age cultures of Europe: El Argar (southeast Spain), Únětice (Central Europe), Füzesabony (eastern Hungary) and Vatin (Serbia).
The papers published within these proceedings are not strictly related to the project itself, but the problems of Bronze Age pottery in Europe in general. The problems discussed in the presented papers and the inspirations are drawn from the CRAFTER project. The original idea was to delve into the content of the pottery and define its composition and quality. These are, in fact, the elements responsible for the final appearance of the ceramic vessel and its function. Considering that out of four editors, two have presented papers within the proceedings, I have been honoured to write this short introduction on their significance and essence. The thread that connects all of the papers, although their concepts do not seem similar at the first glance, since some of the papers are dwelling on interdisciplinarity while others deal with certain chronological and cultural-historical problems, is that the primary analytical material in all of the papers is Bronze Age pottery, from beyond the Pyrenees, across Central Europe, to the Balkans, which is not unexpected considering that a Serbian institution was credited for publishing. The positive aspect is that the pottery is Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER project discussed in a manner uncommon for archaeology, while on the other hand pottery studies have been more and more neglected in the past few decades, as such subjects are considered as passé in archaeology. The ever-rising number of specializations and specialists have pushed the pottery and potters into an undeserved corner, even though without such a set of analytic work the past can not be completely and adequately perceived.
The pottery is “slow-moving”. It changes, circulates, and exchanges at a slow pace and it enables the perception of the beginning, development, decadence, and the end of a certain society. The pottery has regional character and reflects the primary contacts, the esthetics of a community, and the inspiration of the artist. Certainly, this implies to prehistoric pottery and communities which do not function within centralized social systems, such as the Bronze Age beyond Mediterranean Europe, which is indeed in the focus of these proceedings. With the appearance of the potter’s wheel, the production and distribution of pottery merge with industry and economy, and at that moment a puzzle of a small man from the past loses a piece. A piece without which we are unable to perceive small communities through such an important, fruitful, and data-rich object such as pottery and which we often tend to neglect as a discipline. In order to identify the contacts, exchange, and trade or reconstruct the communication routes in past, we often reach to the so-called luxurious artifacts: metals, amber, glass, and artisan objects… Likewise, pottery could narrate a story of one meal, one house, one potter, one village, or one community in the past, which is, like it or not, a fact that will make the interdisciplinary and diverse analyses of prehistoric pottery one of the primary archaeological methods.

Vojislav Filipović
Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade

by Miroslav Razum, Ivica Pleština, Gábor Kalla, Marius Bâsceanu, Neda Mirković-Marić, Martina Celhar, Sonja Kacar, Ina Miloglav, Nedko Elenski, Alexandra Comsa, Zrinka Premužić, Carmen Cuenca-García, Ivan Vranic, Damjan Donev, Vasilka Dimitrovska, Lujana Paraman, Petya Georgieva, Tzvetana Popova, Lilian Dogiama, Dragan Jovanovic, Seta Štuhec, Ana Đuričić, Catherine COMMENGE, Lidija Kovacheva, Jan Zachar, Snježana Vrdoljak ex Karavanić, Katalin Sebők, Marta Rakvin, Alexandra Anders, Roxana Munteanu, Iharka Szücs-Csillik, Gianluca Cantoro, Nataša Miladinović-Radmilović, Maja Kuzmanovic, Marina Vladimirova, and Jovan D . Mitrović

Settlements, Culture and Population Dynamics in Balkan Prehistory - ABSTRACTS OF THE ORAL AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS, Mar 9, 2015

HAEMUS - Center for Scientific Research and Promotion of Culture http://haemus.org.mk Settlemen... more HAEMUS - Center for Scientific Research and Promotion of Culture
http://haemus.org.mk
Settlements, Culture and Population Dynamics in Balkan Prehistory
International Conference
13-14.03.2015
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
ABSTRACTS OF THE ORAL AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS

General Editor: Vasilka Dimitrovska
Cover Design: Vasilka Dimitrovska, Elka Anastasova
Design: Elka Anastasova
Editing and English proofreading: Mark Branov

by Jacqueline Balen, Katarina Botić, Lea Čataj, Ana Đukić, Eszter Fejér, András Füzesi, Gergely Gortva, Ferenc Horváth, Tomislav Hršak, János Jakucs, Hrvoje Kalafatić, Viktória Kiss, Marijana Krmpotic, Péter Mali, Tibor Marton, Jovan D . Mitrović, Krisztián Oross, Danimirka Podunavac, Dragana Rajković, Bartul Šiljeg, Kata Furholt (Szilágyi), and Selena Vitezović

Conference: At the Gates of the Balkans - Prehistoric communities of the Baranya / Baranja region and the adjacent areasAt: Pécs, Hungary, 2017

The site of Zók is an important multi-layered prehistoric site in the Baranya region. The remains... more The site of Zók is an important multi-layered prehistoric site in the Baranya region. The remains from Eneolithic Lasinja - Balaton culture, Late Eneolithic Baden culture and Early Bronze Age Vučedol - Zók and Somogyvár - Vinkovci Culture were discovered. First excavations on a relatively large area were carried out in 1920 by Đ. Karapandžić and the National museum in Belgrade and were never published in detail. Now, almost 100 years after the excavations, the revision and the scientific analyses of the rich portable material from ceramic, stone and bone, kept today in the National museum, provided new important information on the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age in the region.

Vučković, V.; Vojislav Filipović, V.; Stojanović, B.; Risch, R. 2021, Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER projectPublisher: Regional museum of Paraćin (Serbia), pp. 71-99., 2021

Vatin pottery is a symbol of Vatin society (2000 – 1500 cal BCE), which can be regarded as a high... more Vatin pottery is a symbol of Vatin society (2000 – 1500 cal BCE), which can be regarded as a highly rated work of art due to its quality, shapes and decorations. So far, it was mainly approached by archaeology from a chronological and cultural perspective, while an examination of a technology is still missing. In this study, the first results of a petrographical analysis of the clays used by Vatin potters are presented. Five pots from the settlements of Zlatica, near the modern village of Omoljica, and another five from Najeva Ciglana, near the town of Pančevo, both located on the northern side of the Danube, near Belgrade, have been studied in terms of temper and clay composition. The petrographic analyses show that clays were prepared in slightly different ways in each settlement, but that all shapes, including coarse as well as fi ne ware vessels, were manufactured with fine-grained non-carbonate clays of local origin.

Journal of Archaeologial Science, 2021

The Balkan Peninsula played a crucial role for the introduction of metallurgy during the Copper A... more The Balkan Peninsula played a crucial role for the introduction of metallurgy during the Copper Age and numerous archaeometallurgical examinations have delivered highly interesting insights on this topic. However, there is a lack of systematic analytical research on copper ore smelting and metal exchange for the later Bronze Age. In this paper we focus on the first archaeometallurgical results of slags from the sites Ružana, Trnjane and Čoka Njica, Eastern Serbia, complimented by the discussion of XRF and lead isotope analyses carried out on 28 copper-based artefacts. Importantly, radiocarbon dating from these sites points to copper production already being undertaken at the end of the Early Bronze Age (19th–18th centuries BC), more than 500 years earlier than previously assumed. This enables us to investigate the flow of metal during the 1st half of the 2nd millennium BC. The analyses of the metallurgical slags indicate a copper matte smelting process in small open pit furnaces and the use of local sulfidic copper ore sources. The fact that these intensive smelting activities in Eastern Serbia can be paralleled with the early production hotspots in central Europe e.g. on the Hochkönig (Mitterberg mining areas) sheds new light on the development of copper based metallurgy in Europe. At the same time, the evidence from Eastern Serbia shows that this area was a source of raw material for copper and bronze alloys providing a regional and supra-regional perspective. Furthermore, our analyses revealed the remarkable result, that by the start of the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1700 BC) copper from the Northern Italian mining areas in the Trentino region also reached the western and central Balkans:
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................!!THE XRF and lead isotope data is added at the end of the article!!