Draga Garašanin ( sr, Драга Гарашанин 1921–1997) was a Serbian archaeologist who studied the

Copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

of eastern Europe. She became one of the leading prehistorians of

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, later Serbia, after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and with her husband produced the first map of archaeological sites in Serbia.

Early life

Draga Arandelović was born on 6 April 1921 in Paris and obtained her education in Belgrade, which was interrupted by World War II. In 1946 she completed her studies on philology and classic archaeology. She married , also an archaeologist and academic and the couple subsequently had three daughters, Julija, Sofija and Olivera. Though they studied with

Miloje Vasić Miloje Vasić ( sr-Cyrl, Милоје Васић; 16 September 1869 – 4 November 1956) was a Serbian archaeologist, regarded as one of the most distinguished representatives of the humanistic studies in Serbia.Inscription below his picture in ...

, the Garašanins did not agree with his theories and decided to further their studies with at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students. History Beginnings Although certain ...

where they entered in 1950. Arandelović-Garašanin graduated with her doctorate in 1953, presenting her thesis ''Starčevačka kultura''. The work examined the

Starčevo culture The Starčevo culture is an archaeological culture of Southeastern Europe, dating to the Neolithic period between ''c.'' 6200 and 4500 BCE. It originates in the spread of the Neolithic package of peoples and technological innovations including fa ...

and became an important text for the study of this prehistoric ethnic group.

Career

Arandelović-Garašanin worked as a volunteer of the Museum of Prince Paul, which would become the National Museum, beginning in 1942, classifying material from several pre-war excavations. She then briefly worked at the Museum of the City of Belgrade as the

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

before returning to oversee the National Museum in 1950. In 1951, she and her husband published a gazetteer mapping the archaeological sites in Serbia, ''Arheološka nalazišta u Srbiji'', which was the first effort of its kind in the country. Her publication ''Katalog metala'' (1954) became a staple, which catalogued metals used in

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

jewelry in the region. Arandelović-Garašanin led excavations on numerous important prehistoric sites in Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro, which included Anzabegovo, Bela Crkva, Kriva Reka, Radanja near

Štip Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2002 census, the city ...

, Supska and

Žarkovo Žarkovo ( sr-cyr, Жарково, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Čukarica. Location and divisions Žarkovo (Greater Žarkovo) is one of the most populous single neighborhoods of ...

. She spent two decades studying Dacian

necropoli A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...

south of the Danube. In addition to her fieldwork, Arandelović-Garašanin arranged the collections and identification of the finds at the National Museum, as well as organizing exhibitions featuring the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

of the Central Balkans, including the Dacian and Illyrian people from the area. Her exhibits on the

in Serbia toured from the National Museum to Denmark, England and Romania. From 1950 through the 1960s, Arandelović-Garašanin and her husband examined new theories on the chronological prehistory of Serbia, based on the methodology of Gero von Merhart and , of the German school of thought, The couple became the leading prehistorians after World War II in Serbia with their collaborations on the Starčevo culture and

Vinča culture The Vinča culture (), also known as Turdaș culture or Turdaș–Vinča culture, is a Neolithic archaeological culture of Southeast Europe, dated to the period 5700–4500 BC or 5300–4700/4500 BC.. Named for its type site, Vinča-Belo Brdo, ...

s becoming foundational works. Arandelović-Garašanin retired from the museum in 1979. She died on 12 October 1997 in Belgrade,

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garasanin, Draga 1921 births 1997 deaths Serbian women archaeologists Serbian archaeologists University of Ljubljana alumni Yugoslav archaeologists 20th-century archaeologists Yugoslav expatriates in France