Kakanj culture was an
early 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 parts ...
culture that appeared in
Central Bosnia
Central Bosnia (, ) is a central subregion of Bosnia, which consists of a core mountainous area with several basins, valleys and mountains. It is bordered by Bosnian Krajina to the northwest, Tropolje ( Livno area) to the west, Herzegovina to t ...
and covered periods dated from 6230–5990 to 5300–4900 BC.
History
Central Bosnia and areas in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
,
Visoko
Visoko ( sr-cyrl, Високо, ) is a city located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality had a population of 39,938 inhabitants with 11,205 livi ...
, and
Zenica
Zenica ( ; ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. Th ...
basins were some of the main areas of different prehistoric populations, especially along the shores of the
Bosna river. Central Bosnia was already populated by other cultures, like the
Starčevo and
Cardium pottery
Cardium pottery or Cardial ware is a Neolithic decorative style that gets its name from the imprinting of the clay with the heart-shaped shell of the '' Corculum cardissa '', a member of the cockle family Cardiidae. These forms of pottery a ...
. These formed the basis for the creation of a unique culture that is known as the Kakanj culture, as the first findings were at a site called Obre, near the town of
Kakanj
Kakanj ( sr-cyrl, Какањ) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 11,796 inhabitants, with 38,937 inh ...
.
Maria Gimbutas regarded the Kakanj culture as a local variant of the Starčevo, with elements of the
Danilo
Danilo is a given name found in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbian.
Notable people with the name Danilo include:
Athletes Footballers
* Danilo (footballer, born 1979), Brazilian footballer Danilo de Andrade
* Danilo (footballer, born 19 ...
group.
Other known locations of this culture are sited at:
Kakanj
Kakanj ( sr-cyrl, Какањ) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 11,796 inhabitants, with 38,937 inh ...
– Plandište, Papratnica; Visoko –
Arnautovići
Arnautovići is a village in the municipality of Visoko
Visoko ( sr-cyrl, Високо, ) is a city located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipali ...
,
Okolište, and Tuk near
Zavidovići
Zavidovići ( sr-cyrl, Завидовићи) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located be ...
. The Kakanj culture had strong influence on the development of the
Butmir culture.
Settlements and artefacts
Excavated settlements were not uniform. Site in Obre included rectangular houses with 1 or 2 rooms, foundations made of stone and clay loam walls. Stone tools are predominant, especially molded
hatchet
A hatchet (from the Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be use ...
s. Tools like spatulas and needles were made out of
bones
A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...
.
Pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
is versatile, coarse, and monochrome. The surface of the monochrome ceramics is well polished, as is in Butmir culture. The shapes include vessels with tall hollow conical stems, alongside bowls with thicker rims and 4-foot
rhyton
A rhyton (plural rhytons or, following the Greek plural, rhyta) is a roughly conical container from which fluids were intended to be drunk or to be poured in some ceremony such as libation, or merely at table. A rhyton is typically formed in t ...
s.
Plastic is poorly represented.
See also
*
Butmir culture
*
Early history of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Within the boundaries of today's Bosnia and Herzegovina, there have been many layers of prehistoric cultures whose creation and disappearance are linked to migrations of unidentified ethnic groups.
Prehistory
The Paleolithic in Bosnia is marked ...
References
External links
Neolithic of Middle East and Southeastern Europe(in Bosnian)
Analysis of prehistoric ceramics at Donja Papratnica and Zagrebnice near Kakanj(in Bosnian)
Obre encyclopedia.com
Pictures of artefacts found at PlandišteNew radiocarbon dates for the Neolithic period in Bosnia & Herzegovina{{Neolithic Europe
Kakanj
Archaeological cultures of Southeastern Europe
Archaeological cultures in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Neolithic cultures of Europe