HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

This is a description of
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 ...
sites in
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. The warm, humid climate of the
Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...
which came soon after the ice melting of the last
glacial period A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...
brought changes in
nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
which were reflected in humans, flora and fauna. This climatic stabilization influenced human life and activities; human society is characterized by changes in
community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
organization and the establishment of permanent settlements in dry places, near riverbanks and on fertile plateaus.


History

Neolithic man used stone for weapons, tools and building. The cultural characteristics of the Neolithic are determined by the archaeological documentation. Major changes occurred during the period, including a shift from hunting and gathering to
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
and settlement. Animals were
domesticated Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. A ...
and
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 ...
produced. Humans evolved from nomadic to semi-nomadic life; crop cultivation was the main economic activity, and the land was worked with stone, bone, horn and wooden tools. Women made
clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
,
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 ...
, cared for children, prepared food and domesticated small animals. Most anthropomorphic figurines represent female bodies. The Neolithic economy was based on agriculture, the manufacture of tools, weapons and pottery, domesticating and breeding animal, hunting and fishing. Therefore, settlements were developed near natural resources. Most Neolithic sites in Kosovo feature dwellings built from materials found near the settlements: huts with wooden frames and sticks, coated with soil and mixed with oat chaff, with roofs made from twisted cane and rye chaff. Although archaeologists and academics differ about the exact dates of the Neolithic in the Balkans, it is generally agreed that the period extended from 6500 to 3500 BC. Cave and rock art confirm the use of caves as temporary shelters and places of worship. The primary cult was that of the mother goddess, and Neolithic society was matriarchal.


Settlements


Vlashnjë

The multi-layer settlement of
Vlashnjë Vlashnjë (definite Albanian: ''Vlashnja'', sr, Vlašnja, Влашња) is a village in the Prizren municipality of Kosovo. It has 1,700 inhabitants as of 2011. Vlashnjë is a multi-layered settlement and site area. Archaeological excavations have ...
is located on the flat
plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
of a raised rocky terrace above sea level, on the Pristina-Zhur road about west of
Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...
. The site contains evidence from a number of periods, from the early
Starčevo Starčevo () is a town located in the Pančevo municipality, in the South Banat District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The town has a Serb ethnic majority and its population is 7,473 people ( 2011 census). The ...
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 through the Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages to the
Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
,
Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...
and the
Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
. Materials found at the site include clay pottery and vessel fragments,
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
and bone tools, decorative and utilitarian artifacts and coins. During Late Antiquity, Vlašnja (known as Gradišta of Vlašnja) was fortified with walls typical of
Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
. The fortified area, covering about , was probably used to observe the Via Lissus-Naissus (which bypassed the settlement). Pottery fragments painted with geometric lines, a Starčevo flint knife, and anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines from the sixth millennium BC have been unearthed. A decorated baked-clay pot typical of the Vinča culture (third millennium BC), Bronze Age baked-clay table vessels and a 3.72-gram coin dating to 55 BC have also been found. A rock shelter with painted spirals is about west of the site.


Runik

This site is in the village of
Runik Runik (definite Albanian: ''Runiku'') is a village in the Skenderaj municipality of Kosovo. It is located in the Drenica region and has 1,585 inhabitants as of 2011. The village has a football club, KF Përparimi Runik. Runik is the site of an im ...
in the municipality of
Skenderaj Skenderaj ( sq-definite, Skënderaj or ''Skënderaji'') or Srbica ( sr-Cyrl, Србица) is a town and municipality located in the Mitrovica District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Skënderaj has 9,372 inhabitants, while ...
. It is in the
Drenica Drenica ( al, Drenicë, Drenica, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klin ...
region, about southwest of Mitrovica and northwest of Skenderaj (near the Skenderaj-Istog road). The site, one of the most prominent early Neolithic sites in Kosovo to date, contains artifacts from the Starcevo culture. It was excavated from 1966 to 1968 and again in 1984, and research was conducted in about 35 private parcels in the Dardania neighborhood of Runik. Starcevo and Vinca pottery fragments dating to 6500-3500 BC have been found here. A magnetic survey was conducted at the site in March 2010, and the remains of huts reinforced with wooden joists have been found. Monochrome pottery decorated with red gloss,
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 ...
,
barbotine Barbotine is the French for ceramic slip, or a mixture of clay and water used for moulding or decorating pottery. In English the term is used for three different techniques of decorating pottery, though in all cases mainly for historical works. ...
earthenware and ceramic pottery painted with linear and geometric designs have been found, along with anthropomorphic figurines and cult tables (small altars). Ornamental artifacts include a spiral baked-clay vase tinted with
ocher Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
, painted in dark colors and decorated as the palm of a hand. A significant find is a baked-clay
ocarina The ocarina is a wind musical instrument; it is a type of vessel flute. Variations exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body. It is traditionally made from c ...
in length, known as the Runik Ocarina, the oldest musical instrument found in Kosovo to date.Berisha, p. 17.


References


Bibliography

* Nicholas Marquez Grant, Linda Fibiger. "Kosovo". ''The Routledge Handbook of Archaeological Human Remains and Legislation'', Taylor & Francis, 2011, , * * Luan Përzhita, Kemajl Luci, Gëzim Hoxha, Adem Bunguri, Fatmir Peja, Tomor Kastrati. ''Harta Arkeologjike e Kosovës vëllimi 1/ Archaeological Map of Kosovo vol.1'' Akademia e Shkencave dhe e Arteve e Kosovës, Prishtinë 2006, * Cultural Heritage Without Borders. "An Archaeological Map of the Historic Zone of Prizren", CHwB Kosovo office, Report Series No.2/2006. * Gail Warrander, Verena Knaus. ''Kosovo 2nd ed.'' Bradt Travel Guides, 2011, , * Philip L. Kohl, Clare Fawcett, ''Nationalism, Politics and the Practice of Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press, 1995, ,


External links


Kosovo's Lost City Rises From Earthy Tomb
{{Archaeological sites in Kosovo Archaeological sites in Kosovo