Kraku Lu Jordan ( , Romanian: Cracul lui Iordan) is archeological site in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. It is situated at the confluence of the Brodica river into Pek, near

Kučevo Kučevo ( sr-cyr, Кучево, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the Braničevo District of the Southern and Eastern Serbia, eastern Serbia. In 2022, the population of the town was 3,313, while the population of the municipality was 11,80 ...

. Represents the most explored metallurgical center in eastern Serbia. The metallurgic occupation of the site lasted for about 100 years, beginning around 280 AD and ending in 380 AD. Kraku Lu Jordan is precisely dated by discovered coins from

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

time. This metallurgical complex was then destroyed in a fire in the late 4th century. Archaeological excavations began in 1971, and with few interruptions, lasted until 1987. In 1983, Kraku Lu Jordan was added to the Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance list, protected by

Republic of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Location and Layout

Kraku Lu Jordan is located on the southern slope of a hill, where on the slope a metallurgical plant is set with an internal arrangement for its purpose of processing

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) 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 pinkish-orang ...

and

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

. It was a fortified establishment that to the east side had a wall that is 2 m of width, in contrast to the northern side, which is extremely rugged and inaccessible, where the wall is slightly narrower. The gate was located in the lower part. On the northwestern side remains of a tower has been discovered which had the function of one of the metallurgical facilities. Slope on which the building is located was divided into several longitudinal walls horizons. The work of Bartel, Kondić, and Werner revealed a number of areas with metallurgical furnaces, facilities for the preparation of ember as well as other areas of personal life needs of metallurgists and miners. The site contains six main features: the northern wall, the western furnace room, the southern ‘utility’ room, the southern furnace room, the southern stairway, and the southern ‘office’ room.

Remains

Of material culture, tools, mining lamps, large vessels for burning ore, watermill wheels and more have been found. In the years 1973–76, ceramics found consisted of 37

Early Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

sherds and 6,215 Roman Era sherds. Of the Roman era pottery, 95% was local, one piece was truly Roman, and 5% probably came from neighboring

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...

. Most of the ceramics are simply decorated and some were coated in yellow-white powder which indicates they contained chemicals for

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the ...

. 200 metal artifacts were found, most iron and utilitarian in nature. Other objects include glass, lithics, and animals bones. Bartel, Kondić, and Werner concluded that the complex was relatively independent of Roman influence and more related to the activities of indigenous people in the area, because of the style and volume of

material culture Material culture is culture manifested by the Artifact (archaeology), physical objects and architecture of a society. The term is primarily used in archaeology and anthropology, but is also of interest to sociology, geography and history. The fie ...

.Bartel, Brad, Vladimir Kondić, and Michael R. Werner. 1979 Excavations at Kraku'lu Yordan, Northeast Serbia: Preliminary Report, 1973-76 Seasons. Journal of Field Archaeology. 6(2):127-149.

References

External links

Kraku Lu Jordan
{{coord, 44, 29, 14, N, 21, 48, 41, E, region:RS_type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Roman sites in Serbia Populated places established in the 3rd century Moesia Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance Braničevo District

Location and Layout

Remains

See also

References

External links