New finds from the prehistoric sites in the surrounding of Leskovac

Abstract

New finds, mainly pottery, provide a more complete picture of cultural development in the Leskovac region, during the prehistoric period (localities Kale in Grdelica, Jeremište in Lipovica, Pusto Semče in Semče Sastanci in Bobište, Hisar-plateau in Leskovac, Gornji Guberevac and Grkinje). The pottery from the Aeneolithic period at the site Sastanci in Bobište, indicate that the Leskovac valley developed in the same way during the Copper Age as the nearby Niš valley. This site, for the time being, is the most southerly in the Morava valley where the Kostolac pottery can be found. It is characteristic that at every newly discovered Metal Age site in this region, pottery of the Vatin type, numerous and varied pottery of the Brnjica culture group, pottery of the phase Lanište II - Basarabi, as well as Greek type pottery and that of the Early Iron Age, is found. Among the pottery which is published in this study (Grdelica and Semče), the most typical autochthon pottery of Iron Age III from the Morava valley, east Serbia and the Serbian Danube valley, downstream from Novi Sad, is also included. New locations of the Brnjica cultural group in the Leskovac valley point to the population density in one of the regions of this community and its territorial organization. On the bases of number disposition and topography of the localities it is possible to presume not only the size of population, but its territorial organization as well. Namely, it is obvious that the people of the Brnjica cultural group based their defense on elevated settlements, like those on the plateaus of Hisar in Leskovac, Skobaljić Grad in Vučje, Kale in Grdelica, Pusto Semče in Semče and other similar sites, while the settlements like those in Bobište Lipovac, Gornji Grabovac and others in the valley, had an obvious agricultural character. Numerous sites in Gornja Jablanica, near one of the biggest mines of gold and other metals in the Lece area, where slag has been found, point to the mining component in the economy. An iron object in the shape of a big decorative needle, amorphous iron finds and traces of metallurgy on the slope of Hisar indicate that metallurgy of iron and bronze had an important place in the economy of the Brnjica community. In this area there are no finds of the Kalakača horizon (the most southerly in the Morava valley are those from the Niš valley) from the early phase of the Iron Age. There are also not many finds of the phase Lanište I. On the contrary, at nearly every registered site of the Metal Age, quite a large quantity of pottery from the phase Lanište II - Basarabi, has been found. There are also numerous sites where pottery of the Greek type has been found. There is a similar situation in the neighboring Niš valley. More to the north, in the lower part of the South Morava and in the basin of the Great Morava, such finds are not numerous. Very valuable finds from this region is the pottery which is decorated as that characteristic of the Great Morava basin, Serbian Danube valley, downstream from Novi Sad and Braničevo in the period 6th-4th century BC. It indicates the possibility that this territory was held by Tribali, at the beginning of Iron Age III. And pottery finds, that are characteristic for Scordisci, on nearly every multi layer site, prove that, until the arrival of the Romans, the Leskovac Valley had been inhabited by members of this community.