Lepenski vir (na engleskom)

HOW PEOPLE ONCE LIVED PREHISTORY

LEPENSKI VIR. Settlement of the Danube Fishermen Discover how life in the Danube Gorges looked in the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods!

Find out: ♦ What was caught in the whirlpools of the Danube ♦ What trapezoidal structures were used for ♦ What Balkan flint is ♦ The role fish-like sculptures had ♦ How clothes were decorated ♦ The importance of deer antlers

Dušan Borić Dušan Borić ♦ LEPENSKI VIR. SETTLEMENT OF THE DANUBE FISHERMEN

HOW PEOPLE ONCE LIVED edition describes everyday lives of people from the central Balkans from prehistoric times to modern day.

Texts by renowned experts, lavish illustrations, treasures from museums’ collections and archives, but also results of archaeological studies, will unveil an exciting past, full of new and unknown details.

LEPENSKI VIR SETTLEMENT OF THE DANUBE FISHERMEN

50 years

since the discovery of Lepenski Vir

CONTENTS

Timeline

The Danube Gorges and Valleys 2

Mystery of the Trapezoidal Buildings 8 Balkan Flint 12 Bone Industry 14 Prehistoric Graffiti 16 Tall and Healthy 18 Exotic Beads 20 Clothing 22 Deer Symbolism 23 The Mysterious Boulders and Beliefs 24 Neolithic Novelties 28 Index 32 Timeline

Publisher KREATIVNI CENTAR 8 Gradištanska, Belgrade Phone: +381 11 38 20 464, +381 11 38 20 483, +381 11 24 40 659 www.kreativnicentar.rs • info@kreativnicentar.rs

Author Dr. Dušan Borić

Editor Milena Trutin

Print Klik Print Copies 500 Copyright © Kreativni centar 2015 CIP - Каталогизација у публикацији Народна библиотека Србије, Београд 903(497.11)(02.053.2) BORIĆ, Dušan, 1973 Lepenski Vir : settlement of the Danube Fisherman / Dušan Borić ; [ilustrator Dušan Pavlić ; translator Ana Brdar].

- Belgrade : Kreativni centar, 2015 (Beograd : Klik Print). - 32 стр. : илустр. ; 23 cm. - (How People once lived) Тираж 500. - Timeline: стр. [33]. - Prevod dela: Лепенски Вир : насеље дунавских риболоваца. - Registar.

ISBN 978-86-529-0244-6

HOW PEOPLE ONCE LIVED PREHISTORY

Early Mesolithic Approximately 9,600–8,300 BC First open-air settlements in the Danube Gorges, first traces of burials

Illustrator Dušan Pavlić

Prepress Nebojša Mitić

a) Лепенски Вир COBISS.SR-ID 217286412

Approximately 39,000 BC First caves inhabited by modern humans in the Danube Gorges

Approximately 9,600–6,200 BC Beginnings of warmer climate, Holocene fishermen, hunters and gatherers

LEPENSKI VIR SETTLEMENT OF THE DANUBE FISHERMEN

Translator Ana Brdar

41,000–9,600 BC Pleistocene hunters and gatherers

♦ Mesolithic

Edition HOW PEOPLE ONCE LIVED Prehistory

Design Dušan Pavlić

♦ Upper Palaeolithic – Old Stone Age

Approximately 14,000–9,600 BC End of ice age and first human skeletal remains in the Danube Gorges

Director Ljiljana Marinković

Holocene

First Hearths and Settlements 6

Pleistocene

Fishing in the Whirlpools 4

Middle Mesolithic Approximately 8,300–7,300 BC First rectangular stone hearths in the Danube Gorges, burials in seated position with legs flexed Late Mesolithic Approximately 7,300–6,200 BC First trapezoidal dwellings with rectangular stone hearths, burials parallel with the course of the Danube

♦ T ransition from the Mesolithic to Neolithic periods at Lepenski Vir Approximately 6,200–6,000 BC Trapezoidal structures and fish-like sculptures ♦ Early Neolithic – New Stone Age Approximately 6,000–5,500 BC First ceramics and domesticated animals at Lepenski Vir

HOW PEOPLE ONCE LIVED

Dušan Borić

LEPENSKI VIR SETTLEMENT OF THE DANUBE FISHERMEN

for Mia

The Danube Gorges and Valleys

Research at Lepenski Vir during 1967

Lepenski Vir, the prehistoric settlement dating to the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, is one of the most famous archaeological sites not just in Serbia, but across Europe and the world. It was discovered in the mid-1960s, during archaeological field research on the banks of the Danube River in Đerdap (the Iron Gates).

The initial reason for the research was the construction of the Đerdap I Hydroelectric Power Station, a joint-venture of the then-Yugoslav and Romanian governments. Once the hydroelectric power station was put into operation in the 1970s, the level of the Danube River rose by 15m, causing the flooding of the belt of land next to the river bank. Conscious of many ancient cultures that could be found in this area of the Danube, the archaeologists had started making detailed studies of a series of settlements from various periods before the flooding occurred.

The excavations at Lepenski Vir were led by the famous archaeologist Dragoslav Srejović.

Dragoslav Srejović (1931–1996), a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, was one of the most important Yugoslav and Serbian archaeologists. He gained fame for his discovery of Lepenski Vir, but also for his research of Felix Romuliana – the palace of the Roman Emperor Galerius in Gamzigrad.

Chronos sculpture, one of the many sculptures made from sandstone that distinguish Lepenski Vir from other settlements STONE AGE DIVISION The Palaeolithic period (Old Stone Age) began with the making of the first tools, more than 2.5 million years ago, and extended to the end of the last glacial period, approximately 11,500 years ago. The Mesolithic period (which separates the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age) was an era of major thawing across the planet. These two periods were characterised by hunter-gatherer societies. The appearance of first agricultural and pastoralist communities marked the beginning of the Neolithic period (New Stone Age). In the central Balkans, this period started approximately 8,000 years ago.

2

The Lepenski Vir settlement is located on the right bank of the Danube River. Other settlements, which would have had a similar lifestyle and observed the same customs, were also discovered on these banks. Some of them avoided being submerged once the reservoir was constructed, so research is still being conducted in these areas using the help of new scientific methods that were unavailable during the first excavations. All of these settlements belong to the unusual prehistoric culture of Lepenski Vir. The fact that these cultures had survived for so long can be attributed in great part to the unique environment that the Danube Gorges provided for their prehistoric inhabitants. The vivid landscape is made up of four gorges with river valleys located between them. The Danube becomes significantly narrower in these gorges and its depth can reach over 80m, whereas in the valleys the riverbed is very shallow. In the past, this created cascades of loud roaring waters, with the frequent occurrence of large, dangerous whirlpools. These factors made sailing this stretch of the Danube quite difficult.

R O M A N I A

DANUBE

Golubac Gorge

Golubac

S E R B I A

Sip Gorge

Sip

Liubcova Basin

Cuina Turcului

Padina Lepenski Vir

Orsova Basin

Gospođin Vir Gorge

Hajdučka Vodenica

Schela Cladovei Kladovo

Kazan Gorge

Vlasac Boljetinska River

Donji Milanovac Donji Milanovac Basin

Belgrade

Mesolithic and Neolithic settlements along the course of the Danube and in the Danube Gorges

Lepenski Vir

Stratigraphy, the study of layers from various periods, is tremendously important for determining the age of archaeological findings, based on the knowledge that more recent layers are almost always on top of the older ones. By comparing findings from different sites, it is possible to sort the discovered artefacts into chronological order.

IIIb

IIIa

Dragoslav Srejović next to a stratigraphic profile of Lepenski Vir

II

Мaterial remains found at archaeological sites in a certain area can share the same characteristics. For the remains from the prehistoric period when there was not enough written evidence on the origins of communities, we use the term archaeological culture. Elements of material culture can cover several tribes, linguistic or ethnic groups.

I

House 27 floor

3

Fishing in the Whirlpools

Bone object with carved ornaments, Cuina Turcului

In prehistoric times, rivers played an important role for travel. By following the course of a river, one could easily reach faraway areas that would often be covered in thick, impenetrable and, most likely, dangerous forests.

Archaeological findings show that the Danube Gorges area was inhabited by people as early as the Palaeolithic period or the last glacial period.

Approximately 14,500 years ago, a thawing period began that brought about the first changes in the environment. However, the climate turmoil continued and cold periods could last up to a thousand years.

Kazan Gorge and the Romanian side of the Danube

Numerous bone fragments of ibex that were hunted by the inhabitants of these early settlements, such as Cuina Turcului on the Romanian side of the Kazan Gorge, indicate origins from one of the glacial periods. The ibex inhabited bare cliffs and slopes of the Danube Gorges area even during the last glacial period.

Many similarities in lifestyle and tools used by the inhabitants of the Cuina Turcului settlement indicate that they might have been distant ancestors of people who settled at Lepenski Vir several thousand years later.

Some 11,500 years ago, the climate stabilised and a warmer period (the Holocene) began, in which we live presently. This is when plant life started changing as well. Coniferous plants that had dominated until then were replaced by deciduous ones, creating a thick forest belt across Europe. Deer, aurochs, roe deer and wild boar became increasingly present. As of the beginning of the warmer climate period, we also find traces of the first settlements outside of caves and rock-shelters.

The locations of the first settlements were carefully chosen according to the landscape and benefits that the Danube’s irregular course offered for fishing. Changes in climate meant fish in the river became easier to reach and, by all accounts, fishing was usually done near strong and dangerous whirlpools. It is not a coincidence that most prehistoric settlements with traces of Mesolithic lifestyle could be found in the vicinity of such whirlpools or straits.

4

One beluga found in the Mesolithic layers of Padina was almost five meters long, although the average size of this fish was less than two meters.

Large fish in a net, illustration from Fishing at Đerdap in the Past and at Present-day Invaluable notes on ancient methods of fishing in the Danube were provided by Mihailo Petrović Alas in his book Fishing at Đerdap in the Past and at Present-day (Đerdapski ribolovi u prošlosti i sadašnjosti), published in 1941. He saved this fishing tradition, which had been passed on through oral traditions, from falling into oblivion.

This was especially true for big fish hunting.

By setting up a fishing boat on the whirlpool, fish could be caught when entrapped in the water swirl. Nets were then thrown over them, secured with stone weights. A special characteristic of Đerdap fishing was the tendency to catch migratory fish, like beluga and sturgeon, but also freshwater fish – catfish and carp.

Đerdap rapids on a vignette from the early 18th century

Stone weights for fishing nets Mihailo Petrović Alas (1868–1943), a renowned Serbian mathematician and a member of the Serbian Royal Academy, was also a fishing enthusiast. After passing a fishing master exam, he acquired the nickname Alas.

Beluga and sturgeon live in waters where wide rivers flow into the sea, but during their mating season they migrate for hundreds of kilometres upstream until reaching their spawning areas. We can assume that the Mesolithic fishermen had used roe as some form of caviar, much like the inhabitants of these areas were doing for thousands of years afterwards.

5

First Hearths and Settlements The discovery of stone-lined hearths and various types of fireplaces with traces of soot and ashes are solid evidence of seasonal and permanent camps of the prehistoric people.

These traces are often found in the Danube Gorges area, especially near the powerful rapids and whirlpools of the Danube, which provided the best locations for fishing.

At the beginning of the Mesolithic period, once the thawing had started, people probably visited these areas seasonally, when they were expecting to catch migratory fish. This was usually in spring when sterlet sturgeon, beluga and other fish would swim upstream for spawning, or in the autumn when the fish would return to the Black Sea. The discovery of fire goes back several hundreds of thousands of years into Palaeolithic history, and it is certain that Neanderthals started using fire regularly as of approximately 130,000 years ago.

Stone hearth, mid-Mesolithic period The first hearths were simple. They were a small oval hole buried in the ground where fire would be set up. In the early Mesolithic period, approximately 11,000 years ago, such hearths were found in seasonal settlements that were in the open air and could be set up under light tents.

With time, however, the predictability of an abundant fish catch prompted people to spend more time along the river and make permanent settlements, where life would continue with the following generations.

In the late Mesolithic period, some 9,000 years ago, first stone-bordered hearths were found in certain locations. They were rectangular and built out of large stone blocks or bigger river boulders.

Stone hearth and ornamented sculpture in House 54

6

Pleistocene

Timeline ♦ Upper Palaeolithic – Old Stone Age 41,000–9,600 BC Pleistocene hunters and gatherers Approximately 39,000 BC First caves inhabited by modern humans in the Danube Gorges Approximately 14,000–9,600 BC End of ice age and first human skeletal remains in the Danube Gorges

♦ Mesolithic Approximately 9,600–6,200 BC Beginnings of warmer climate, Holocene fishermen, hunters and gatherers

Holocene

Early Mesolithic Approximately 9,600–8,300 BC First open-air settlements in the Danube Gorges, first traces of burials Middle Mesolithic Approximately 8,300–7,300 BC First rectangular stone hearths in the Danube Gorges, burials in seated position with legs flexed Late Mesolithic Approximately 7,300–6,200 BC First trapezoidal dwellings with rectangular stone hearths, burials parallel with the course of the Danube

♦ T ransition from the Mesolithic to Neolithic periods at Lepenski Vir Approximately 6,200–6,000 BC Trapezoidal structures and fish-like sculptures ♦ Early Neolithic – New Stone Age Approximately 6,000–5,500 BC First ceramics and domesticated animals at Lepenski Vir

HOW PEOPLE ONCE LIVED PREHISTORY

LEPENSKI VIR. Settlement of the Danube Fishermen Discover how life in the Danube Gorges looked in the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods!

Find out: ♦ What was caught in the whirlpools of the Danube ♦ What trapezoidal structures were used for ♦ What Balkan flint is ♦ The role fish-like sculptures had ♦ How clothes were decorated ♦ The importance of deer antlers

Dušan Borić Dušan Borić ♦ LEPENSKI VIR. SETTLEMENT OF THE DANUBE FISHERMEN

HOW PEOPLE ONCE LIVED edition describes everyday lives of people from the central Balkans from prehistoric times to modern day.

Texts by renowned experts, lavish illustrations, treasures from museums’ collections and archives, but also results of archaeological studies, will unveil an exciting past, full of new and unknown details.

LEPENSKI VIR SETTLEMENT OF THE DANUBE FISHERMEN

50 years

since the discovery of Lepenski Vir