Interpreting Iron Age violence or violent nature of archaeological narratives? The case of Kale-Krševica (south-eastern Serbia)
Abstract
This paper aims to show how the ‘violent nature’ of ‘paleo-Balkan tribes’ as indicated
in some Greek and Roman texts is perceived, interpreted, and consequently constructed
as supposedly independent historical evidence in different archaeological narratives on a case
study of Kale-Krševica – a specific late Iron Age ‘Hellenised’ settlement in south-eastern Serbia.
Hypotheses about this site’s ethnic identity, which range from local Paeonians, Thracians,
Dardanians, or possibly even Greeks, are fit into the historical framework of violent Iron Age
period encounters, which have some very prominent ramification on further archaeological
interpretations. I will argue that theoretical aspects which are implemented favour violent
scenarios in order to present an expected and supposedly coherent image of distinctive Iron
Age ethnicities in a constant struggle even though it may not be the only nor the most likely
context. At the same time, the implementation of the concept of ‘Helle...nisation’ as a colonial
perspective about local groups who quite ‘naturally’ become ‘Greek’ or ‘Greek-like’ and
therefore more ‘civilised’, makes this site’s social life a good arena for pointing out the direct
or implicit use of various narratives about past/present violence.
Keywords:
Kale-Krševica / the Iron Age / culture-historical archaeology / centre and periphery model / colonialism / Hellenisation / the BalkansSource:
Violence in Prehistory and Antiquity / Die Gewalt in der Vorgeschichte und im Altertum, 2018, 23-37Publisher:
- Parthenon Verlag and Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung
Funding / projects:
- Serbian archaeology: cultural identity, integration factors, technological processes and the role of the central Balkans in the development of European prehistory (RS-MESTD-Basic Research (BR or ON)-177020)
Collections
Institution/Community
Археолошки институт / Institute of ArchaeologyTY - CHAP AU - Vranić, Ivan PY - 2018 UR - http://rai.ai.ac.rs/handle/123456789/762 AB - This paper aims to show how the ‘violent nature’ of ‘paleo-Balkan tribes’ as indicated in some Greek and Roman texts is perceived, interpreted, and consequently constructed as supposedly independent historical evidence in different archaeological narratives on a case study of Kale-Krševica – a specific late Iron Age ‘Hellenised’ settlement in south-eastern Serbia. Hypotheses about this site’s ethnic identity, which range from local Paeonians, Thracians, Dardanians, or possibly even Greeks, are fit into the historical framework of violent Iron Age period encounters, which have some very prominent ramification on further archaeological interpretations. I will argue that theoretical aspects which are implemented favour violent scenarios in order to present an expected and supposedly coherent image of distinctive Iron Age ethnicities in a constant struggle even though it may not be the only nor the most likely context. At the same time, the implementation of the concept of ‘Hellenisation’ as a colonial perspective about local groups who quite ‘naturally’ become ‘Greek’ or ‘Greek-like’ and therefore more ‘civilised’, makes this site’s social life a good arena for pointing out the direct or implicit use of various narratives about past/present violence. PB - Parthenon Verlag and Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung T2 - Violence in Prehistory and Antiquity / Die Gewalt in der Vorgeschichte und im Altertum T1 - Interpreting Iron Age violence or violent nature of archaeological narratives? The case of Kale-Krševica (south-eastern Serbia) EP - 37 SP - 23 UR - https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_762 ER -
@inbook{ author = "Vranić, Ivan", year = "2018", abstract = "This paper aims to show how the ‘violent nature’ of ‘paleo-Balkan tribes’ as indicated in some Greek and Roman texts is perceived, interpreted, and consequently constructed as supposedly independent historical evidence in different archaeological narratives on a case study of Kale-Krševica – a specific late Iron Age ‘Hellenised’ settlement in south-eastern Serbia. Hypotheses about this site’s ethnic identity, which range from local Paeonians, Thracians, Dardanians, or possibly even Greeks, are fit into the historical framework of violent Iron Age period encounters, which have some very prominent ramification on further archaeological interpretations. I will argue that theoretical aspects which are implemented favour violent scenarios in order to present an expected and supposedly coherent image of distinctive Iron Age ethnicities in a constant struggle even though it may not be the only nor the most likely context. At the same time, the implementation of the concept of ‘Hellenisation’ as a colonial perspective about local groups who quite ‘naturally’ become ‘Greek’ or ‘Greek-like’ and therefore more ‘civilised’, makes this site’s social life a good arena for pointing out the direct or implicit use of various narratives about past/present violence.", publisher = "Parthenon Verlag and Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung", journal = "Violence in Prehistory and Antiquity / Die Gewalt in der Vorgeschichte und im Altertum", booktitle = "Interpreting Iron Age violence or violent nature of archaeological narratives? The case of Kale-Krševica (south-eastern Serbia)", pages = "37-23", url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_762" }
Vranić, I.. (2018). Interpreting Iron Age violence or violent nature of archaeological narratives? The case of Kale-Krševica (south-eastern Serbia). in Violence in Prehistory and Antiquity / Die Gewalt in der Vorgeschichte und im Altertum Parthenon Verlag and Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung., 23-37. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_762
Vranić I. Interpreting Iron Age violence or violent nature of archaeological narratives? The case of Kale-Krševica (south-eastern Serbia). in Violence in Prehistory and Antiquity / Die Gewalt in der Vorgeschichte und im Altertum. 2018;:23-37. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_762 .
Vranić, Ivan, "Interpreting Iron Age violence or violent nature of archaeological narratives? The case of Kale-Krševica (south-eastern Serbia)" in Violence in Prehistory and Antiquity / Die Gewalt in der Vorgeschichte und im Altertum (2018):23-37, https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_762 .