Settlements and Necropolises from the Middle/Late Bronze Age in the Serbian part of the Irn Gate (Djerdap) hinterland

Abstract

The last decade was marked by extensive archaeological identification work in the north-eastern Serbia. Owing to this, we now have a better understanding of the distribution of prehistoric settlements and are able to reconstruct the social and economic relationships between the Middle/Late Bronze Age communities. So far, the most extensive archaeological excavations were carried out on Urnenfelder type necropolises, while identification work mostly extended to settlements. By analysing their topographic characteristics a certain advance was achieved in our understanding of the economic justification of the existence of settlements that, on the one hand, centred solely on metallurgy and settlements that, on the other, centred solely on agriculture. More recent research of climatic changes indicates that the climatic optimum, which occurred during the Sub-Boreal, contributed to increased food production which resulted in demographic expansion. Increased settlement of fertile river valleys with agricultural land, coupled with innovations in the development of agricultural tools and transportation, provided the logistics for the development of mining and metallurgical activities, given that this part of Europe is well known for surface copper ore deposits.