Miloš Spasić - “Peoples, places, and objects in the Late Neolithic Central
Balkans”
With more than one century of research, Vinča culture is one of the best-studied Neolithic phenomena in the Carpathian basin and South-eastern Europe. The vast amount of accumulated data provides a solid ground for thorough discussions on all major aspects of the culture’s physiognomy. Vinča culture is a synonym for the Late Neolithic of the central Balkans. In the modern geo-political framework, the area in question includes territories of Serbia, northern Macedonia, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of southern Hungary, significant parts of western Romania, as well as limited zones in western Bulgaria. In terms of absolute chronology, taking into account new AMS and carbon dating, Vinča culture could be dated to the period between 5400/5300-4600 BC. The origin of Vinča culture communities is still an open question.
Since the 1950s, the so-called Balkan-Anatolian migratory thesis has been one of the most accepted and dominant arguments regarding the question of its origin. Basic elements that provided the ground for the claim of Anatolian and south Balkan origins were certain elements in material culture, such as the introduction of reduction technology in pottery production, certain shapes of biconical bowls, as well as fluted ornaments and black burnished wares which all appear on the vast territory of Karanovo II/III, Sesklo and Anzabegovo - Vršnik II cultures. The migratory thesis was further reinforced by the absolute chronology since all of the mentioned innovations are of earlier date in Anatolia, Thrace, and Greece. As in the case of every major discussion on the origin of a certain phenomenon in cultural-historical archaeology, reactionary views on the migratory thesis were interpretations about the local, autochthonous origin of Vinča culture communities. John Chapman advocated the most probable scenario through his thesis on the polygenetic/poly-regional origin of Vinča culture pottery and its cultural transmission.
The lecture will present the history of research on Vinča culture, as well as the results of investigations into the Late Neolithic of Central Balkans during the last two decades of research. This period in Serbian Neolithic archaeology witnessed the emergence of new theoretical paradigms and new research methodologies. Several dozens of Vinča culture sites were excavated in the course of the same period. The lecture will also critically approach both theoretical and empirical results to demonstrate the potential of the latest research outcomes for comprehension of the Late Neolithic period in Central Balkans.