‘Princely graves’ of the central Balkans – A critical history of research

Abstract

This article critically explores the century-long history of research into a particular set of archaeological finds. The ‘princely graves’ – funerary assemblages dated to the early Iron Age (seventh to fifth centuries BC) containing, among other things, luxurious objects produced in Archaic Greek workshops – are known from various parts of temperate Europe, and were first recorded in the central Balkans region by the end of the nineteenth century. By their very nature, these finds pose several important theoretical and methodological problems, one of them being the need to bridge the divide between the procedures of prehistoric and classical archaeologies. The first attempts to account for these exceptional finds, in Europe as well as in the Balkans, were guided by the culture-historical procedure, typical of the archaeological investigation of the time. During the 1960s New Archaeology brought about the notion of chiefdom as a tool to account for the Iron Age societies. The concept was introduced into research on the central Balkan finds, proving successful in overcoming the shortcomings of the previous explanations, but at the same time creating new ones, encapsulated in the critique of the evolutionary approach. This review of research into the ‘princely graves’ concludes in proposing several new lines of inquiry, already introduced in the European archaeological theory: issues of group identity and individual actors, and phenomenological approaches to time and space.

Mother City and Colony: Bioarchaeological Evidence of Stress and Impacts of Corinthian Colonisation at Apollonia, Albania

“…New research suggests that initial colonisation by the Greeks was less harsh and may have involved a level of reciprocity rather than abject control (Osborne, ; Babić, ; Gosden, ; Dietler, ; Sulosky Weaver, ). Some scholars even argue that the motivation for colonisation was the establishment of amicable, mutually beneficial relations throughout the Mediterranean in order to create a system of reciprocity and exchange (Babić, ). This ‘social storage’ would have provided a cultural buffer for the colonial metropolis against times of hardship and shortage (Babić, ).…”

“…Some scholars even argue that the motivation for colonisation was the establishment of amicable, mutually beneficial relations throughout the Mediterranean in order to create a system of reciprocity and exchange (Babić, ). This ‘social storage’ would have provided a cultural buffer for the colonial metropolis against times of hardship and shortage (Babić, ).…”

Atenica: In search of lost pyre

“…S obzirom na to da humke iz Atenice svojim nalazima od zlata, srebra, ćilibara (Palavestra i Krstić 2006), a posebno predmetima koji se mogu povezati sa radionicama arhajske Grčke -bronzanim i keramičkim posuđem (Babić 2002(Babić , 2004, predstavljaju izuzetnu pojavu u starijem gvozdenom dobu centralnog Balkana, monografija u kojoj su prvi put predstavljene akademskoj javnosti bila je osnov mnogih kasnijih radova, pa i sintetskog prikaza u referentnoj publikaciji Praistorija jugoslavenskih zemalja V (Vasić 1987). Uz neznatna odstupanja, autor prihvata većinu tumačenja ovih funerarnih konstrukcija i na tom osnovu uključuje nalaze iz Atenice u sveobuhvatnu sliku o kulturnim, društvenim, ekonomskim uslovima života gvozdenodopskih zajednica ovog područja.…”

“…Benac 1987). Posebno se ističe prisustvo predmeta proizvedenih u radionicama arhajske Grčke, koji ukazuju na veze sa klasičnim svetom i pojačavaju sličnosti balkanskih spomenika sa onima u zapadnoj Evropi, kao što su sahrane u Viksu ili Hohdorfu (Babić 2002(Babić , 2004. Na osnovu ovih elemenata, kneževski grobovi postavljeni su kao tipična ilustracija jedne etape istorijskog razvoja na tlu centralnog Balkana, koja svojim sadržajem korespondira sa širim razvojem evropske kulture i, najzad, sa univerzalnim pravilnostima i pretpostavkama o očekivanom ponašanju zajednica koje su ih podigle.…”

Burial mounds and settlement patterns: a quantitative approach to their identification from the air and interpretation

“…A long-lived monumental funerary tradition in this region, which may have started in the Copper Age, the custom was noted specifically by Herodotus (5.8;Godley 1920) in relation to the Thracian elite, and may even be hinted at in his famous description of how Zalmoxis, their prophet-god, achieved immortality (4.95; Godley 1920). Originally emerging as a practice of the local North Thracian and Scythian elites, the tumulus was eventually adopted by Greco-Roman colonists and its construction became mainstream before being abandoned, with only secondary use in the medieval period (Sîrbu 1993;Babić 2002;Donnellan 2007;Oţa 2007). Unfortunately, other than at Histria outside the study area (over 1000 barrows [Lungu 2007: 337]), little effort has gone into their systematic survey and recording.…”