The Cultural and Chronological Context of Sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Čuka Near Niš (Southeastern Serbia) and Their Significance for Understanding the Emergenceand Development of the Central Balkans Eneolithic

Abstract

Aim. To elaborate the cultural and chronological context of two eponymous multilayered prehistoric sites in southeastern Serbia, in order to understand the eneolithisation process in the Central Balkans.Methodology. The research is based on the methods of comparative analyses and synthesis, as well as the interpretation of the existing and fresh data acquired through archaeological excavations at the sites of Bubanj and Velika Humska Čuka near Niš. The following factors have been taken under consideration: geographic setting, resources, mutual spatial relations, stratigraphic characteristics, chronology, character of settlements during the Eneolithic, and other relevant data. Results. The presented cultural and chronological contexts of the two researched sites, as well as other contemporary sites, compared to the pattern of the preceding Vinča settlements, indicated the character of changes that have occurred during the mid-5 th millennium BC. Research implications.The results of the research contribute to the perception of transformation processes within the Late Neolithic communities and the process of eneolithisation in the territory of the Central Balkans. 1