Benkovac Area in the Prehistory

Abstract

In this article the author presents a summary review of the prehistory in the area of Benkovac in the heart of the northern Dalmatia which encompasses 650 km2 with 49 villages. After giving, the introductory and basic geographical data and the overview of the investigation, the author discusses the separate periods and phases and he especially gives the information about the the city ruins and burial mounds and gives some more important scientific references. This area has not been investigated much but there is a lot of material on it so it is possible to obtain a general picture of its cultural development, especially for the later period of the Stone age. There is a number of investigations about the neolithic settlement in Smilčić and the Liburnian settlement Asseria (today Gradina in Lisičić) and smaller investigations have been conducted in Benkovac, Buković, Dobropoljci, Raštević, Nadin, Donje Biljane, Polača and Tinj. So far we have the following findings in different periods: 6 finds from the old, 1 from the middle and 19 from the young Stone age, 17 from the Copper age, 36 from the Bronze age and 36 from the Iron age. There are 49 city ruins, about 550 burial mounds, 8 cemeteries on the plains and 2 hoards. Throughout the prehistory this area was culturally developing as part of the northern Dalmatia. Most of the material from the old Stone age is collected in the Grčki Islam (about 1500 items). They all belong from its middle phase (phase mousterien) and late period (phase aurignacien, gravettien, epigravetien). The material has almost the same characteristics as those found in the wider area around the Adriatic, especially on the eastern Adriatic coastal areas. The finds from the middle Stone age are sparse and selected only in Greek Islam. There is a similarity with the cultures around the Adriatic but they also have some local characteristics. Younger Slone age best represented in Smilčić can be divided into three developing phases: in the early or Smilčić phase it is marked by impresso embelishments of pottery because of the partly migratory way of life connected with the sea; then in the middle or Danilo’s phase the pottery making is richly ornamented with geographic samples because of the agricultural way of life; in the late or Hvar phase we find a special northern-Dalmatian characteristic of this culture marked by plastic and similar ornamentation of pottery which slowly disappears with the disappearance of the settlements. The Copper age is divided in two phases: early phase market by Nakovana culture discovered in pure form in Buković with the ornamentation of the dishes with ribs and furrows. Then there is a later phase with the first settlements on the hills marked with late Vučedol influence, steppe influence and the influences from the culture of Bell Beakers. Nevertheless it also has its own characteristics (pottery decorated with rope impressions, engravings and nipple-like bulges) which actually shows a strong influence of the Indo-European migrations from the East. There are 4 city ruins from the Copper age, 14 from the Bronze age and 21 from the Iron age. There are general kind of settlements from the late Bronze Age up to the end of the Iron age. They are found on 30 to 400 m above the sea level. They encompass different size areas from 30x50 to 800x150 m. Many of them still have the same names such as Nedinum - Nadin, Corinium - Karin and others too.They are usually fortified with stone walls and the houses are made of the same material. Some were used for self-defence or for shelter. Burial mounds, apart from the cemeteries on the plains, are the basic form of burial from the Copper to the end of the Iron age. They are known in 21 villages and at about 40 other places. They are built of stone and soil. Only 10 have been investigated. They are 3 to 30 in diameter and 0,30 to 6 meters in height. Every mound contains 1-3 tombs and the dead are in the crounching position. The Bronze age can be divided into three phases: the early phase marked by Cetina culture; middle phase is marked by tongue-like extensions on the handles on the pottery, ring or triangle-like handles too, etc. The Best known is the late phase with different Bronze products, especially jewelry (pendents, neckleces, etc.) and weapons (sword) under the influence of the Balkan hinderlands and Pannonic culture of tombs with urns. But there are signs of local proto-Liburnian culture especially on clasps (buckles). All live developing phases of Liburnian culture are known in the Iron age from the 9th to the end of the 1st century. This period is characterized liy different connections that the Liburnians had with the Adriatic coast especially with tlte middle (Picenttm) and southern Italy (Daunia) already from the 7th century. Then their connection with Greece, the import of the painted pottery of geometric kinds with red figures, Gnathia, Hellenistic kinds with reliefs and others. The best known is the late period or the fifth phase (4-1 c.) especially in Nadin, Asseritt and Ćosina city ruins in Gornja Jagodnja where the Hellenistic influence is predominant. The home culture was dissapearing or changed with a number of new shapes, the appearance of different money and there were other changes, too.