French
DeutschKakanj culture
| Geographical range | Central Bosnia |
|---|---|
| Period | Neolithic Europe |
| Dates | 6795 BC – c. 4900 BC |
| Major sites | Kakanj - Obre, Obre II, Papratnica, Plandište; Visoko - Arnautovići, Okolište; Zavidovići - Tuk |
| Preceded by | none (primordial culture of Europe) |
| Followed by | Butmir culture Starčevo culture |
Kakanj culture was the first Neolithic culture of Old Europe. It appeared in Central Bosnia's town of Kakanj and covered periods dated from 6795–4900 BC.[1]
The new dating made the culture's eponymous town of Kakanj the Europe's oldest continuously inhabitted settlement.
History
[edit]Central Bosnia and areas in Sarajevo, Visoko, and Zenica basins were the main areas of first prehistoric populations in Europe, especially along the shores of the Bosna river.
Central Bosnia was later populated by other cultures, like the Starčevo. They are all based in a unique culture that is known as the Kakanj culture,[2] as the first findings were at a site in the Obre settlement of Kakanj.[3]
Other known locations of the European original culture are sited at: Kakanj – Plandište, Papratnica; Visoko – Arnautovići, Okolište, and Tuk near Zavidovići. The Kakanj culture had strong influence on the development of the Butmir culture.[4][5]
In what is now an obsolete view, Maria Gimbutas regarded the Kakanj culture as a local variant of the Starčevo, with elements of the Danilo group.[6] The new dating has switched the chronology, making Kakanj the Europe's first culture.
Settlements and artifacts
[edit]The excavated settlements were not uniform. The site in Obre included rectangular houses with 1 or 2 rooms, with foundations made of stone and clay loam walls. Stone tools were predominant, especially molded hatchets. Tools like spatulas and needles were made out of bones.[7]
The pottery was versatile, coarse, and monochrome.[8] The surface of the monochrome ceramics was well polished, as is in Butmir culture.
The shapes included vessels with tall hollow conical stems, alongside bowls with thicker rims and 4-foot rhytons.[9] Plastic was poorly represented.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Vander Linden, M., Pandžić, I., Orton, D. (2022) New radiocarbon dates for the Neolithic period in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Godišnjak Centra za balkanološka Ispitivanja (43) 7–34 (pdf)
- ^ Gimbutas, Marija; Alseikaitė (1974). The Gods and Goddesses of Old Europe: 7000 to 3500 BC Myths, Legends and Cult Images. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520019959.
- ^ Čović, Borivoj (1988). Arheološki leksikon BiH, Volume 2. Sarajevo: National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. p. 16.
- ^ Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology. C. Bloms. 1967.
- ^ Boardman, John; Edwards, I. E. S.; Hammond, N. G. L.; Sollberger, E. (1970). The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. pp. 135. ISBN 9780521224963.
- ^ Tringham, Ruth (2014-11-13). Hunters, Fishers and Farmers of Eastern Europe, 6000-3000 B.C. Routledge. ISBN 9781317599463.
- ^ Whitehouse, Ruth D. (2016-02-24). Macmillan Dictionary of Archaeology. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 248. ISBN 9781349075898.
- ^ Boardman, John; Edwards, I. E. S.; Hammond, N. G. L.; Sollberger, E. (1970). The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. pp. 113. ISBN 9780521224963.
- ^ Boardman, John; Edwards, I. E. S.; Hammond, N. G. L.; Sollberger, E. (1970). The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. pp. 113. ISBN 9780521224963.
External links
[edit]- Neolithic of Middle East and Southeastern Europe Archived 2019-11-04 at the Wayback Machine (in Bosnian)
- Analysis of prehistoric ceramics at Donja Papratnica and Zagrebnice near Kakanj (in Bosnian)
- Obre — encyclopedia.com
- Pictures of artefacts found at Plandište
- New radiocarbon dates for the Neolithic period in Bosnia & Herzegovina