The problem of the Early Bronze Age in the territory of north-eastern Serbia a contribution to the study of the Early Bronze Age in the Central Balkans

Abstract

Despite a relatively high degree of archaeological research and related publications, the territory of north-eastern Serbia represents a “vacuum” of sites during the Early Bronze Age. When observed within the Late Eneolithic-Early Bronze Age-Middle Bronze Age sequence, a significant gap in the quantity of sites can be highlighted for the Early Bronze Age (c. 2800-2000 BCE). New data and absolute dates from the territory of north-eastern Serbia indicate that the development of the Early Bronze Age this territory was influenced by both the Great Pannonian Plain and the Central Balkans. The paper provides an overview of the Early Bronze Age in the territory of north-eastern Serbia based on the new absolute dates from the region, stylistic and typological analyses, settlement trends and the possible social and natural factors.

Keywords

• early bronze age
• north-eastern serbia
• great pannonian plain
• central balkans
• absolute chronology
• vinkovci group
• belotić-bela crkva group
• novačka ćuprija-pančevo group