Starinar (Jan 2009)
Notes on Glasinac: The chronology of princely graves
Abstract
Princely graves of the Iron Age represent a particular phenomenon in archaeology, which is constantly the subject of interest. They are usually dated to the end of the 6th and the beginning of the 5th century. The author discusses the chronology of princely graves in the Central Balkans and analyses their appearance in each part of this territory: on the Glasinac plateau, in Serbia, Kosovo and Metohija, Montenegro, North Albania and Nordwest Bulgaria. He concludes that they date from the middle of the 7th to the middle of the 4th century, depending on the cultural and socio-economic situation in the respective area. In the middle of the 7th century princely graves in the true sense of the word were known only on the Glasinac plateau, in the Ilijak necropolis. At the end of the 7th and in the beginning of the 6th century they still appear on Glasinac, though in greater number and in various parts of the plateau. In northwest Bulgaria a grave dating to the second half of the 7th century was found, which would, according to grave goods, correspond to the Glasinac princely graves. On the other hand, there are no princely graves in Serbia and north Albania from that time but some outstanding warrior graves are known, belonging possibly to the chiefs of smaller warlike bands, whose power was limited. Princely graves from Arareva gromila on Glasinac, Pilatovići by Požega and Lisijevo Polje by Berane date to the beginning of the second half of the 6th century, and according to their characteristics represent princes, whose power and wealth were considerable and known to the neighbours. Culmination of the rise of the princes in this region was demonstrated by the graves from Novi Pazar, Atenica, and Pećka banja, which date to the end of the 6th and the first quarter of the 5th century. Some decades later there are several rich graves, e.g. the recently discovered grave from Velika Krsna, which could belong to a prince, but can not be compared with the wealth of the previous princely generation. In the middle of the 4th century, new rich princely burials are seen in the graves in Belsh in Albania and Vratsa in Northwest Bulgaria. Their appearance was conditioned by a new socio-political climate. All this proves that one should be cautious when dating the princely graves in this region to the »end of the 6th/beginning of the 5th century BC«.
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