Kristina Horvat Oštrić

S nalazištem srednjeg i kasnog neolitika Graduša – Lokve u Islamu Grčkom (sjeverna Dalmacija) povezano je mnogo otvorenih pitanja. Veličina i granice nalazišta, međusobni prostorni, stratigrafski i kulturni odnosi između naselja srednjeg i kasnog neolitika, te korelacija distribucije površinskih nalaza s objektima iz neolitičkog naselja koji se mogu prepoznati na površini, samo su neka od njih. Kako bi se dali odgovori
na neka od navedenih pitanja, proveden je sustavan terenski pregled tijekom veljače 2023. godine. Rezultati istraživanja pridonose boljem poznavanju nalazišta, te će služiti kao podloga u planiranju budućih istraživanja na nalazištu.

Remains of a Neolithic settlement were found in excavations in 2012 at the periphery of the city of Benkovac, at the Barice position. Discovery of dwelling objects was accompanied by rich remains of material culture. Analyzed and presented finds correspond closely to well-known cultural expression of the typical Danilo culture. Standard assemblage of pottery and artifacts made of stone and bone was enriched with objects appearing rarely in the eastern Adriatic Neolithic.

U radu je predstavljen keramički nalaz pronađen u drugoj polovici 20. stoljeća u Islamu Grčkom, nedaleko od neolitičkog nalazišta Graduša-Lokve. Riječ je o slučajnom nalazu, danas pohranjenom u Zavičajnom muzeju Benkovac. Prema tehnici ukrašavanja i motivima, nalaz pripada srednjem neolitiku, odnosno danilskoj kulturi. U prilog navedenom vremenskom i kulturnom okviru govore i analogije s jadranskog prostora, na temelju kojih je ovaj predmet moguće pripisati duhovnoj kulturi neolitičkih zajednica istočnog Jadrana.

This article focuses on the early Neolithic settlement patterns in northern Dalmatia, located in the middle of the eastern Adriatic. At the present state of research, a total of 35 Neolithic sites have been known in this region, 26 of which belong to the Early Neolithic. Observing the type and character of the early Neolithic sites, their micro-topographic features, proximity and availability of resources, organization of life in relation to environment requirements, continuity of life at a particular location, and economic strategies, we come to the conclusion that the early Neolithic settlement patterns in northern Dalmatia were determined by natural landscape and its resources. They are the postulate and basis for the development of different aspects of social life and economy, as well as the starting point for the interpretation of the character and dynamics of the development of the early Neolithic communities in this area. The site locations, stratigraphic relations, and radiocarbon dating also suggest movements of the early Neolithic communities. The movements seem to have taken place exclusively within the fields. Discussion whether it was one or several simultaneous communities/settlements remains limited, since the state of research does not allow precise attribution of the site to certain chronological segments of the Early Neolithic.

Among the rich and diverse archaeological finds collected at more than fifty known Neolithic sites in the entire area of the eastern Adriatic and its hinterland, ceramic spoons comprise a group of very rare and almost marginalised items. Only eight examples, discovered in the northern and central Dalmatia region (hinterland of Zadar and πibenik), at open-air Neolithic sites known to date to the Middle and Late Neolithic. Based on current research and in accordance with the available archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data from Neolithic sites in the eastern Adriatic region, this paper poses a question about the connection of ceramic spoons with the dietary habits of Neolithic communities in the eastern Adriatic.

The article contains an examination of the results of rescue archaeological research at the Polje niže Vrcelja site, not far from the town of Benkovac. The site consists of Late Antique and Neolithic horizons. The latter, to which this work is dedicated, has been ascribed to the Impressed Ware culture. The complex stratigraphic Neolithic segment of the cultural deposits dated by radiocarbon analysis highlight the archaeological potential and importance of studying and supplementing the picture of the Neolithic in the Eastern Adriatic seaboard, as well as the need for more systematic archaeological excavations of the site and the need for an interdisciplinary approach to research.

Ravni Kotari is a physiognomic region within central part of Littoral Croatia. In that area, a total of 29 Neolithic sites are known today. Microlocational analysis shows that they are located close to water, pastures, forests, fertile Quaternary sediments with related arable plots and clay deposits. In order to create a complete picture of perception, categorization and exploitation of the economic potential at Ravni kotari in Neolithic period, and to determine possible locations of still undiscovered settlements, all currently known Neolithic sites in Ravni Kotari area were recorded as points in GIS software ArcMap. Based on the spatial distribution currently known sites, type of geological sediments, basic geomorphological features of the region and availability of water, we suggest 41new possible Neolithic sites.