Books by Perica N Spehar
CRKVENO BRDO IN THE MIDDLE AGES , 2024
Лична побожност на простору централног Балкана у средњем веку. Археолошка сведочанства, 2022
Knjiga predstavlja delimično izmenjenu magistarsku tezu Materijalna kultura ranovizantijskih utvr... more Knjiga predstavlja delimično izmenjenu magistarsku tezu Materijalna kultura ranovizantijskih utvrđenja na širem prostoru Đerdapa : od ušća Porečke reke do ušća Timoka, odbranjenu decembra 2004. godine na Filozofskom fakultetu u Beogradu. Komisiju su činili: mentor, prof. dr Mihailo Milinković, prof. dr Aleksandar Jovanović, prof. dr Radivoje Radić i dr Dušica Minić. Njihove primedbe i saveti bili su mi od velike pomoći pri izradi ove knjige, zbog čega im se iskreno zahvaljujem. Beograd, mart 2010. godine POKRETNI NALAZI POSUDE OD STAKLA / pehari na stopi, boca, balsamarijumi / DELOVI ODEĆE I NAKIT / kopče, pojasni jezičak, fi bule, igle za odeću, prstenje, narukvice, naušnice, perle, privesci, delovi torbica / PREDMETI OD KOSTI I ROGA VAGE I TEGOVI / novčarske vage, tegovi / GRAĐEVINSKA OPREMA / klinovi, klamfe, baglama, brave, katanac, ključevi, šarka, prozorska okna / OPREMA ZA OSVETLJAVANJE / nosači svetiljki, staklene svetiljke, keramičke lampe, bronzana lampa / ALAT I PRIBOR / poljoprivredne alatke, alat za obradu drveta, alat za obradu kamena, alat za obradu metala, alat i pribor za obradu vune i kože, pribor za ribolov, alat i pribor za obradu hrane, kozmetički pribor, brusevi, kresivo, stilusi, medicinski instrumenti, alat nepoznate namene / ORUŽJE / mač, štitovi, koplja, tribulusi, luk i strele / KONJSKA OPREMA RAZNO NOVAC / ostava iz Akva, ostava iz Hajdučke vodenice, ostava sa ušća Slatinske reke, ostava iz Tekije, pojedinačni nalazi novca /
Papers by Perica N Spehar
Pontica LVII, Supplementum XI, 2024
Ancient Pontes, today Kostol (Serbia), had a very long history. It was primarily a Roman fort tha... more Ancient Pontes, today Kostol (Serbia), had a very long history. It was primarily a Roman fort that protected Trajan’s Bridge, which continued to play an important role even after the abandonment of the Province of Dacia since it was positioned on the northern Danubian limes. It continued to have such a function until the Roman army abandoned northern limes at the beginning of the 7th century, only to be reoccupied during the Early Middle Ages. The main topic of this paper is the content of three hoards dated to the early medieval period that consist of various agricultural tools and liturgical objects. Such interesting content of the hoards in question estifies that active church life functioned in, otherwise, agricultural community. They also testify that the local population treated the liturgical objects that belonged to the local church as treasure, as well as that they likewise treated their working tools as very valuable objects, which deserve to be buried in the same hoard as the liturgical objects during dangerous times. As such, they can tell us a lot about the religious and daily life in the turbulent early medieval period in this settlement, and it’s wider surrounding.
Proceedings of the 6 th International Scientific Symposium in honour of Stjepan Gunjača Political and Social Structures in Medieval Central, South and Eastern Europe (9 th -15 th centuries), 2025
Crkveno brdo site is situated in the vicinity of the town of Szenta in Vojvodina. During archaeol... more Crkveno brdo site is situated in the vicinity of the town of Szenta in Vojvodina. During archaeological excavations, a settlement with an adjacent necropolis and a church were discovered. During the excavation of the settlement, several dozens of structures were documented, among them five houses, nine kilns, forty-one pits, thirteen trenches, and a water well of irregular shape. The settlement was mainly in use from the 11th to the 13th century, while several discovered small finds suggest the usage also during the 14th and 15th centuries. The church was erected on the already existing necropolis, and its founding can be tied to the conversion of Magyars to Christian faith in the 11th century. Church had several building phases, during which it was enlarged and depicted in fresco technique. Such treatment of this sacral building suggests that it had great importance for the local population who insisted on the continuity of this cultic space. The necropolis around the church was used from the 10th/11th century until the 15th/16th century. The longevity of life on this site suggests it was an important local central place in this part of the Magyar medieval state.
Animal diseases in the southern part of the Carpathian Basin during the medieval period
International journal of osteoarchaeology, Jun 17, 2024
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
Thirty-two glasses from four Byzantine fortifications located on the Danube in Serbia, dated to t... more Thirty-two glasses from four Byzantine fortifications located on the Danube in Serbia, dated to the sixth-century CE, are analysed by PIXE/PIGE, and their compositional types are determined. Most of the glasses belong to Late Antique type Foy 2.1 ( ), the rest being Foy 3.2 (3), HIMTa (1), Levantine (2), plant-ash (3), and coloured black (1). The diversity of compositional types and provenances characterizing the same area during the third to fourth century, changed in the sixth century into uniformity of glass types and provenance: more than two-thirds of all glass types represent only one type (Foy 2.1), and at least 87% of all imports came from a single region, Egypt. Apart from two glasses reported herein, no Levantine glasses are reported from Serbia, and almost none from the inner Balkans, which is in contrast with the rest of the Mediterranean excluding Egypt. The reasons for this might be the economic aftermath of earlier Hunnic raids or possible centralization of raw glass imports during the Justinian rebuilding program. Two plant ash glasses of mixed composition, showing characteristics of Egyptian plant-ash flux and Mesopotamian sand, likely represent recycled glass originating from these two regions.
Starinar, 2013
Vrawskoj dolini, 9,5 kilometara jugozapadno od Vrawa (sl. 1), 1 le`i selo Davidovac, u kome su jo... more Vrawskoj dolini, 9,5 kilometara jugozapadno od Vrawa (sl. 1), 1 le`i selo Davidovac, u kome su jo{ sredinom 20. veka, na vi{e mesta, uo~eni arheolo{ki ostaci iz anti~kog i kasnoanti~kog perioda. U jugozapadnom delu sela, na potesu Gradi{te, sme{tenom na platou povr{ine nekoliko hektara, tada su konstatovani temeqi gra|evina od kamena vezanog malterom i ostaci rimskog bunara. Osim toga, otkrivena su i dva olovna sarkofaga sa o~uvanim skeletima du`ine oko 1,50 m, dve srebrne statuete Jupitera, dva aureusa, Konstancija Hlora (293-306) i Maksimina Daje (305-313), 2 i ostava od 13 primeraka zlatnog novca iz 4. veka, ~ije preciznije hronolo{ko opredeqewe nije poznato. 3 Tokom pomenutog rekognoscirawa, na suprotnom, severoisto~nom kraju sela, uo~en je potes Cr-kvi{te, koji se prostire oko dana{we Crkve Sv. \or|a i seoskog grobqa. Po kazivawu me{tana, ovde je, u porti crkve, oko 20 m severno od we, sa leve strane puta za Dowi Vrtogo{, iskopan grob zidan od opeka i tegula, dok su isto~no od crkve, prilikom kopawa raka na seoskom grobqu, konstatovani ostaci rimskih zidanih grobnica. Grobne konstrukcije, fragmentovane qudske kosti, kao i sesterciji Antonina Pija (138-161), otkriveni su i prilikom podizawa ku}a i drugih objekata u selu. Osim toga, 1961. godine, prilikom izgradwe autoputa, nedaleko od porte, otkopana je i jedna zasvedena grobnica od opeke i maltera, u kojoj je na|en novac,
Late Roman glass from Viminacium and Egeta (Serbia): glass-trading patterns on Iron Gates Danubian Limes
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
The paper reports on the composition of thirty-eight Late Roman glass fragments (3rd–4th century ... more The paper reports on the composition of thirty-eight Late Roman glass fragments (3rd–4th century CE) from Viminacium, the capital of Moesia Province, and Egeta, the fort controlling Iron Gates Gorge on the Roman Danube Limes. The glasses are measured using simultaneous particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE). The analysis shows that sixteen glasses belong to the Roman glass decolourized by antimony, nine to the Roman glass decolourized by manganese, and one is recycled using these two types. Five glasses belong to the Foy série 3.2, two to HIMT, one to Jalame type with manganese and one to the rare plant-ash type P-1, produced in Egypt, and for the first time reported from the continental Europe. The comparison of the finds with the contemporary glass from Serbia and from the wider Balkans shows a marked shift in glass trading patterns between the epochs of the High Empire and the Late Antiquity. During the High Empire, glass seems to be imported to the central and eastern Balkans mainly from the west via Roman road Aquileia–Emona–Siscia–Sirmium–Viminacium and perhaps via Adriatic ports, while in the Late Antiquity it was predominantly from east to west, over the Danube, Via Militaris or Aegean ports. Another find is that the richness of the glass market in Viminacium indicates that the capital of Moesia province on the Danube limes was a cosmopolitan city.
Etnoantropološki problemi / Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology
In the settlement strata dated to the 12th and 13th centuries, within three Byzantine border fort... more In the settlement strata dated to the 12th and 13th centuries, within three Byzantine border forts along the Serbian part of the Danubian region (Morava, Braničevo and Egeta), ritual bird offerings that preceded the erection of various buildings were archaeologically testified. Namely, whole ceramic vessels were placed upside down in pits and within them were the skeletal remains of chicken of various ages. Magic power of the ritual was additionally amplified by other offerings, such as iron knives and nails, while on one occasion small glass amorphous objects were likewise detected. Numerous similar examples of building deposits were detected all over Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries. Since mentioned rituals were tied to folk beliefs that, unlike the official religion, didn`t have strict norms, numerous variations occurred. For example, vessels were mainly placed upside down, but some were placed on their bottoms and covered with fragment of another ceramic vessel. Conside...
Micro computed tomography and histological examination of a pathological lesion (healed fracture) in a horse tooth from the medieval site of Crkveno Brdo, Serbia
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
This paper aims to provide insight into the etiology and differential diagnosis of a rare severe ... more This paper aims to provide insight into the etiology and differential diagnosis of a rare severe pathological lesion in an isolated equine tooth from the medieval site of Crkveno Brdo. The site is located in the southern part of the Carpathian Basin, that is, in the northern part of present‐day Serbia near Senta, some 9 km south‐west of the town center in the vicinity of the village of Gornji Breg. The specimen presented in this study comes from the cultural layer dated to the period between the 14th and the 15th centuries. A healed oblique fracture was present in the right upper second premolar (106) of a horse (Equus caballus) 7–10 years of age. The specimen was subjected to an interdisciplinary approach, including identification of species and tooth type, and assessment of age at death, employing microcomputed tomography (microCT), and histopathology to differentially diagnose the pathological condition. The obtained results were additionally compared with findings in an apparent...
Antiquity
A recent study from Central Europe has changed our perception of the cat's domestication hist... more A recent study from Central Europe has changed our perception of the cat's domestication history. The authors discuss how this has led to the development of an interdisciplinary project combining palaeogenetics, zooarchaeology and radiocarbon dating, with the aim of providing insight into the domestic cat's expansion beyond the Mediterranean.
Zbornik radova Vizantoloskog instituta, 2015
Data from De administrando imperio covers Hungarian conquest, right after their arrival to the Ca... more Data from De administrando imperio covers Hungarian conquest, right after their arrival to the Carpathian plain and to the territories they settled. In order to describe the area of their inhabitance, author used well known facts and clear geographical marks. Territory defined in that manner encompassed modern Vojvodina, so an opinion was brought out in scientific literature that it was also included in the area of early Hungarian inhabitance. However, it appeares that in those speculations the archaeological data were not adequatelly used, so it is important to give more precise insight into the available archaeological material that can be tied to the earliest presence of Hungarian population in Vojvodina.
Starinar, 2013
In 2012, in the village Davidovac situated in south Serbia, 9.5 km south-west from Vranje, archae... more In 2012, in the village Davidovac situated in south Serbia, 9.5 km south-west from Vranje, archaeological investigations were conducted on the site Crkviste. The remains of the smaller bronze-age settlement were discovered, above which a late antique horizon was later formed. Apart from modest remains of a bronze-age house and pits, a late antique necropolis was also excavated, of which two vaulted tombs and nine graves were inspected during this campaign. During the excavation of the northern sector of the site Davidovac-Crkviste the north-eastern periphery of the necropolis is detected. Graves 1-3, 5 and 6 are situated on the north?eastern borderline of necropolis, while the position of the tombs and the remaining four graves (4, 7-9) in their vicinity point that the necropolis was further spreading to the west and to the south?west, occupying the mount on which the church of St. George and modern graveyard are situated nowadays. All graves are oriented in the direction SW-NE, wit...
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Books by Perica N Spehar
Papers by Perica N Spehar
потврђено у Београду, Маргуму и Великом Градцу, али и подизање нових утврђења. Једно од њих констатовано је на ширем простору Ђердапа, на локалитету Егета. У ранијој научној литератури сматрало се да ово налазиште представља изузетно важно сведочанство промена у начину одбране лимеса у периоду од римских освајања до слома византијске управе почетком 7. века. Ипак, током неколико кампања археолошких истраживања спроведених у претходних пет година, констатовано је на основу налаза новца да су бедеми утврђења II подигнути средином 11. века у склопу обнове византијског лимеса. Будући да се у Егети још у античком периоду налазило пристаниште, као и да се од ње од пута дуж десне обале Дунава одвајала комуникација која је кроз рудоносне планине
водила до византијске утврде у Великом Градцу, може се претпоставити да је подизање утврђења II било повезано и са поновном експлоатацијом руда. Покретни археолошки материјал, попут керамичких налаза, накита и пре свега новца, указује да је брањени простор највише коришћен током 12. века, када су се на Дунаву и водили најинтензивнији сукоби између Византије и Угарске. Најмлађа откривена ковања указују пак да је фортификација била у употреби барем до средине 13. века.
jame nalazile su se ispod podnica kuća, kao i u blizini bedema, sa njegove unutrašnje strane. Magijska snaga vršenog obreda bila je dodatno pojačana prilozima u vidu gvozdenih noževa i klinova, dok je u jednom slučaju konstatovano i prisustvo malih staklenih amorfnih predmeta. Rad se bavi proučavanjem prakse prinošenja različitih životinjskih žrtava pre početka gradnje, koja je konstatovana ne samo u srpskom delu Podunavlja, već i na većem broju nalazišta širom Evrope opredeljenih u 12. i 13. vek. Sprovedeni rituali po svemu sudeći predstavljaju odgovor srednjovekovnog stanovništva na izazove koje su sa sobom nosili krizni trenuci. Budući da je evropsko stanovništvo u pomenutom razdoblju bilo uveliko hristijanizovano, okretanje ka nehrišćanskim običajima u teškim trenucima predstavlja simbiozu narodnih verovanja i zvanične religije.