Anza 6500-5000 BC: Cultural Yardstick for the Study of Neolithic Southeast Europe - Marija Gimbutas by Sonjce Marceva

Anza, ca. Yardstick Southeast

6500-5000 B.C.:A for the Europe

Study

Cultural Neolithic

MarlJaelm rutas ..

Universityof Californiaat Los Angeles

Thesite of Anzais of majorimportanceby virtueof its geographical positionin thecentralBalkans(FIG. 1)andits uniquestratigraphy.Theexcavationsat Anza haveyieldeda varietyof typesof informationthataddto ourunderstanding of the earlystagesof the [Pottery]NeolithicperiodJof thesucceedingStarcevo NeolithiccultureJ andof theformationof the Fincacivilization. Introduction. Macedonia, geographicallymidway between the Aegean Sea and the drainagebasinof the Danuberiver,also mediatedculturallybetweenthese important termini.The essential factor for culturaltransmissionwas precisely this strategicgeographicallocation. The informationobtainedfrom archaeological researchin Macedoniais thereforerelevantnot only to the immediate zone of investigation,but it also carries implicationsfor the entire Balkan peninsulaand for the restof CentralEuropeas well. Macedoniais geographicallydefinedas that territorydrainedby the rivers Vardarand Haliakmonand theirtributaries.Its inherentconnectionsarewith the continentalland massof the Balkansratherthan with the maritimepeninsula of Greece.l Access to the interiorfrom the coast begins some 20 miles southwestof Thessaloniki,on the ThermaicGulf wherethe Vardardischarges into the Gulf slightly north of the Haliakmon,and proceedsby way of the Haliakmon,along the tributariesof the rivers,into the lowlandsbetweenthe rivers and their valleys. At the southern end the narrow defiles which characterizethe Vardarwere probablyless often used for ingress. Progress northwardtoward this major waterwayis markedby the present towns of Edessaand Prilepon the way to the areaof Titov Velesand Skopjeon the Vardar. The BregalnicaRiver, whichjoins the Vardarjust south of Titov Veles, drainsthe districtof OvEePoljeto the northeastandprovidestransiteastward. Neolithic mounds and later Roman roads mark these very ancient routes. Thereis also archaeologicalevidencethat the upperMoravaservedas a direct connection between Macedoniaand the area to the north and west that is drainedby the DanubeRiversystem.On the northeastMacedoniais separated from Bulgariaby the steep watershedof the ThracianMountains,a natural boundarybetweenThraceand the centralBalkansthatwas alwaysutilized. The presentinvestigationconcernsthe region called OvEePolje, a shallow basin approximately150sq. km. in diameter,that was once partof a neogenic lake bottomin the centralportionof YugoslavMacedonia. The site name Anza is derivedfrom that of the near-byvillageAnzabegovo (Amzibegovo),which lies 1.5 km. to the north and is 2 km. from the railway 1. N.G.L. Hammond,A History Â°f Macedonia I: Historical Geography and Prehistory, (Oxford 1972).

MediterrsnesnSes

Figure 1. Map of Central Balkans (outlined), surrounding neolithic cultures, ca. 6300-5300 s.c.,and major sites.

28 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas station at OvLePolje. The village belongs to the administrativeunit of Sv. Nikole, 10 km. northof the excavatedsite. The railroadwhichgoes fromTitov Veles to Stip cuts throughthe southernsectionof the site, and the discoveryof the site is due to this circumstance.Anza is referredto in the earlierliterature as Barutnica,after the Eleldon which it is located. The excavationis situated some 34 km. east of Titov Velesand 18km.westof Stip(FIG. 2). Figure2. Mapof Macedoniawithindication of excavatedneolithicsites(+).

The Elrstarchaeologicalexplorationof Barutnica(Anza) was carriedout in two campaignsin 1960by the ArchaeologicalMuseumof Skopje,directedby Josip KoroNecof LjubljanaUniversity and SarYoSarYoskiof the Skopje Museum.2At this time Elvesquareswereopened,with an excavatedsurfaceof 58 sq.m. Thesesquaresareindicatedon the site plan by dottedlines(FIG. 3). The excavationof 1969-70was on a muchlargerscalethan that of 1960.The campaignwas a joint effort of Yugoslav and AmericanpersonnelSoperating independently for two seasons in the field. There were two Principal of the Universityof Belgradeand the author Investigators:MilutinGaraNanin (for the AmericanUCLA excavation).The Yugoslavstaff was responsiblefor Anzabegovo,"ArchPreg 2 (1960)44-46;P. KoroNec, 2. J. KoroNecand S. Sartoski,4'Barutnica, Barutnica, Neolitska Naselba (ArheoloNkoDruNtvoJugoslavije,Beograd1972).

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 29 I

Â§

-__L

_9Â°

-o

theexcavation of ninesquares,each5 x 5 m. at thecenterof themound,north of thewoodedzone(FIG. 3, A-L). TheAmericanstaffexcavated 24 squares(FIG. 3, I-XXIV, TP [TEST PITS] 1-4), the majoritycentrallylocatedand the others radiallydistributed in orderto explorethe extentof settlementboundaries at different periodsof habitation(FIGS.4,5).3 Thetechniques andobjectivesof theAmericanandYugoslavteamswereentirely distinctand different.The resultsof the Yugoslaveffort are being publishedby MulutinGaraNanin, Sarlo Sarloski,andVojislavSanevwho is the Directorof the NationalMuseumat Stip.4Thepresentcontentsconcern solelytheresultsof theAmerican investigation.5 The"American" squareswere 3. The informationin fig. 5 is basedon materialfromexcavation,surfacecollection,and studyof the railroadtrenchprofile. 4. See M. Garasanin,"Barutnica,Anzabegovo,"ArchPreg11(1969)15-19;and M. Garasanin,V. Sanev,D. Simoska,and B. Kitanovski,Predistoriski KulturivoMakedonija(NarodenMuzej,Stip 1971),which includesin the Neolithic catalogue(passim)items from Anza. 5. The supervisionof fieldactivitieswas undertakenby Gene Sterudin 1969andGeoffreySayerin 1970,both of UCLA at that time. The diggingresponsibilitiesweresharedby PeterBanksof the

Figure 3. Site plan. Prepared by Georgi Dalev.

30 Anzala CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas

l-gwv

fX>

rP 1-

- 9

wFsrwrs

ANZA I (y} A44 N- J (tntdde) F£^

(1}

STE#

RoMAN

. ll

rPI -

'ssX

j 4N

-SM v -

Z t

Mcos/=-

SCd/Qw/ :1OO

x-r $G31Q 1: 1000

,oX ° {.°v X -

30 40 S

2nSwos

Figure 4. The distribution of American excavated squares with indication of cultural strata.

excavated both by arbitrarylevel and by natural unit according to the demands of soil and features. Provenanceis herein indicated by Squarein Roman numeralsand Unitin arabicnumerals.All excavatedsoil (exceptfrom test pits) was sieved,and from certainsquareswas consistentlyflotated.Many minisculefindssuchas seedsand beadswerethus retrieved. Full-length reports on geology, vegetation, domesticatedplants, fauna, ceramictechnology,flintknapping,quantitativeanalysesof pottery and flint tools, as well as typologiesand cataloguesof findswill appearin a monograph entitled Neolithic Macedoniaas ReJlectedby the Excavationat Anza, Ovee The presentinterimreportwill integratein summarythe informationof variousaspectsand fieldsof study. Polje.6

University of California at Davis, Joan Carpenter and Judith Rasson of tJCLA, Dr. Margaret Weide of California State at Long Beach, and Serge Cleuziou and Jean Demoule of Paris University. The field laboratory was under the care of Anne Sterud (1969) and Renita Mock (1970), both of tJCLA. Excavated materials were studied by the Principal Investigator as well as by Mrs. E. Gardner, Miss R. Mock, Mr. B. Smoor, Mr. M. Winn, and Mr. D. Shimabuku in the Naroden Muzej of Stip in 1971. The field project of 1969 and 1970 and post-excavation research in 1971 were made possible by the Foreign Currency Program of the Smithsonian Institution, the grant equally apportioned to the YugoslaYian and American contingents. Additional funds were granted by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for photography and drawing, and by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for the study of chronology. It is my pleasant duty to express thanks and appreciation for the assistance. 6. Special studies to be published in the forthcoming monograph were conducted by the following

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 31

OtherNeolithicSites in Macedonia. In the plain of Macedonia,north and east of the lower Haliakmon,many prehistoricsites are known from surfacecollectionsor soundings,but only in two localitieshave settlementsof a neolithicage been dug on a largerscale. In 1961-63,an Early Neolithic site was excavatedat Nea Nikomedeia, on the recently-drainedlake of Yiannitsanear Verroia.'The culturalremainsof the EarlyNeolithic period from this site are relatedto those of the earliestvillage at Anza and provide a connecting link between Thessaly and Yugoslav Macedonia.Servia,anotherneolithicsite of GreekMacedoniaon the southern bank of the Haliakmon,was excavatedin 19308and 1971.9A Middleand Late scholarsand institutions:geology, Dr. David Weide,Universityof Nevada;palaeobotany,Dr. Hans-JurgenBeug, Dr. EberhardGruger(Instituteof Palynology,Universityof Gottingen)and Dr. Jane M. Renfrew(Southhampton);palaeozoology,Dr. Sandor Bokonyi (Archaeological Institute, Budapest);palaeodemographyand physical anthropology, Dr. Janos Nemeskeri (Instituteof PopulationStudies,Budapest);radiocarbondating,Dr. HansSuess(UCSD) and Dr. Rainer Berger(UCLA); thermoluminescence dating, Dr. M. Aitken (OxfordUniversity).The followinggraduatestudentsof UCLA took part in analyzingthe excavatedmaterials:Ernestine Elster (flint technology);ElizabethGardner(pottery technology);Renita Mock (quantitative analysisof Anza I-IIIpottery);LindaMount-Williams(analysisof Anza IV pottery);CharlesA. Schwarz(animalbones);andBertSmoor(polishedstoneandbonetools). 7. R.J. Rodden,A.D. Western,E.H. Willis,et al., "Excavationsat the EarlyNeolithicSiteat Nea Nikomedeia,Greek Macedonia(1961 season),"ProcPs 28 (1962)267-288;"RecentDiscoveries from PrehistoricMacedonia,an InterimReport,"Balkan Studies 5 (1964) 109-124;"An Early NeolithicVillagein Greece,"ScientlficAmerican 212(1965)82-92. 8. W.A. Heurtley,Prehistoric Macedonia (Cambridge,England:CambridgeUniversityPress 1939). 9. G. Ridleyand K. Rhomiopoulou,"PrehistoricSettlementof Servia,W. Macedonia,Excavation 1971,"AAA5 (1972)27-29.

Figure5. Distributionof AnzaI, II-III,IV settlements

32 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas Neolithic stratiE1ed site havingintimateconnectionswith the Sesklo and Late Neolithic culturesof Greece,Serviamust be considereda northernoutpost of the ThessalianNeolithicculture. In western Macedonia rich neolithic deposits were uncoveredduring the excavations of 1953-54 in Porodin at Bitola.lÂ° This site yielded materials parallelto Anza Ib and Anza II. Unfortunately,the ecology of the site was not investigatedand its precisechronologicaland stratigraphicalposition is only vaguelyknown. On the Vardarat Skopje,the only site excavated(and that on a small scale) was at Zelenikovo.It yieldedtwo strata:one of the neolithicperiodcontaining culturalremainsof CentralBalkanStartevocharacterparallelto those of the Anza II settlement,and one belongingto the chalcolithic,includingmaterials of Vinta character.ll Two sites in the OvEePolje,VrBnikand Rug Bair,revealeda stratiElcation of neolithicand chalcolithicdepositsalmost identicalwith that of Anza. VrBnik, located 11 km. north of Stip at the villageof Tarinci,was exploredin 1958by O. and M. Garasanin.'2Rug Bair, 6 km. west of Sv. Nikole and 16 km. northwestof Anza, was soundedby Mr. SarzoSarzoskiin 1960,and in 1970by our American-Yugoslavteams. The reportwill be publishedby the Yugoslav staff. The existenceof three neolithic-chalcolithicsites includingculturallayers from the same periodsreflectsthe extent of the temporaland spatialoccupation of the OvEePolje.We now know that in the periodbetween6500and 5000 B.C. settlementof the area was relativelydense. After the EarlyVinta period (ca.5100/5000B.C.) until the reoccupationduringthe Roman period, there is no indicationof humansettlementof any duration. GeneralClassificationof CulturalRemains. The radiocarbondatesand the stratigraphicandtypologicalevidencepermit a chronologicaldivisionas follows.l3 Anza I. ca. 6500-6000B.C. (in dendrochronologicallyrecalibrateddates):a Macedonianvariantof the EarlyNeolithicof the CentralBalkans. Anza II-III. 6000-5450 B.C.: Middle Neolithic of the Central Balkans (Startevoculture). 10. M. Grbic, P. Matkic, S. Nadj, D. Simoska,and B. Stalio, Porodin. Kasno neolitski naselVena tumbi k kod Bitole (Bitolj1960).

11. Radoslav Galovic, "Zelenikovo,eine neolithischeSiedlung bei Skoplje (Makedonien)," RGKomm43-44(1962-63) 11-25.

12. Milutin Garasanin,"Fouilles archeologiquesa Taranci-'Vrsnik'," Zbornik na Stipskiot Naroden Muzej I (gtip 1958); M. and D. Garasanin,"Iskopavanjau Tarincimana Iokalitetu 'Vrsnik' kaj selo Tarinci," Zbrnek na Stipskiot Naroden Muzej, Vo1. II (Recueil du Musee National de Stip [1960-61]) 7-40. 13. Thanks to the gracious cooperationof the Universityof CaliforniaRadiocarbonDating Laboratoriesat San Diego and Los Angeleswe arein possessionof 21 dates;see TableI. The distributionof datesis illustratedin fig. 6. Datesarefromcharcoalsamplesandfromstratigraphically controlledexcavationunits,exceptUCLA 1705B and C whichare fromsheepbonesand derive fromthe squaresexcavatedby the Yugoslavstaff.The majorityof the datesare fromSquareVII; cf.fig.8. The LJ analyseswere supervisedby Hans Suess, assistedby Linda Mount-Williams(LJ=La Jolla, Universityof California,San Diego). This work was made possibleby a grantfrom the National ScienceFoundation.The UCLA dates(fromYugoslavexcavatedsquares)weresupervised by Rainer Bergerassistedby Reiner Protsch.Other abbreviationsin Tables I-IV are P (Universityof PennsylvaniaLaboratory); sc ("smallcontainer," underone liter:lessexact).

Journalof Field Archaeology/Vol. 1, 1974 33

CAARB8ON A N Z A

TRUE AGE

A N ZA

BP 5900

5 100

5200

5300

5500

5 700

5800

6 000

6100

6 300

6100

Zi r-

--.

6300

6500

6700

6 900

7 100

7300

7500

Figure6. Distributionof radiocarbondates.

34 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas Table 1. RadiocarbondatesfromAnza. Anza Periods Provenance

III

Laboratory Number

Uncorrected RadiocarbonDates Before1950A.C. (5568Half Life)

Datessjc.

TrueAge Based onTree-Ring Calibration

VIII,55 XX, 190 VII, 87

LJ2411,sc LJ2329 LJ2178

6070+200 BP 6290i80BP 7050i 150

4120:t200s.c. 4340:t80s.c. 5100:t150

ca. 5100 B.C.

V62 L- 19 VII, 191 L-20 VII, 117

LJ2185 UCLA 1705B LJ2345 UCLA 1705C LJ2344,sc

6510i100BP 6540i120BP 6600i 110BP 6700i80BP 7000i300 BP

4560:t100R.c. 4590+120s.c. 4650:t110s.c. 4750:t80s.c. 5050+300s.c.

ca.5500 B.C.

VII, 177 VII, 213 & 215 VII, 124 VII, 122 VII, 156

LJ2338 LJ2405 LJ2351 LJ2337 LJ2409

6800i150 BP 6940i80 BP 7060i80BP 7080i60BP 6850i50BP

4870+15OB.C. 5050+85s.c. 5110+80s.c. 5200+75s.c. 4900+50s.c.

ca. 5800 B.C.

VIIs253 VIIs251 VII, 240 VII, 188 VII,256

LJ2333 LJ2342 LJ2339 LJ2341 LJ2332

6840+100BP 7100i80 BP 7120i70 BP 7230i170BP 7110i120 BP

4890i100s.c. 5150i80B.C. 5170+80s.c. 5280+170s.c. 5160i120s.c.

ca.6000 B.C.

V, 107 VII,257 V, 111

LJ3032 LJ2330/31 LJ2181

7160i50 7170i50 7270i140

5210i50 5220i50 5320i140

ca. 6200 B.C.

AnzaIV. 5450-5300B.C.:Late Neolithic/Chalcolithicof the CentralBalkans (EarlyRlintaculture).l4 The synchronismbetweenthe variousphasesof Anza andthe sites southand north of Macedonia based on radiocarbon dates and supported by stratigraphicand typologicalevidenceis shown in the following three tables II,III,andIV).ls (TABLES

Dating. Thermoluminescent M.J. Aitkenand J. Huxtableof the ResearchLaboratoryfor Archaeologyin Oxfordfurnishedthe followinginformationon TL dating. Of the fourteensherds(all from SquareXIII, ANZA Ib layer), four were rejectedas beingtoo small and six as havingunsatisfactoryTL characteristics. The dates obtainedfor the remainingfour were:6830B.C., 6730 B.C., 6530 B.C. and6390B.C. The fine-graintechniquewas used.l6 14. Only small traces of copper discovered. 15. Lepenski Vir I and II in the Danube Iron Gate region are parallel to the Anza l-lll phases and hence cannot be considered to be of pre-Startevo age. Cf. the 14Cdates and the chronological classiElcation of the Lepenski Vir materials in Dragoslav Srejovic, "Europe's First Monumental Sculpture: New Discoveries at Lepenski Vir," New Aspects of Antiquity, ed. M. Wheeler (London 1972). A neolithic culture, analogous to Anza I, extended as far north as Transylvania as indicated by the stratigraphy and the typological comparisons of Gura Baciului and Donja Branjevina (unfortunately 14Cdates are not available). 16. D.W. Zimmerman, 'SThermoluminescentdating using Elnegrains from pottery," A rchaeometry 13:1 (1971)29-52.

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 35 TableII. Radiocarbondatesfromthe sites of northernGreece(Thessalyand Macedonia)comparedto Anza periods. Anza Periods

Northern Greece: Cultures

Dimini

III

Late Sesklo

SESKLO

EarlySesklo

ACHILLEION

Sites

Radiocarbon Dates No dates equivalent to early Vinta in Thessaly or Macedonia (but are known from KNOSSOS, CRETE: STRATUM Vl and V and SALIAGOS on ANTIPAROS ISLAND)

Earliest Sesklo

ACHILLEION

P 1672:6504i85BP(4554 P1675:6694i87BP(4744 P1677:6741i163BP(4791

B.C.) B.C.) B.C.)

P2130:7084i91BP(5134B.c.) P2125:6964i87BP(5014 B.C.) P2124:7086i85BP(5136 B.C.) UCLA 1882 A: 6930i155BP(4980 LJ 2941:6930i50BP(4980 B.C. ) LJ 2943:7020i100BP(5070 B.C.) LJ 2942:7200i50BP(5220 B.C. ) P 2117:7273i76BP(5323 B.C.) P2121:7107i85BP(5157 B.C.) P2122:7181i85BP(5231 B.C.) UCLA 1882B:7260i155BP(5310

B.C. )

I Proto-Sesklo and Early Pottery

ACHILLEION

P 2118:7471i77BP(5521 B.C.) P 2120:7342i68BP(5392 B.C.) UCLA 1896 A: 7460i175BP(5510 NEA NIKOMEDEIA P 1203 A: 7281i74BP(5331 B.C. ) SESKLO P 1680:7300i93BP(5350 B.C. ) P1678:7422i78BP(5477 B.C.)

B.C. )

TableIII. Chronologicaltableof CentralBalkanand Djerdap(DanubeIronGate) sites. RadiocarbonDates beforepresentand

Tentativetrue age (corrected 14C dates)

Anza

From 6800 to 6400/6300 BP (4850-4450/4350 B.C.)

5500 B.C.

III

Obre IA, G. Tuzla Vl in Bosnia Kotacpart, SE Hungary Deszk, SE Hungary Starcevo IIb, near Belgrade Let, II-III, Perieni in Moldavia ()ura Baciului III, in Transylvania Gladnice Ib, near Pristina Tecic, central Yugoslavia

Padina B-3 LV II, Houses IX, XXXII

From 7100/7000 to 6800 BP (5150/50504850 B.C)

5800 B.C.

Let,I, Transylvania Starcevo IIa at Belgrade Divostin, central Yugoslavia Crnokalacka Bara near Nis Gladnice Ia near Pristina Donja Branjevina II, NW Yugoslavia Gura Baciului II, Transylvania

Padina B-a and 2 LV I b-d: Houses I, 9,37

From 7360+ 100 BP (5140 B.C.) to 7100 BP

6000 B.C.

Donja Branjevina I, in Transylvania Gura Baciului I, NW Yugoslavia

LV Ia: House 36

B.C.

(5150

B.C.)

LepenskiVir(LV) and Padina

b I

6400-6200 B.C.

OtherNeolithiccentralBalkan and Danubiansites

36 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas

TableIV. Listof EarlyVinta, ButmirI, and KaranovoIII siteswith radiocarbondates equivalentto Anza IV. SITE

CULTURE

LABORATORY

OBRE II

BUTMIR I

LJ 2327

OBREII

BUTMIR I

OBRE II

14 C DATES TRUE AGE 14CDATES B.C. BEFOREPRESENT

6020i150

4070

4950

UCLA 1605A

6020i60

4070

4950

BUTMIR I

Bln 792

6075i100

4125

4970

OBRE II

BUTMIR I

G r N 5683

6110+ 65

4160

5000

OBRE II

BUTMIR I

Bln 639

6175 i 80

4225

5060

PLOVDIV (Jasatepe)

KARANOVO III

Bln 338

6080 i 80

4130

4970

MEDVEDNJAK

VINtA

LJ2523

6100+ 100

4150

5000

MEDVEDNJAK

VINtA

Bln480

6050 i 100

4100

4840

STAROSELO

VINtA

LJ 2521

6100 + 100

4150

5000

VINtA

VINtA Bl

GrN 1546

6190 i 60

4240

5100

PREDIONICA

VINtA

Bln435

6270+ 100

4330

5320

SITAGROI

KARANOVOIII

Bln778

6030 i 150

4080

SITAGROI

KARANOVO III

Bln 648

6265 i 75

4315

5320

SITAGROI

KARANOVOIII

Bln778

6425 i 100

4475

5450

KARANOVO

KARANOVOIII

Bln 158

6360+ 100

4410

5400

4960

This degreeof scatteris reasonablefor materialof the samedate, but we are reluctantto regardthe average(ca. 6600 B.C.) as definitivefor the level.This is becauseof the unsatisfactorycharacteristicsof the other sherds,whichmay be influencingthese four to a smallextent,makingthe TL date more recentthan the truedate by a few hundredyears.The datesobtainedfor four sherdswhich had poor TL characteristics,but for whichit was in fact possibleto calculatea result,were:5880 B.C., 5300 B.C., 4600 B.C., and 3100B.C. Thereis no question of suggestingthat these ought to be regardedas significant;they are quotedto illustrate a stronger interferenceby the adverse characteristicl7which is thoughtto affect the first four quoted to only a smalldegree.Hencethereis a need to treat the average with caution and reserve.However, as indicated above, the truedate for the level is likelyto be less recentthanthe TL date. It is to be noted that this is in conflict with the calibrateddate of ca. 6000 B.C. obtainedfrom radiocarbondating. However,on accountof the unsatisfactory TL characteristicsof the samplesfrom this site, thereis no basis for questioning the radiocarbonresults. Stratigraphy. The majorsoil unitsweremappedand incorporatedinto the isometricstruc17. "Anomalous fading," see A.G. Wintle, "Anomalous Fading of Thermoluminescence in Mineral Samples," Nature 254 ( 1973) 143-144.

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 37 turalproElleby D. Weide,expeditiongeologist(FIG. 7). The fact that the chronologyof Anza I, II, and III is dated on the basis of radiocarbonanalysesof samplesobtainedfrom SquareVII makesit necessary to presentthe stratigraphyof excavationunits in some detail.This is shownin the idealizedproElle(FIG.8). Square VII.

In 1970,excavationof this squarewas resumedat the depthof 3 m. Sinceit was noted that the culturelayersslantedfrom northeastto northwest(FIG. 8: II and III), the 1969 excavating method of horizontal levels of 10 cm. was abandoned and the square was thereafter excavated in natural levels or "units." Anza

down

horizon

lay

into

earliest

this

Anza from

soil.

date

3.00

7170+50

deposits m.

down

of the

date

from

the

of this to

phase

3.90-4.20

were m.

and,

Table

Ib phase

units

sample

charcoal

recovered

BDP

of Anza

excavation

B.C.): see

BP (5220+50

pit

referred

silt layer

gravelly

part

m. (in the eastern

(hereafter

A large

disturbance,

in a brown

4.20

and

point,

soil.

virgin

were

square

square)

datum

the

of this

radiocarbon

The the

below

In spite

of the

remains

middle

above

immediately

Ib. The ca.

cultural (in the

4.57

intact.

produced

3.90

of ca.

square)

were

earliest

Ia. The

at a depth

had

This

been

248,

236-238,

collected

of the

as BDP).

in unit

dug

257-260 257

has

in the eastern including

the

of the

section depth

the

square pit,

this

Figure 7. Major soil relationships of the Anza site. Based on excavated Squares 11, V, VII, K, XXI, and Test Pits 1-4.

38 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas

Figure8. Idealizedprofileof SquareVII below3 m. BDPandlocationof Anza I-IIIexcavation.

layerreachedsterileground.Radiocarbondatesfromunits 256, 251, 240, and 188very consistentlyindicatea singletime horizon,i.e., the end of the 7th millenniumB.C. The date for VII, 253 (6890+100 BP) seems to be too low; the "probe"diggingmay have confusedhereAnza Ib withAnza II deposits. AnzaII. The Anza II layerof brownclayeysilt cut into Ib and Ia deposits.At the bottom, the depositsof Anza II wereabout a meterthickandincludedmanysmallpits and charcoallensesof earlierand laterphases.Unit 156, a smallpit ca. 0.30 m. deep, contained charcoalwhich producedthe date (6850+50 BP). Since it was a pit dug into a somewhat earlier Anza II deposit, we may surmisethat the beginningof Anza II antedatesunit 156.The radiocarbondate fromunit 177 whichwas also a smallpit dug next to, and partiallyinto, pit 156, quite consistentlyproduceda laterdate (6800+150 BP). The span of Anza II was probablyabout2QOyears.The radiocarbondatedunits 124 177, 213, 215 yieldedthe richestnumberof diagnosticmaterialsof the Anza II phase. Anza III. Anza III deposits overlayAnza II in a yellow-to-brownsilt. Excavation units 117 to 124forma transitionzone betweenthe two phases,as the potterytypology indicates. tJnits 90 to 112, above the units shown in Figure 8, containedAnza III materialsexcept whereseveralVinta or Anza IV pits had been dug into the Anza III deposits.The radiocarbondate obtainedfromthe samplefromunit 191(6660+110BP) suggestsa periodabout200 yearslaterthanthat of Anza II. The samplecomesfromthe Anza III pit dug into the Anza II and Ib deposits. Square V.

SquareV was equallyimportantfor the study of neolithicremainssin particularof the Anza I period.In this squaremost of the botanicalsampleswere recovered,and the best examplesof Anza I pottery came to light. Figure9 showsthe proElleof the east scarpof SquareV, and Figure10presentsthe summaryof stratigraphyof the wholesquarewith an indicationof excavationunits (culturallevels), disturbedareas(Roman walls and pits), and post holes. The square was 3 x 3 m. and was dug to 4.60 m. depth. Modern and Roman materials(trenches,pits, and walls)mixedwith Anza 111materialsin the upper deposits overlay Anza II, Ib, and Ia layers. A huge Roman pit had unfortunatelybeendugin the middleof this squaredownto the Anza Ib layer.

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.1, 1974 39

sSe:

fl-:ww-: :E:: 2Bt

8s\1o 1

5 ^

Stones

t"""2 4

S/2

1::: l 10

HR = House R u bble

Figure 9. Stratigraphy in Square V: profile of east scarp. Key: 1) Sterile, light, fine-grained sandy silt. 2) Moderately loose medium to dark-brown gravelly silt. 3) Moderately compact light-gray sandy silt with charcoal bits. 4) Very loose grayish fine gravelly silt; disturbed. 5) Fine-grained yellow silt alternating with layers including charcoal bits: a-d. 6) Charcoal lens. 7) Moderately compact fine-grained medium-brown silt. 8) Moderately compact to loose fine-grained orange silt with large bits of house rubble. 9) Moderately compact yellow-gray clayey silt. 10) Moderately compact fine-grained yellow-brown to brown silt.

-** ....

*** -0 * **---*-*e .- X X @...Â˘

@ebe

40 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas Anza Ia. Soil 2, containingthe earliestculturalremains(Anza Ia), was a brown gravellysilt from ca. 3.60-4.60m. BDP. It overlaythe sterilesandysilt layer.Compact yellow lenses, probablytracesof severalhabitations,were intermittentlydepositedin this layer.Its bottomwas unevenand composedof verydarkandheavysoil. Most finds and carbonizedwood pieces came from here. ExcavationUnits 64 to 128, with the exceptionof pits and post holesfromthe upperlayers,belongto thisperiod. Anza Ib. Soil 5, of yellowishsilt, extendedfrom ca. 3.00-3.60m. BDP. Priorto its depositiona considerabledisturbance,representedby a loose gravellysilt layer,was evident (FIG. 9: 4). In the profileof the westernwall of the square(not illustratedhere)it was associatedwith a large fire-hardenedfeature.In the southernpart of the square,post holes and deep pits of Anza Ib weredug into Soil 2 of Anza Ia (FIG. 10). In the southern partof the square,burnthouserubblelay directlyaboveSoil 2. Severalbuildingperiods

Figure 10. Idealized profile of Square V. Summary of units.

I DEALIZED

PROFILE

SQUARE

...6-** * .. . *-@ *.. * * @b * e e * e @ * @@

200

. - * . -

. @

T77i

.- X . -

. . - .

- . -

- .

@ *

. . - - . . - . . - - . - - 6 @.

. . X

* X

. .

0 s *

t t % *

@ *

. .

. *

WF*:00-0:s

C00:S

** *w- *.----*-::*-: .

@ *

;-.* *

*.---:-. *

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 41 are likely duringthe span of Anza Ib since this yellow silt layerwas interspersedwith houserubble,charcoal,and ashes.Units 50 to 58 containeddiagnosticE1nds of Anza Ib. AnzaII. A layerof brownsilt with charcoallenses(FIG. 9: 6) overlayyellowSoil 5. It was of uneventhicknessat a depthof 2.75-3.10m. On top of this horizonwas a 10cm. thick depositof burnthouse rubble(FIG. 9: 7). In the southernpart of this square,post holes of Anza II had been dug into the layerof Anza Ib (Soil 5). Units 20-33belongto this periodand representthe laterpartof Anza II. Anza III. Soil 8, a layer of clayey silt, may representanotherbuildingperiodwith depositionof Anza III materials.The brownsilt layer(Soil 9), from2.11-2.50m. depth in the easternportionof the squareanddownto 2.80m. in its south-westerncorner,was much disturbedby Roman walls and pits. Throughoutthis layer finds of Anza III characterwereencountered. Square 2.11

V contained

BDP,

modern

pits

The

II;

Anza

topped

Three of

unit Ia

deposits

the

Vinta

(Anza

disturbed,

pre-Vinta

and

IV)

one

two

materials.

mentioned

Soil

10,

above,

21,

and

going

layer

(V,

107,

62,

of the

down

to V,

with

Level

Ia;

from

1.62-

Roman

and

19,

unit

62);

seven

or three

Anza

habitation

of Anza

III,

Ib;

mixed

two

with

and

period.

obtained

a 1 m.

least

two

Roman

(TABLEI) were

connected

and

represent

of Anza horizons

remains

dates

(V,

two

disturbed

architectural

III

Square

culture:

radiocarbon Anza

Early zone

trenches.

cultural of

a plow

and

horizons

pit

from

deep

pit

the

second

Square

V: one

starting

and

third

from

the

Level

from

Anza

III).

Chronologyof ArchitecturalRemains. Architectural

remains

stratigraphy

and

architecture

center

The

the

will

chronology detail

was

discussed

the

a special

site. task

here As

only

previously

the

they

are

mentioned,

Yugoslav

team

the

study

excavating

in the

mound.

sequence

of the

architectural

traditions

at Anza

is as follows.

AnzaI. Mud-brickarchitecture. AnzaII andIII. Houses8-10 m. long and 4 m. wide built of timberuprightsdaubed withclay. Stonefoundationsarealso found(Squares,I, XI, XII, XVIII). AnzaIV. Split-plankwallsdaubedthicklywith chaff-temperedmudas muchas 15-20 cm. thick. Floorsof tampedearth.The sizeof houseswas 8 x 3 or 4 m. The

only

area

I. Unbaked was

much

house.

established

mud

Mud-brick thin, of der

the

(D.

holes

Ib.

ca.

The

Roman

five

six

was

wall)

modern

II period

Square

layer

the

that

Anza

in were

in the

(Early all

timber

above

was

not

built

1 1 shows

were

squares, superimposed

rows

squares

deposits

but

houses

Yugoslav

excavated

the

is thus

season.

Figure

Vinta)

revealed

care,

excavation

together.

uncovered

found architecture

utmost

the

Anza close

were

mud-brick with

activity

horizons

was silt

foundation

extending

Anza

observed

in a yellow

(FIG. lOa).

Anza

standing

a long

stone

uncovered

replaced

been

found

of the

Garasanin. and

the

was

have

were

wall

posts

habitation

bricks

chronology wall

and M.

and

impossibility

15 cm.)

(a corner

direction

disturbed Square

figurines

architecture

round

post

and

of the

pits

a collapsed

bricks.

as Anza because

mud shape

later

represent

sherds

wall

plano-convex by

bricks

Diagnostic

removed

remains

disturbed

The

fallen

where

bricks

unmuch but

in lime

42 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas Figure lOa. Anza Ib, ca. 6000 s.c.,Square 1. Contours of plano-convex bricks are discernible in a fallen wall which is the earliest example of mud brick architecture in Europe.

Figure 11. Remains of Anza II houses built of timber uprights.

plaster floors. An idealized stratigraphyof this square (1969 season) is illustratedin Figure 12. Threesuperimposedhouse floors were uncovered,and anotherearlierfloor was excavatedbelow these. The uppermostfloor was madeof lime plasterand had evidentlybeen twice replastered.This latest, uppermostfloor was hardpackedand flat. Overthis floor, a burnedwall shows evidenceof wattle-anddaub construction,as well as split planks(up to 2.5 cm. thick by 15 cm. wide) alternatingwith beamstuds.On the exteriorthe timberwas daubedwiththick, chaff-temperedmud in which impressionsof grain husks and strawhad been

75 \

[LEVEL /////////////

/>>j*j

1l 3

Superimposed 1 _

{1969)

NortheastQuad

NorthwestQuad BDP CM 85

==--$,, l

SoutheastQuad

SURFACE

LEVEL 1

105

LEVEL 2

Scatterofwalling andCeramic

LEVEL 3

115 125

LEVEL 4 \ \\\\K\\\\\\\\\\\\

155

LEVEL 7

l l

162

LEVEL 8

|Nga

LEVEL 9

Pit

\\\\\\\\\\

Pit 4

Pit

_Fallen ll/all

Figure12. Stratigraphyof Square X ( 1969 season)showing superposition of three Anzafloors.

H//g/SSt//zat m

FallenWall

',g,Xft&,i,N,,$\g^XW Earliest F

unexcalvated

\\X\

Disturbed Area /

---=-=v

unexcavated

jPitllPiltl

44 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas petrifiedwhen the structureburned.A final coat of clay silt had been applied over the mud to create a smooth surface.The wall had burnedall the way through,probablyas a resultof smoulderingover a periodof time.The second replasteredfloor also had a hardcompactsurface.The firstof the threefloors was not as hard-firedas the uppertwo, but it was the most extensive,covering an areaof at least42 sq. m. The earliestfloor had not beenburnedandwas of a differenttexturethan the laterfloors. It was 2 cm. thick,grayishin color, compact, with small pebbles and sherdsembedded.It consistedof tampedearth and organicmaterial.House rubbleabove the floor was porous and not hardfired.

Ecology. Climate. The informationabout the climatewas obtainedfrom the analysisof wood samplesand the patternof soils. Unfortunately,the analysisof pollen samples by E. Grugerrevealeda high degreeof oxidationwithin the upper3-4 m. of soil, and recoveryof identifiablepollenhas provedextremelydifficult. The resultsof the analysisof wood samplesdone by H.J. Beugis givenbelow in TableV. Conceivably,the charcoalrangefor the variousperiods-showssomethingof the changingvegetationalcoverduringneolithicsettlement.Thus,the diversity of charcoalfromAnza Ia variesfromthat of the laterperiods.The amountsof Juniperushereare conspicuouslylow, and those of Quercusquitehigh. In spite of the relativelyinferiornumberof specimensin Anza Ia, more woody plant genera have been establishedin this time than in other periods. One may assumethe charcoalrange from Ia is representativeof the then still extensive primordialvegetationsituation;that in the courseof settlement,Juniperlls,being most affectedby man,acceleratedthe replacementof the forest. Basedon the majorsoil relationshipsas illustratedin Figure7 the following tentativesequenceof ;;soil-forming"events is proposedby Weide to account for most of the non-culturalvariationsamongthe soils of the Anza site. 1) With upliftand deformationof the soft lacustrinesedimentsthat formthe base of the site, intense and widespreadmechanicaldisintegrationof the siltstonesand fine-grainedsandstonesproduceda uniformand relativelythick blanketof sandymaterialacrossthe uplandmarginsof the ancientlake. TableV. Distributionof charcoalfinds fromthe periodsAnza I-IV lal Specimen

Juniperus Pinus Quercus Ulmus Castanea Ligustrum Evonymus Fraxinus ct Platanus Salix

9 3 12 7 1 2 2

25.0 8.3 33.4 19.5 2.8 5.5 5.5

Total

Ia2 Specimen

Ibl

Specimen

98.5

1.5

Ib2

Specimen

271

83.3

93.6

46 4 2

14.3 1.2 0.6

4 1

5. 1 1.3

1 1

0.3 0.3

325

II %

92 2 12 1

85.3 1.9 11.1 0.9

1 79

111

Specimen

108

Specimen

61.6

85.8

19 8

35. 1

3.8

14.2

0.9

Total

550 5 93 14 3 2 2 3 1 2

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 45 2) This surfacedepositwas subjectto localizedfluvialerosionthat produced gullies and concentrated coarse debris in channels and other shallow topographicdepressions. 3) During initial phases of occupation (Anza I), chemical weatheringof sands and silts, plus the addition of culturaldebris, led to the formationof local pockets of clay-richsoils. In general,however,the soils associatedwith the earliestphases of occupationare less modifiedthan the later soils which overliethem. 4) Continued occupation, coupled with perhaps slightly more humid climaticconditions,intensiEledthe productionof clay-richsoils from the underlyingsands and silts. During periods of intensivelocal runoff small lenticulardepositsof coarsergravel and rock fragmentswere formedon the soil surface. Usually such deposits were scattered or quickly buried. The soil formedduringthis phasewould correspondwith the unit of darkgray-brown, heavyclay soil withgravellenses(Anza II). 5) Minor environmentalchanges are indicated by the deposition of soil unitswheresandand Elnegravelaredepositedat the expenseof clay. 6) At some point in time afterthe formationof the above soil unit, deposition of the light-brownclay-siltloams began underconditionsof continuous occupation(Anza III and IV). The verticaltransitionwithinthis unit in the form of coarsesands and gravelsthroughzones whereclay predominatesand into the upper silt dominatedareas indicatesthe possibilityof a gradual though continueddeclinein availablemoisturethroughoutthe generalregion of centralMacedonia. 7) Conditionsof aridityare indicatedby the presenceof a fairly high carbonatecontentin the light-brownsandysilt horizon. 8) Reoccupationof the Anza site duringRomantimes appearsto have been responsiblefor the destructionof at leastpartof the carbonate-richhorizon. 9) Modernfarmingpracticesaccountfor the uniformdepthof the disrupted ploughzone, while the ratherlow rainfallregimenow characteristicof interior Macedoniaappearsto be reflectedin the vertisolstructuresnow formingin the upper 1 m. of soil. Calciumcarbonateprecipitationand accumulationare also a partof the currentpedogeneticprocess(or havebeen activein the immediate past as shownby the carbonatecoatingsof most of the potterysherdsthat date to Romantimes). Pollen studiesfromcentraland westernEuropeansites have shown that the Europeanclimateseemsto havechangedquiteoften duringpost-glacialtimes. The comparisonof the data on climaticconditionselsewherein Europeas outlined by Frenzell8with the evidencefor climatichistoryand chronologyat Anza, as outlinedabove,givesthe followingpicture(TABLEVl): TableVI. Tentativeclimatichistory. Anza periods

True Age B.C. (approx.)

Climatic Condition

Anza IV Anza III Anza II Anza Ib Anza Ia

5450 - 4850 5750 - 5450 6050 - 5750 ca. 6200 - 6050 6500 - ca.6200

warm and/or dry cool and/or mist cooling and/or wetter warm and/or dry cool and/or wet

18. B. Frenzel, "ClimaticChanges in the Atlantic/Sub-BorealTransitionon the Northern Hemisphere:BotanicalEvidence,"Proceedings of the Interntional Symposium on World Climate 8000-OBC(London- RoyalMeteorologicalSociety1966)108,fig.4.

46 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas The Elvesequential climatic changes apparentlydid not severely affect agricultureat Anza; we cannot concludefrom stratigraphyand the radiocarbon datesthat the site was temporarilyabandonedfor any lengthof time during the overall period of occupation.The abandonmentof the site after the EarlyVincaperiod(AnzaIV) appearsto havetakenplaceat the onset of a 400year period markedby generallywarm and/or dry conditions.PerhapsAnza was then unsuitablefor agriculture.At the sametime othersites at Ovce Polje, Rug Bairand Vrsnik,also wereabandoned.Vincasites of a laterage arefound to the north in the Morava and Danube basins of centralYugoslavia,a forested area of rolling hills. The modern climate representsperhaps the warmestand driestof the climaticpatternsthat could haveoccurredduringthe neolithichabitationof the Ovce Polje. CultivatedPlants. The seeds from Anza were analysedby Jane M. Renfrew.The identified speciesare given in TableVII: TableVII. Seedsfoundat Anza 1969and 1970. VII, 122is a pit of Anza III perioddug into II and Ib layers. The 14Cdatefromits bottomis of Anza II age. Arabic numeralsindicatenumberof seeds. XXX = chiefcomponent; XX = moderatelyfrequent;X = present.

Species

(VII,122) large deposit

III

Emmerwheat Einkornwheat Wheatspikeletforks Clubwheat Six-rowbarley Barleyrachis Grassseed Oat Lentil Pea Vetch Apple Corneliancherry Wildgrape Hazelnut Fat hen Blackbindweed Knotgrass Dock Greaterbladderwort

40 S

XX XX XXX

30 3 26

2 2 1

20 23 19

X X X X X

4 3 1

7 2

15 12 1 2 3

X X X 1 X X X

10 1 1

Since all this materialwas recoveredby flotationand most of it occurredin very small quantitiesin each sample,it is likelythat we have a fairlyrepresentative collection of informationabout the developmentof crop husbandry aroundthis site in the earlyand laterneolithicperiods.It appearsthat emmer wheat,supportedby smalleramountsof einkorn(untilthe increasein this crop in Anza IV) and hulled six-row barley,was the basic mainstayof the cereal crops as it was also in other areasof southeasternEuropeand the Near East. The hexaploidclub wheatappearsin the Ia deposit,but not later.Peasand lentils representthe pulsecrops.It is clearthat wild fruitsweregatheredin season to supplementthe food supply. Accordingto Jane Renfrewthe appearanceof the hexaploidwheatis most interesting;the closelyrelatedforms,breadwheatand clubwheat,do not haoe a wild form and arise as a result of hybridizationof a tetraploidwheat and another (unknown)species which contributedthe D genome. They seem to

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.1, 1974 47 have been particularlyfrequentin neolithicdepositsof the southernBalkans, occurringonly occasionallyin the Near East,Anatolia,and Crete.Thistype of wheatis muchbettersuitedto bakingpurposesthan einkornor emmer,which lack gluten in their flour and so cannot be baked into anythinglighterthan biscuits. Domestic Animals.

Of ca. 45,000animalbones, 19,185specimenswereidentifiedby S. Bokonyi. The E1vedomesticspecies(cattle, sheep, goat, pig, dog) are in overwhelming majority,of which 10 percentare wild. The 15-17wild species(aurochs,red deer, wild swine, badger, brown bear, wolf, fox, a small carnivore,beaver, brownhare,a smallrodent,2-4 birds, 1-2 tortoises)representunder6 percent. No fish boneswererecovered(TABLESVIII-IX). Throughout the four Anza periods caprovines are the most frequent domesticspecies,followedby cattle,pig, and dog respectively.In the courseof occupationcaprovinenumbersgraduallydecreased,while pig and cattle increased,exceptfor a recessionin PeriodIII. Wild aurochswerethe most common wild species,followedby reddeer,brownhare,and wild swine.In general, the faunalassemblageresemblesthat of neolithicGreece;the domesticfaunais similarto that of the Koroscultureof southeasternHungaryand northeastern Yugoslavia. The domestic cattle were large or medium-sized.Individualstransitional betweendomesticand wild cattleattestto some local domestication.The sheep were small animalsof a primitivetype, the males heavilyhorned,the females hornless or with small rudimentaryhorns. Goats were heavily horned and

TableVIII.Neolithicvertebratefaunaof Anza:numberof specimens.

cattle sheep/goat pig dog dom. animals aurochs red deer roe deer wild swine badger brownbear wolf fox carnivore beaver brown hare rodent birds tortoise wild animals Total

Period I

Period II

Period III

Period IV

Total

spec.

115 938 99 5 1157 15 4 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 12 41 1198

9.60 78.30 8.26 0.42 96.58

101 543 74 10 728

) 3.42

9 5 2 1 0 0 Â° 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 22

\ j t t

1 /

750

So 13.47 72.40 9.87 1.33 97.07

89 995 115 28 1227

2.93

2 3 11 5 0 1 0 1 0 1 8 0 8 35 75 1302

% 6.84 76.42 8.83 2.15 94.24

496 2067 351 36 2950

5.76

22 21 0 5 1 0 1 2 0 0 5 1 0 60 118 3068

From A1mixed together layers spec. spec.

16.17 67.40 11.44 1.17 96.18

801 4543 639 79 6062

1605 9557 1308 80 12550

2406 14100 1947 159 18612

3.82

48 33 13 18 1 1 1 3 0 1 18 1 9 109 256

113 51 5 27 0 1 2 6 4 0 42 0 10 56 317

161 84 18 45 1 2 3 9 4 1 60 1 19 165 573

6318

12867

19185

48 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas

TableIX. Neolithicvertebratefaunaof Anza:numberof individuals. Period II

Period I So

ind. cattle sheep/goat pig dog dom. animals

12 80 8 2 102

aurochs reddeer roe deer wildswine badger brownbear wolf fox carnivore beaver brownhare rodent birds tortoise wildanimals

3 2 0 2 0 0 ° 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 11

Total

113

10.62 70.80 7.08 1.77 90.27

1 j t )

l 1 1

9.73

ind. 12 49 7 3 71 2 2 1 1 0 0 ° 0 ° 0 1 0 0 1 8 79

Period III SZo

ind.

15.19 62.03 8.86 3.80 89.88

10 85 11 5 111

10.12

2 2 3 2 0 1 0 1 ° 1 2 0 3 3 20 131

7.63 64.89 8.40 3.82 84.74

\ j

1 ) 15.26 l 1 1

Period IV %

ind. 48 161 32 7 248 5 4 0 2 1 0 1 1 ° 0 2 1 0 4 21 269

Total ind.

17.84 59.85 11.90 2.60 92.19

82 375 58 17 532

7.81

12 10 4 7 1 1 1 2 ° 1 6 1 4 10 60 592

largerthan sheep. Pigs were small;therewas no evidenceof local domestication. Dogs weresmall,or less often medium-sized. The wild animals,aurochs,wild swine,red deer,and roe deerweregenerally smallto mediumin size;badgerand fox large;brownharesmall.Cattle,goats, aurochs,red deer,and harewerekilledat maturity;sheepand pig at a juvenile or sub-adultstage. Sources. In the attempt to locate as many source areas as possible for the raw materialsused in the constructionof neolithictools, the stone implementsfrom the excavationwerefirstclassiEledas to composition. Four basic categories were established. These included 1) grinding implementsused in the preparationof cereal crops, 2) polished stone tools, 3) chippedstone objects,and4) miscellaneouslithicartifacts.Over300 tools from these categories were examined and catalogued on the basis of their macroscopicpetrologyby Weide.The resultsof his researchare presentedin the followingtables(TABLES X-XII). It is apparentthat the majority(81So)of the stone implementswere composed either of andesite (a partiallyvesicularextrusiveigneous rock) or a medium to fine-grainedwell-cementedsandstone. Of the chipped stone artifacts, well over 50Sowere eitherquartzor cryptocrystallinesilicatematerial fromvolcanicrocks.Groundstone objects,on the otherhand,werealmostentirelyderivedfromdense,extremelyfine-grainedmetamorphicrocks. To determinesourceareasof the specificrocks,geologicalreconnaissanceof possible outcrops was done during the course of general field mapping. Investigationof availablematerialwas based on the fact that the bulk of the

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 49 TableX. GrindingImplements. Rocktype Andesite Sandstone(mediumto finegrained) Basalt Quartzlatite Metamorphic(undifferentiated) Limestone(finegrained) Quartzite TOTAL

No.

16 26 4 2 2 1 1

31 50 8 3.5 3.5 2 2

100

TableXI. ChippedStone. Rocktype Yellow-browntranslucentjasper Quartz Yellow-redopaquejasper Miscellaneousrockfragments Chertbreccia Chalcedony Opalite(hydrated& non-hydrated) TOTAL

Sq.

XIV

XVII

No.

25 29 9 17 7 5 6

8 18 6 9 1 5 4

18 39 16 26 1 2 4

51 86 31 52 9 12 14 255

20 34 12 20 3.5 5 5.5 100

TableXII. GroundStoneComposition. Recrystallizedfelsite Lime-silicatehornfels Serpentinite Fine-grainedmeta-basalt Flint

Fine-grainedgabbro Talcschist(steatite) Jadeite Jasper

stone objects recovered from the Anza site are of three forms of cryptocrystallinesilicatematerial.These are, in approximateorderof importance: 1) a cryptocrystallinerock derived from an extrusive volcanic terrain (technicallyjasper);2) quartzand/or chalcedony;and 3) hydratedand nonhydratedopalites. Jasper,in cobbleto bouldersize angularblocks,is sparselydistributedalong stream courses throughout the north and northeast OvEe Polje. In all probabilitythe outcropsof Tertiaryvolcanicslyingnortheastof Sv. Nikole are the original source area of the jasper. The Geological Map of Yugoslavial9 shows an area of such volcanicsextendingover approximately600 sq. km. in this region.Colors rangefrom a light golden brownto opaqueblack.Colorin transmittedlight(seenin specimensup to 1.5cm. thick)is a cleargoldenyellow to clear brown.Fragmentsfrom the archaeologicalexcavationsoften retaina white to light-yellowweatheredcortex. This cortex is also common on the larger blocks recoveredfrom stream channels. Other varieties of volcanicderivedjasper include a dark-redsemi-granularform and a yellow-brown opaque form which was apparentlydistributedat random throughoutthe culturaldeposit.Selectionfor redjasperincreasestremendouslyin Anza IV. Of 19. 1953, 1:500,000.

50 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas all redjasperpiecesexamined,8 370 are fromAnza I contexts;16<37o fromAnza II and III;and fully76<37o fromAnza IV. Quartz(with its amorphouscounterpart,chalcedony)constitutesa major component of the local streamgravels and is common both as culturaland non-culturalmaterialwithinthe Anza site. The form which predominatesis a milky-to-whiteamorphousor cryptocrystallinequartzwith numerousinternal fractures.This high degreeof internalstrainingis evidentin the abundanceof randomfractureson workedpieces. Pebblesand cobblesof similarquartzare locally quite common as skeletalmaterialin the soils of the low hills and rolling uplandsthat formthe marginof the basin. Opalites and hydrated opalites form approximately 15So of the cryptocrystallinechipped stone tools. It is most probablethat this materialwas originallyderivedfromthe rhyoliticportionof the Tertiaryvolcanicsnortheast of Sv. Nikole that supplied the jasper, andesites, and basalts used in the manufactureof grindingtools. Nodules of opalite were probablyobtainedas alluvial debrisin local streamchannelsand from lenses of cobbles contained withinthe olderstreamterraces. Grindingstones of volcanic rock probablyhad their source in the region northeastof Sv. Nikole. Underthe presenterosionregime,volcaniccobblesof a size suitablefor artifactmanufactureare not foundin the vicinityof the Anza site. In the presentparticle-sizegradientalong the channelof the Sv. Nikole River,such cobblesdo not occursouth of the town of Sv. Nikole, over 14 km. distant. Well-cementedsandstones, however, similar in lithology to those forming50 percentof the Anza grindingstones, are foundin outcropless than 4 km. to the south. No speciElcquarrieswere located. It is interestingto note that, assumingstreamdirectionswere the same duringthe Neolithic as today, natural stream transportcould not have carriedlarge cobbles of this wellcementedsandstonenorthwardto the vicinityof the Anza site. The last categoryof materialto be consideredconsistsof the rocksutilizedin the manufactureof polished stone axes and other groundtools. Two source areas are possible for this material.First, small pools of jadeite and serpentinite are numerousin the basic, ultrabasic,and metamorphicrocks along the north and northeastflanks of Bogoslav Mountain.Althoughin situ outcrops of this materialare generallymaskedby soil and colluvium,roundedclasts up to 20 cm. in lengthmay be foundalong streamcoursesand erosiongullies.The second majorsource,especiallyfor the isexotic"rock types such as quartzite, felsite, and fine-grainedlimestone,may be the small lenses of conglomeratic materialthat occur both in the Tertiarymarinesection and, to a lesserdegree in the coarsersand units of the PesirovoFormation.At the presenttime it is impossibleto determinethe originalsourceareaof theseclasts. PolishedStoneTools. Forty-three polished tools were recovered, including reconstructible fragments.Theirtemporaldistributionis as follows:3, Anza I; 1, Anza II; 4, Anza III; 27, Anza IV. Their stratigraphicand chronologicalplacementis quite unequivocal.The very large numericalincreasein Anza IV suggestsincreasedand variedactivity. The stone implementsare classiEledas axes, adzes,picks,andhammerheads. They are madeof "greenstone,"a mineralcompositeof mainlyserpentineand jadeitewith intrusionsof asbestos,whichis abundanton the slopesof ttwenearby BogoslavMountain.A few of the smalltools are of purejade, little pods of whichoccurin thejadeite.The color of greenstonerunsthe gamutof shadesof

1,1974 51 JournalofFieldArchaeology/Vol. green,fromalmostwhiteto almostblack.At timesthe rock is veined,mottled, or spottedin beautifulcombinationsof patternsand contrasts. The axes fall into two categories:miniature,2-5 cm. long;and large,5-10cm. long. Smallaxes appearin Anza I, increasingin numberin Anza II-IIIand IV. The wedge shape with roundedor pointed butt, with slight variationsin size and thickness,is constantthroughoutthe threephasesfor the small axes (FIG. 13).There is, however, a trend toward the reductionof width in the crosssection. The same is true of the chisels:the earlierare almost round in crosssection, the laterones are thin and flat. The chisel-likesmallertools and those of somewhatlargersize tend to be parallel-sided.The largeaxes and axe adzes, consistentlywider at the cuttingedge than at the butt end, are reminiscentof the so-called "shoelast axes." Picks exhibit considerablesrariationof size. Lengthsare from 3.0 cm. to 8.4 cm.; widths are from 1.5 cm. to 5.1 cm. In cross-sectionat maximumwidth the size rangesfrom 0.35 cm. to 5.0 cm. The earlierpicksaremoreroundedthanthe later. The largerstone implementsshow greatvarietyin size and shape,particularly in cross-section.Somearerounded,othersrectangularand almostcompletely flat. In addition to the criteriasuggestedby Semeonov,20the characteristically flat back of the adze was taken into considerationfor purposesof typology. Otherfeaturesto whichattentionwas directedwereas follows. 1) The "cuttingplatform"(the Rattenedarea,in most casesonly on the back,but in a few isolatedinstancesalso on the front)of an axe, adze,or chisel.Thisarea,endingat the sharpedge of the tool, was found to varygreatly.In some instancesit was under 0.5 cm. in width,in othersover2 cm. 2) Assymetry.Thiscan be ascribedto the resharpeningof the tool. It is equallyplausible thatthe formof the tool is intentionalandthatthis featureis relatedto function. 3) Absenceof the platforms.Many of the Anza IV tools, especiallythe largeones, show no cuttingplatformsat all;the backsaregraduallyroundedtowardsthe cutting edge,withouta traceof dividingline. 4) Grooves.Someof the implementsbearseeminglyintentionalgrooves.

McPherron,in excavatingthe site of Divostin in Yugoslavia, has found evidencethat axes were sawed out of the solid rock with the help of abrasives and water. Just before the end of this time-consumingprocessit would have beeneasy to breakoff the axe-likeshape,leavinga rough,scar-likeareaon one side.2lOn the other hand, the possibilityis not excludedthat the groovesare connectedwith some hafting device. Although there is as yet no evidenceof haftingfromsites in southeasternEurope,it is inconceivablethat axesor adzes could have otherwisebeenput to use. Perforatedstone axeswerefoundonly in the Anza IV period. usedby Semeonov The techniquesof micro-analysisand micro-photography (see Note 20) were appliedby B. Smoor to the few wedge-shapedsmall axes with quitesurprisingresults(the largeaxes and adzescould not be takenout of Yugoslavia).Underthe microscopethe frontsof all these axes show extremely fine parallelstriationsperpendicularto the cuttingedge(FIG. 14). Figure14:3of Anza IV shows additionalstriationson the left side at an angleof 45Â°. According to the findings of Semeonov and Kantman this would indicate the characteristicsof an adze. However,when we look at the wear patternof the 20. "An axe is recognized by its symmetrical proElle,an adze or hoe by its assymetry, and a chisel (London 1970). by its small size." S.A. Semeonov, PrehistorieTeehnology 21. A. McPherron and D. Srejovic, Divostin(Belgrade 1974).

1 1 1,,, 1 l

j i /

:A 2

Figure 13. Wedge-shaped,greenstone axes.Anza11. I) FromSquareVll, 159. 2) FromSquareVll, 216.

52 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas

backsof thesetools,in eachcasethewearpatternis different. In summary,sincenone of the wearpatternsconformsto the S;typical'' characteristics of eitheranaxeor anadze,it wouldseemthatallof thesamples wereS;multiple-purposes' tools,servingforthemanufacture of vesselsandcontainers,for the cuttingdownof smalltrees,andforthe smoothingof planks. Theymayhavebeenusedforotherpurposesaswell. BoneTools. Sixtybonetoolswerefoundat Anza.Thetypologydividestheartifactsinto fourcategories: awls;needles;spatulae; andothers. The spatulaeare an interestingfeatureof Anza.In AnzaI thereis onlya singlefragment, whichcouldalsohavebeena polisher.(Bonepotterypolishers are deElnitely presentin Anza III, and in Anza IV they are abundant.) Althoughmostof theAnzaspatulaewerefragmentary, oneexamplewascomplete(FIG. 15) andmanymoreof thetypeareknownin relatedsites;it is not thereforedifElcult to reconstruct the spatulaefragments.In all casesthe thin blade-liketip has beenpreserved. Thespatulaecouldhavehad severalfunctionsssuchaspigmentmixersor simplyas smallspoons.

g\4

Figure 14. Wedge-shaped axes as examined under microscope. Anza II (1,4), Anza III (2,5,6), Anza IV (3). I) Extremely fine striations running at 45Â° angle angle from left, and a small section of striations running from the right, all covering the cutting platform which in this unique case is double. 2) Fine parallel striations on the back, perpendicular to the cutting edge. Another series of fine striations perpendicular to the left side of the axe higher up. 3) The pattern is similar to that of (4): a series of striations starting on the left side and perpendicular to that side, gradually vanishing towards the center of the axe. 4) A series of fine striations on the back, starting on the left and perpendicular to this side, gradually fading out towards the middle of the axe. The cutting platform shows no striations. 5) Small jade tool with diagonal striations forming a cross pattern on the front. On the back, however, the striations are perpendicular to the axis of the tool. 6) A chisel, the back of which is unfortunately chipped off, with a series of striations running at an angle of 45Â° from left to right.

,X,,;_

-t

The are truncated-globe, quite frequent.

redTall or slender brown-burnished, jars with cylindrical is the most common neck occur. shape in -I I|

!!I I| |I _-

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 53 Severalobjectswere unique:a violin-shapedobject,the functionof whichis problematic,especiallyin view of the small perforation;and the perforated caputof a bovid femurwhose function,becauseof its fragmentarystate, is difficult to determine.On the whole, the bone tools are similarto those found in sites of the same chronology,especiallyat VrBnikand Rug Bair, sites close to

: >;k S:

Sunsnwrvof PotteryTypologyandTechnolocy-

Colorfulvases probablymade especiallyfor religiousceremoniesand other vessels found in the earliest culturallayer are of fine quality. By no means "primitive,"they are undoubtedlythe productof a long technicaltradition.It is not germane at this point to bring up the problem of earlier prototypes-these have not been found in the Vardarregion; possibly they will appearas a result of futureexplorations.We are confident,nevertheless,that the earliestAnza pottery is autochthonous.Admittedlyit is relatedin quality and form to that of the "EarlyCeramic"(Fruhkeramikum)stage in Thessaly and early Nea Nikomedeia, as well as to that of Hacilar IX-VI in Central Anatolia. But we do not infer from this fact that the Anza potteryis imported from those areas. At this stage, the Anza ceramicstyle alreadyhas its own "Macedonian"character. Thereare threecategoriesof wares accordingto quality:very fine, medium thick,and coarse. The finest pots are maroon-slippedand red-burnished;they are extremely thin-walled,of well-fired clay almost without temper. The bonding of the maroon iron oxide slip to the orange clay body has not workedwell, and the slip peels off easily. The maroon-slippedcategoryincludeselegantjars with body flared at the base (FIG. 16:2), and open straightwalled bowls (FIG 16:1). The red-burnishedjars are globularwith gracefullyswungprofile(FIG.16:3,5). Vesselformsarerounded,withoutlip or carination. A smallamountof medium-finewareis decoratedand seemsto representan initialstage of painting.Thesepots arethickerthanthe maroon-slippedor redburnished;the clay is temperedwith grit or pebblesand has a dark-browncore. The surfaceis orange-slipped,with designs, includingtriangles,curvedlines, ovals, and net pattern,overpaintedin white. The medium-coarseware is brown-slippedor pink-buffburnished.Jarsand bowls have flaringrims (FIG. 16:6,7). Globularjars with a flat or concave base and two string-holelugs at body center appear(FIG. 16:4). Thickerpots have appliedcrescentlugs. Ring bases of jars are commonin the earliesthorizonof this phase. A distinctiveform is the quatrefoilbase dividedinto four sections with an excisedV in each (FIG. 17). The coarse ware is unslipped salmon-pinkor buff. The clay is coarsely temperedwithgrit, and the vesselsarepoorlyfired.

A nza Ib.

Globularjars and open bowls remainthe basic categoriesof shapesas in la. the fine ware category.Necks and rims, varyingin height and degreeof flare, Medium-thickbuff or pink-buffburnishedjars with two solid or string-hole lugs seem to have become popular (FIG. 18). The perforationof the lug is

_ _

i8il |

l l | l 311

Figure 15. Bone spatula from Anza II, SquareA.

54 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas Figure 16. Group of Anza Ia pots (reconstructed). 1) Maroon-slipped from Square V, 97. 2) Maroon-slipped from Square V, 92. 3) Red burnished from Square V, 109. 4) Buff from Square V, 125. 5) Red burnished from Square V, 125. 6-7) Buff from Square VII, 259.

b Figure 17. Quatrefoil base of Anza Ia pot, divided into four sections with excised V in each (from Square V, 82). a) ProSlle. b) Bottom.

O .

Figure18.AnzaIb pink-buffburnishedjar withperforatedlugs(SquareV, 36) andlugof anotherjar (SquareVl1,222).

3F .

Journal of Field Archaeology/Vol. 1, 1974 55

usuallyhorizontal,but some lugs areverticallyperforatedas in Hacilar,central Turkey.Coarsewareis decoratedwith finger-tipimpressions,stabbing,and incisions. Ring, flat, and quatrefoil bases continue from Anza Ia. Miniature cupssometimeshavea quatrefoilbase. Painted vases are thin-walled,the fabric usually without temper. Vessels were paintedwith iron oxide pigments,and afterwardburnished.Paintedornamentationis most commonlywhiteon a groundof red, brown,or black(the blackbackgroundthe resultof intentionalsmoking).An orange-redpainton a cream-slippedbackgroundis also found. Characteristicof this phasearewhirl patternsmadeof triangles,geometricizedleavesand buds,and rowsof dots attachedto whitelines,probablyabstractplantdesigns(FIG. 19). Symbolicdesign also includedeggs and moon crescents.So far there are no close analogiesin either Greece, Yugoslavia, or Bulgaria, for this surprisingly rich and aestheticallypleasing painted pottery. It representsa local ceramicdevelopmentwhichreacheda climaxin the periodfollowingAnza Ia. A nza 11.

Changesin shapes,colors,and designsbetweenAnza Ib and II aremarked. Fine ware of burnishedmaroon-slippedstraight-walledbowls, highly burnished red-slippedjars on a raised foot, and well-burnishedblack ware with profiled or everted lip continue in the tradition of Anza I, but the almost mirror-likesheen of the vessels exhibits progress in the technique of burnishing. The use of a new manganesepigment initiates a new decorative style: chocolate-brownpainting on orange-slippedvases. This mode persists until the startof the Vinta (Anza IV) period;the designsare curvilinear(FIG. 20) but the symbolic elements of the earlier period, such as triangles,consecutive dots and lines, and the net pattern, continue in the repertoire. Exclusiveto Anza II was also paintingin red-on-redor on maroon (FIG. 21), brown-on-red, or red-on-brown, and occasionally brown-on-cream.The coarseclay with vegetabletempercontrastswith the untemperedfabricof the verythin vasesof Anza Ib. The shapes of globularand oval pink-buffand gray coarsewaresare more variedthan in earlierphases.Thoughbases are uniformlyflat, necksare cylindrical, sharplyeverted,or with an outwardflare at the rim (FIG. 22). A great variety of techniqueswere also employed in the plastic decoration of the vessels: streaking,incising, stabbing, shell impressing,pinching with finger nails, stamping. Decoration is confined to the portion below the neck, and either covers the entire body or only the lower part. A style of decoration called "Barbotine,"accomplishedby thick but randomsmearingwith heavy slip, is commonon large,yellow-slippedgrayjars and bowls(FIG. 23).

A nza 111.

Thereis no abruptchangeof style betweenAnza II and III. Fine and coarse vesselscontinuethe sametraditions.Maroon-slippedand red-slippedvasesare prominentin the fine warecategory,whichis outstandingfor its quality.Even the shapesof the maroon-slipped,usuallystraight-walledopen bowlscontinue. Orange-redslippedfooted vases are decoratedwith brownpaintas in Anza II. The painteddesign is more tectonicthan in Anza II; convergingverticallines are paintedlengthwisefromtop to foot, or alternatewith thick lines or lenses. Around the rim there is a simple or indentedband, a row of crosses or net design, or a band of garlands(FIG. 24). Slightlybiconicalblack-burnishedor

b Figure 19. Painted designs of Anza Ib. a) Whirl pattern composed of triangles painted white on black burnish. b) White designs painted on red or brown.

XA@

f-*

Figure 20. Vases with painted design in chocolate-brown on background of orange-slip (reconstructions). Anza II (Squares I, VII).

s x . o

Figure21. Vasewithdesignpaintedred on maroon-slip.AnzaII (SquareVII, 127). a

:x c

Figure23. Fragment of large pot with "Barbotine"decoration. Anza II (Square VII,204).

Figure22. Anza II. a) Sharply everted rim fromSquare VII, 145. Medium-coarse warewith outward flaring rims: b) from SquareVII, 209; c) from Square VII, 149.

8 -

Figure24. Anza III. Brown-on-orange paintedjars (reconstructions). a)From Square VII, 98. b)From Square VIII, 18; XIX, 225. c)From Square XVIII, 141.

Vol.I, 1974 57 of FieldArchaeology/ Journal maroon-slippedpots are present.Beadedand slightlyout-turnedand sharply evertedrims are as frequentas duringAnza II. The impressed,stamped,and barbotinedecorationof mediumand coarse utilitywarescontinuefromAnza II. The largepots areglobularjars withcylindrical neck and open bowls with straight,out-turned,or somewhatinverted rim.They rangefrombrown-andyellow-slippedto pinkish-buffburnishedand grayor dark-grayunslippedvarieties.The largestoragejars, usuallygray,-have a raisedridgewith fingertip impressionsaroundthe middle(FIG. 25). Anza IV.

Anza IV is characterizedby great quantitiesof Dark Wares:gray-blackburnishedor black-slippedand hardfired,as well as by a muchgreatervariety of shapes and handles than during the previous periods. Flat and rounded plates, a variety of biconical vessels, carinated dishes, zoomorphic or ornithomorphicvases, and high-footedvases or "fruitstands"are now leading formsin the finewarecategory(FIGS. 26-32). Channelledand black-toppedvases (the black tops of dishes or biconical vesselswere obtainedthroughintentionalsmokingof the upperpartsof pots) representa new style of decoration.The new decorativetechniquescoincide with the appearanceof button handles in the earliesthabitationlevel of the EarlyVinta settlementat Anza, i.e., Anza IVa (FIG. 33). These featureshave parallelsin the East BalkanKaranovocultureand seem to be borrowedfrom the east. Handlesand lugs are imaginativeand stylisticallyuniqueduringIVb

Figure25. AnzaIII:SquareV, 6. Fragmentof largegraystoragejar withfingertip impressionson raisedridgearound middle.

(

{

(FIGS. 28, 30-32).

Spoutedand perforatedvases (sieves or lamps)are also innovations.Three or four-leggedcult vessels incisedwith ideogramsor conceptualdesigns22are typical of the EarlyVinta complex,but in shape recallthe KaranovoIII and IV cult vessels(FIG. 34). The changesin ceramicart at this time, which correspondswith Karanovo III in central Bulgaria,are noticeable all over the central Balkan area and Northern Greece.23Anza IV pottery has close analogiesin a series of Early Vinta sites in Macedoniaand Serbia.An "easternshock" cannot be denied. The transformationfrom Anza III to Anza IV is synchronouswith the period of remarkableincrease of population and the expansion of Karanovo III elements from central Bulgaria(the Marica valley) to the Danube valley in southernRumania,hithertooccupiedby the Startevo(Cris)people, and south of the Rhodope Mountainsinto Greek Macedoniaand Thrace. A wave of Karanovo-basedinfluencesreachedthe centralBalkansat the same time. We emphasizethe word influences since Anza IV materialsdo not furnishus with substantialevidenceof such complete culturalchange as to imply an ethnic shift. The changeseems to be the effect of new inspirationon local traditions. So, at least,it is reflectedin the ceramics. Alongside the "exotic" features in Anza IV ceramic art such as button handlesand decorationby channellingand black-toppingwhichwe considerto be borrowingsfrom easternneighbors,other elementsof pottery-makingcontinued from the Anza III period. The "Vinta type" blackwaresstart in Anza brown, as well as coarse brown pottery, continue III. Fine and medium-Elne

.,,4g3

.. t a

b 22. I.e., various combinations of Vs, chevrons, three lines, groups of parallel lines, net, and checkerboard patterns. 23. Cf. Arapi, upperlayer:H. Hauptmann and B. Milogtic, "Die Funde der fruhen Dimini-Zeit aus der Arapi-Magula, Thessalien," Beitrage zur ur- und fShgeschichtlichenArchaologiedes 9 (Bonn:Rudolf Habelt 1969) pls. II and 17. Mittelmeer-Kulturraumes

Figure26. AnzaIVdishes,flat androunded. a) Coarseware (IX, 55; I, 6, 9, 10). b) Fine, burnishedand decoratedwith channelingon interiorand black-topping (I, 10;X, 4; VII,66:X, 27).

?'"

58 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas Figure 27. Anza IV. Carinated bowls with decorations of channeling and applied bosses. 1) Square XX, 10. 2) Square XXIV, 7. 3) Square I, 18. 4) Square XXIII, 16.

A//)lolL-|tZ 3

Figure 28. Anza IVb. Vessels with long handles and narrowed mouths. 1) Square Vlll, 32. 2) Square VII, 83. 3) Square XV, 9. 4) Square X, 13. 5) Square XIV, 15.

Figure 29. Anza IV, flne ware. Brown footed vessel from Square X, 17.

X cS

3 cm

from Anza III to the end of Anza IV. Biconical bowls and footed vessels, shapes which clearly dominatethroughoutthe Vinca civilization,have their beginningsin Anza III. Painting techniques also continue from Anza III. Whiteslip and red-on-whitepaintingis new, thoughseeminglya local innovation. The very frequentrepresentationof the BirdGoddess face on the cylindrical neck of vases during Anza IV has its roots in Anza III. The Bird Goddess continuesto be the most prominentdivinityat Anza, as reflectedby the miniature sculptures portrayinga Bird Goddess, the most numerous among the representationsof gods in both the Starcevo(Anza II and III) and the EarlyVinca(Anza IV) periods. The studyof potteryand figurinesdoes not supportthe hypothesisof an immigrationof the Vinca people from the east, i.e., from Anatolia, as has been presumedfor the last 30 yearsby a numberof archaeologists.The strorXg *mpact from the East BalkanKaranovocivilizationis neverthelessindicatedby manyfeaturesin the ceramicart, and its implicationscannotbe overlooked.

{-}

Figure 30. Anza IVb. Brown dish, ornithomorphic protomes from Square X, 179. Figure 31. Anza IVb. Zoomorphic handle of black burnished vase from Square XVI, 11.

a cZ

Figure 33. Anza IVa. Button handles of burnished gray vases. 1) Square XIX, 5. 2) Square X, 27.

>''* rx X

Figure32. AnzaIVb.Grayburnished askosfromSquareXIII.

Figure 35. Anza Ib. I) Greenstone pendant from Square VI, 17. 2-3) Bone rings, Square XV, 8; VII, 219. 4) Stone beads, Square XIII. 0

Av.

Figure 34. Anza IV. Cult vessel with incised decoration characteristic of Early Vinca culture from Square X, 27.

Figure 36. Anza II. White marble toad from a sacrificial pit. Perhaps epiphany of the Goddess in birth-giving aspect.

60 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/G.imbutas

Figure 37. Anza IV. Terracotta torso fragment from Square VII, 10.

Figure38. Anza II. Schematicfigurineof squattingfemalefromSquareVII, 196.

Figure39. AnzaII. Seatedbeakedfemale fromSquareI, 36.

OrnamentsandOtherSmallFinds. There are 77 items in this categoryincludinga considerablevarietyof ornaments,pendants,beads, discs, and braceletsmade of a varietyof materials: shell, bone, clay, and stone. The minisculeobjects,such as tiny annularbeads werefoundthroughflotation. Unique findsof Anza I aretwo fragmentsof musicalinstruments:pipeswith flattenedbaseandwindholes. Both aremadeof long bones,verywell polished; a groove on one indicates long use. So far, no parallels from Neolithic settlementsof the sameperiodare known.The instrumentsbelongto the Anza Ib phase. The preservedlength of one of the pipes (XIII, 63) is 4.63 cm., the cross-section1.63cm. at its widestdiameter,and the diameterof the hole, 0.06 cm. The exquisitequalityof the Anza I stonecarvingtraditionmay be seen in the smooth greenstonependant (FIG. 35:1) and in the tiny annular,tubular,and disc-shaped beads made of various shades of greenstone (FIG. 35:4). For ornaments,as for the smallgreenstoneaxes and chisels,Anza I peopleselected stone of strikingor unusualcolor, light or dark,mottled,or with spotson dark green. Small discs of very rich dark green stone apparentlyservedas decoration for garments.Evidencefor this custom is presenton the figurineswhich displaytiny appliqueddiscs in a row acrossthe shouldersin front, or around the waistor hips. Stone ornamentsor amuletshaveparallelsin northernGreece.For instance, the pendantsectionedinto five partsby parallelgroovesis closelyanalogousto one at Nea Nikomedeia.24Probablyamulets representinga chrysalis,their significancerelatesto the concept of regeneration.The Anza I mode of stone carvingis similarto that of marbleand greenstonebeads,studs, and pendants in Thessalianand MacedonianEarlyPotterylayers.At Anza, however,studs (usuallycalled"earplugs"or 'nose plugs")havenot beendiscovered. The high standardof bone carvingis indicatedby the two fragmentsof pendants or rings from the Anza Ib deposits (FIG. 35:2,3). The ring illustratedin Figure 35:3 is exquisitelypolished. Ornamentsof Spondylusgaederopusshell, a musselnativeto the AegeanSea, known from all phasesof the Anza site, prove that for manycenturiespeople in the Vardar basin were getting this shell in trade with their southern neighbors.Spondylusbeadsand a ringcameto lightin Anza Ib deposits. Withthe exceptionof beads,stoneornamentsandpendantswerenot as popularas in Anza I, thoughtwo pendantsof bone anda marblebeaddo belongto Anza II-III. Instead,braceletsof Spondylusor clay becamefashionable.The Spondylusbraceletsbelong exclusivelyto the Anza II phase;those of clay to both Anza II and Anza III. Consideringthe long durationof Anza II and III, ornamentsare ratherlow both in quantity and quality. Standardswere apparentlynot as high as in Anza I. Ceramicdiscs,perforatedand unperforated, mayhave been used as spindlewhorlsor for garmentornamentsas in Anza I. Parallelsareknownfromalmostall Starcevoand Sesklosettlements. The Anza IV ornamentsincludea varietyof beads, bone and marblerings, andSpondylusbracelets.A considerablenumberof beads made of Spondylus and other shells, includingvery fragiletubularshells of Aegean origin, have close parallelsin the East Balkan area and in the Cyclades.Similartubular shellbeads from the island of Paros are on exhibitionin the AthensNational Museum.Marbleandgreenstonewereused for stonediscs. 24.Rodden,op. cit. (in note7, 1964)pl. 4B.

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 61 F*

gurlnes.

The total numberof figurinesdiscoveredduringthe two seasonsof excavation is 70. Comprisedin this numberare sculpturefragments,such as legs, heads, torsos, zoomorphicprotomesof cult vessels,and anthromomorphicor ornithomorphicvases. The chronologicalclassificationof the sculpturesis Anza I, 5; II-III, 16;IV, 49. Provenance.

The provenanceof the figurinesand cult vessels was in either of two contexts: 1) above the floors of houses or in the debrisof house walls, usuallyin association with fine pottery; 2) in pits, probably sacrificial,together with paintedor carefullyburnishedware,offeringtables,animalbones, teeth,claws or antlers,ceramicdiscs,and otherobjects.25 Withinthe houses, figurinesseem to have been groupedin a single locality such as a dais or altar,since most of them werefound in clusters.Most of the figurinesand ornithomorphicvases and zoomorphicprotomesof cult vessels of the Anza IVb periodwere found in definiteassociationabove the floor of the last Vinca house in SquareX. The strikingnumberof ornithomorphicanthropomorphicvases and bizarrevesselswith hornedanimalprotomesthat accompaniedbeak-facedfigurines shows that this house either included a domesticshrineor was itselfa temple. Manufacture.

Broken clay figurinesreveal certain details of manufacture.A round or cylindricalsolid core was preparedfroma lumpof well-temperedclay;thenthe desiredcontourswereaddedonto the core and shapedby fingermodeling(FIG. 37).The variouspartsand limbs buttocks,legs, arms,necks,heads were individuallymodeled, then joined to the central core. On completion, the figurinewas smoothedwith a bone polisher,then eitherburnishedby rubbing with a pebble,or slipped(i.e. given a finishcoating)by dippingin a solutionof finely-grainedclay to which color had been added. Eyes, ornaments,dress, hair,or symbolicdecorationswereindicatedby excisionsencrustedwith white paste made of crushedshell, or by overpaintingin red. Red and white is the usual color combination throughout the whole sequence of the Anza settlement. Function.

Despitethe varyingdegreeof schematizationthat prevailsin the art of Anza and in neolithic art in general (FIG. 38), some parts of the human body, buttocks,thighs, bellies, breasts,were occasionallyrenderedrealisticallywith masterfulskill.Howeverthe primaryfunction of sculpturewas not representational, but presentational:its aim was a plastic manifestationof an item in the symbolic and shared lexicon. A divinity is a corporate image of an amalgamatedmetaphysicalconcept; and a hybrid creature such as birdwoman, snake-woman,or other compoundwas by its form immediatelyintelligible in terms of the symbolic "language"of neolithic peoples. Thus an anthropomorphicfigure may have, instead of a human mouth and nose, a beak; instead of arms, arm-stumpsor other appendagesneither arms nor wings,but somethingsuggestiveof both. 25. E.g., in figure 1, the contentsof the pit in Unit 213, SquareVII, whichcompriseda marble FIgurineof an anthropomorphized toad (fig. 36), a zoomorphic(deer) figurine,a bear claw, a ceramicdisc,a grindingstone,andbrown-on-red paintedvasesherdsof AnzaII.

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Figure 40. Anza II. Bird-woman from Square I, 9.

62 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas TypologyandInterpretation. In spite of the fragmentarynatureof some of the Elgurines,the following classificationcan be offered. 1) Beaked,Elgurines with or withoutarm-stumps.Thesehaveincisedeyes or no eyes; no mouth;andthe headis usuallycrowned. 2) Anthropomorphic-ornithomorphic vases with a bird beak and human eyes, in reliefor incised,on the cylindricalneck. 3) SeatedElgurines of whichonly the buttocksare preserved.They are too fragmentary for the deElnitionof type represented,but some of these were probablyin a squattingposition. 4) Legsof standingor enthronedElgurines. 5) Phallicstands,somewithanimalheads,and figurineswithno femaleattributes. 6) Animals. 7) Zoomorphicprotomesof cult vases and animalfiguresshown in relief on large vases. TheBirdGoddess.

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Figure 41. Anza IV. Terracotta figurine fragments from Square IX, 57. Upper: proposed reconstruction. Lower: front view and section showing perforation through crown.

The beakedtype of Elgurineis dominant.More than 20 examplescame to light, includingcult vessel protomesand cylindricalnecks of vases on which beak and eyes areportrayed.Thereis no questionbut that the type representsa divinitywhichassumesa bird'sshape,herusualimagebeinga half woman-half bird. She has a bird'sbeak and neck, arm stumpsfor wings, femalebuttocks, and one or two conical legs. Her head is crowned.The type appearsin all phasesof occupationat the Anza site and has parallelsin many settlementsof the Neolithic and Chalcolithic.It is one of the stereotypesin the pantheonof gods of Old Europe.26 Two almostfullypreservedsmallsculpturesof a BirdGoddessdate fromthe Anza II period. The Elrstis in the seated position and wears a hip-belt and crown (FIG. 39). The second hybrid has a fused conical leg and protrusions indicatingwings, a beaked face, and flattenedcrown (FIG. 40). The fusion of human and bird featuresand the combinationof abstractionand naturalism are impressive.The gracilityof a birdand the projectingbut perfectlymodeled female buttocks are molded into a single form. Although miniaturein size (both are little over 3 cm. high),they conveythe mysteryappropriateto an importantdivinity.Theirstatusis shown by the indicationof a crown:two semiglobularprojectionson the flattenedtop of the head and a slightlyprojecting edge. The seatedgoddessis paintedred. Aroundthe buttocksshe wearsa hipbelt, an excisedline encrustedwith white paste;the eyes and the lines around the semi-globularprojectionsof the crownare also encrustedwith whitepaste. The standingfigurineis burnishedorange-buffand the hip-beltis shown in a red-paintedline. Unquestionablepredominanceof the Bird Goddess image obtains also in the Anza IV period.The small beakedand crownedladieswith armstumps(if preserved),are stylisticallysimilarto those of earlierperiods, but are almost devoidof naturalisticdetails.Manyare rigidlystylized;even eyes arerare(FIG. 41), but the symboliccrownis almost alwaysindicated.A badlydamagedvase protome in the shape of a head with two semi-globes (FIG. 42) iS highly reminiscentof the famous"Hydevase"fromthe Vinta site.27 In addition to small Elgurinesand small cult vessels with Bird Goddess 26. M. Gimbutas,The Gods and Goddesses of Old Europe, 7000-3500 B.C.: Myths, Legends, and Cult Images (London 1974) 112-142. 27. Ibid.,pls. 116,117.

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 63 protomes,thereare largevases with cylindricalneck on which are represented two carefullymodeled eyes. Their eyebrowsin relief or incised meet in the center to suggest a "beak form." The large, plastically renderedeyes are human,but the beakis that of a bird(FIG. 43). The most magniElcent vase of Anza is a largepithos,92 cm. high and 60 cm. wide throughthe shoulders.Its cylindricalneck (D. 24 cm.) bears a pointed beak in relief,incisedlozenge-shapedeyes, red-paintedbandsover the cheeks, and a plastically renderednecklace below. The body is painted with red diagonal bands which meet in the front to form a multiple V or chevron pattern.The spacejust below the neck is paintedsolid red. The two bottom bandsbelow the shouldersare connectedby verticalstripesgivingthe impression of a belt, perhapsrepresentingan elaboratehip-belt(FIG. 44). This is the largestpithos so far knownin the Vinta culturearea,and at the sametime the most monumentalportrayalof the BirdGoddess.The Vs, chevrons,or extended and connectedVs formingzigzags,meanders,interconnectedVs, as well as two or three parallel lines sometimes connected by a vertical line, are ideogramsthat appearon schematicsculpturesof the Bird Goddess and on cult vessels which apparentlyserved in the ceremoniesconnected with her worship(cf. FIG. 34). Severalfragmentsof sacrificialvesselswere incisedwith morecomplicatedsignsin lines,28knownin the corpusof Vinta signs.29

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The Snake Goddess.

The Anza II bone Elgurinewith long cylindricalneckendingin a snakehead and a perforationthroughthe chest may verywell be an amuletin the likeness of the SnakeGoddess(FIG. 45). A snake-likehead (discoveredin Bloc F, Level 12), also of the Anza II period with humaneyes, a bump-nose,and six holes representinga mouth may be attributedto a large figurine of the Snake Goddess. Some totally schematic versions of seated goddesses may be "shorthand"symbolsof this image(FIG. 38).

Figure 42. Anza IV. Bird Goddess protome from Square XXIII, at depth of 1.3-1.4 m. Upper: profile and front view. Lower: proposed reconstruction.

The Male God and Phallic Stands.

The existence of a male god cult at Anza during the neolithic and chalcolithicperiodscannot be establishedon the basis of the existingfigurine sample.A torso wearinga disc-shapedmedallionin frontand in back,fromthe Anza II period(FIG. 46) maybe male,sincebreastsarenot indicated;analogous male Elgureswearingsuch medallionsare knownfromLateVinta sites such as Valat at KosovskaMitrovica.30 Phallus-shapedstands are numerous.Some have projectionsin the middle, possibly an indication of male genitalia. Others, topped by schematicized animalheads, are a frequentrepresentationof the Anza II (Startevo)period. Still anothertype is a standwith a roundflat basedecoratedwithpits. Animals.

All periods of the site have yielded animal Elgurines.The more articulate sculpturescan be identifiedas those of dogs, rams, ibexes and he-goats,and 28. Paula Korosec and Josip Korosec, Predistoriska naselba Barutnica kaj Amzibegovo vo AIakedonija. Izvestaj za iskopuvanjeto vo 1960 (Dissertationes et AIonographiae 15 [1973]) pl. XIII:S, 10. 29. Milton McChesney Winn, "The Signs of the Vinca Culture: An International Analysis; Their Role, Chronology and Independence from Mesopotamia" (PhD dissertation, UCLA, 1973). 30. Gimbutas, op. cit. (in note 26) pl. 16. In re to male gods, see discussion on the Year God, pp. 2 16-234.

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Figure 43. Anza IV. Bird Goddess face (reconstructed) from Square VII, 24.

64 Anza,a Cultural Yardstick/Gimbutas Figure 44. Pithos with face of Bird Goddess on the neck.

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Figure 45. Anza II-III. Snake-headed bone figurine perforated through chest from Square XIX, at depth of 1.55-1.65 m.

toads (FIGS. 38, 47-48). Only a single fragmentedsculpture is construed as representinga bull; anotherbadlydamagedanimalhead, foundwith the marble figurineof a toad, is possiblythat of a deer. Of the total number,ten are discretesculptures,the othersare headsdecoratingcult vasesor shownin relief on large vases. A stylizedhead of a he-goat or ibex with brokenhorns from PeriodIa has a verticalperforationand mayhavebeena pendant(FIG. 47 ). The zoomorphicsculptures,like the anthropomorphic,areabstract,stylized, and symbolic.That they are sculpturesof mythicalanimalscan be concluded from the types representedin the Anza corpus, from their stylization and appearanceas protomesof elaboratecult vases, fromthe peculiarassociations with humanfigurinesand otherfinds,as well as fromparallelsin othersites. Conclusion. The figurinesand ceremonialvases are witnessto religiouspractices,to the worshipof variousgods, and to a richmythicaliconography. The corpus of Anza Elgurinesfrom variousperiodsof occupationincludes

Journalof FieldArchaeology/Vol.I, 1974 65 severaltypes of the femaledeitiesworshippedthereand of theirmanifestations in animal forms. All the images have close parallels at other sites of the Starcevoand Vinca periods in Yugoslavia.The Bird and Snake Goddess is variously represented.The morphologicalattributesmay refer to a single aspect,eitherBirdor Snake;or, in combinedform,to her dual aspectas both Bird and Snake. She is the dominantdeity at Anza as she seems to be in the case of othersettlementsof the Vincaperiod. Becauseof theirnumberand associationthe Anza figurinesprovidethe most importantsource so far availablefrom southernYugoslaviafor the study of the religionand artof the Starcevoand EarlyVincacultures. Recapitulation: Anzaas a CulturalYardstick. AnzaI, EarlyNeolithic. Despite affinitieswith the Aegean-Anatolianworld in ceramicart, stone and bone carvingtraditions,and mud-brickarchitecture,local personality" is obvious in the earlystages of Anza. The climatewas wetterthan at present,and the area, now bare, was forested.The oak and other genera(Quercus,Pinus, Juniperus,and Ulmus),well representedin Anza I, but decreasinglyso in followingphases,attestto probableencroachmentof agriculturaland pastoral activitieson forestedland. Emmerwheat, einkorn,and hulledsix-rowbarley, accompaniedby peas and lentils,werefoundat this earlystage.Hexaploidclub wheatwas limitedto Anza Ia. At this time, Ia is the only site in Yugoslaviaand the whole Danubianbasinthat can be shownto havehad undercultivationthe completerangeof neolithiccrops. Sheep,goats, cattle, and pig werebredand used for food;caprovineswerethe most frequentspecies.The numericalscarcity of wild animalbones shows that the dependenceon huntingwas small and demonstratesthe emphasisof the local economyon animalhusbandry.Sickle sheenon flakesand bladesis observablein the samplefromthe earliestvillage at Anza. The earliest pottery is advancedin technique, including thin fine wares, maroon-slips,burnishing,and painteddecorationof white on red. In addition to the coarse everyday ware, graceful jars and bowls were produced for ceremonial use. Polished pendants, beads, and amulets, as well as small delicateaxes and chisels,werecarvedof local greenstoneand marble.Bone artifacts includewell polishedspatulae,awls, perforatedneedles,pendants,and pipeswithwindholes (musicalinstruments).

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Figure 46. Anza II. Terracotta torso wearing disc from Square VII, 155.

AnzaII-III,MiddleNeolithic. This is a long period of organic local development,gradually more individualizedand more homogeneouslycontinental,while at the same time preservingmanyelementsof earlierAegeanflavor.Local trendsbecomemore pronounced.Housesare now builtof timberuprights.Ceramicart and figurine style are typicallyBalkan-Starcevo.Trade relationswith the south are abundantlycontinuingevidencedby Aegeanshell ornamentsof Spondylus.Anza II coincideswith climaticconditionsslightlymorehumidthan those of Anza I. A gradual decline of available moisture ensued during Anza II. Caprovines decreased,while cattle and pigs increased;but agriculturalactivities,indicated by cultivatedplantsandstone tools, do not show markedchanges. AnzaIV. No clear hiatus separatesPeriod IV (Early Vinca) from Period III (Late Starcevo).The distinctionis perceptibleas a varietyof culturalmodiElcations.

Figure 47. Anza Ia. Terracotta horned animal head from Square V, 118.

66 Anza,a CulturalYardstick/Gimbutas Changesare seen in plant cultivationand husbandry.Along with the increase of einkorn wheat and lentils, cattle, and pigs, there was an increasein the numberandvarietyof stonetools, accompaniedby a wideexploitationof lithic materialsincludingredjasper.Copperappearedat this time. Innovationsin that sensitivearchaeologicalindicator,ceramicart, reflectinfluences from the eastern Balkans. The innovations, black-toppedfinish, handles, spouts, organicallyincorporatedzoomorphicforms, all are specific items of the KaranovoIII styles of centralBulgaria.The assimilationof the new elementsis demonstratedby enrichmentand ramificationvisiblein the indigenousproduct.The long-standingquestionas to the origin of the civilization called Vinca is resolvedat last by Anza. Local developmentin the course of Period IV clearly shows both embryonic form and its consequent florescence,whilethe figurinesarewitnessto the continuityof the pantheonof gods and religioustraditions. At the height of its development,the site of Anza was abandoned.Since thereis no evidenceof destructionor attrition,the reasoncannot definitelybe stated. Although Anza IV coincideswith a warmingand dryingperiod, the climatic change was a gradualprocess. The archaeologicalrecorddoes not, however,reflectthis fact as a necessarilynegativefactor. Thereis no sign of economic deteriorationor decline. Why it was abandonedis still a matterof conjecture.

Figure 48. Anza IV. Terracotta ram's O 4 X 3 head figure, possibly from a cult vase, from Square X, 45.

Affarija Gimbutas,Professorof EuropeanArchaeologyandCuratorof Old World Archaeologyat the Universityof California,Los Angeles,has excavated Neolithicstratifiedsites at Obrein Bosnia,at Sitagroiin Affacedonia and at Achillefonin Thessalyin additionto Anza. Her most recentbook is, The Gods and Goddessesof Old Europe,7000-3500B.C.: Myths,Legendsand Cult Images(London.ThamesandHudson,BerkeleyandLos Angeles:Universityof CaliforniaPress 1974).