LEPENSKI VIR: PROTONEOLITHIC AND EARLY NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENTS

Author(s): DRAGOSLAV SREJOVIĆ

Source: Archaeology , JANUARY 1969, Vol. 22, No. 1 (JANUARY 1969), pp. 26-35
Published by: Archaeological Institute of America

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41667932

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
https://about.jstor.org/terms

Archaeological Institute of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and

extend access to Archaeology

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 LEPENSKI VIR
PROTONEOLITHIC AND EARLY
NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENTS

By DRAGOSLAV SREJOVIC

In the central part of the Iron Gate Gorge , at

At Lepenski Vir, the cultural layer, the thickness of
Lepenski Vir ("The Whirlpool of Lepenci'), whicha varies from 3.5 to 2.15 meters, is divided into
new prehistoric culture was discovered in three distinct strata. The earliest (I) lies directly on
1967
the hard
which forms a link between the classical Meso - limestone bedrock, at a depth of 3.5 to 1.95
lithic and Early Neolithic cultural groups meters.
of the Within it, it is possible to distinguish at least
five building horizons (Lepenski Vir I a to e). The
Danubian region and sheds new light on the
uppermost horizon of Stratum I is covered with loess-
emergence of Neolithic civilization in the greater
like brown sand which forms the second cultural
part of Southeast and Central Europe . stratum (II) of varying depth (0.30 to 0.60 meter)
Lepenski Vir is situated on the right bank
withofone habitation horizon (Lepenski Vir II). The
the Danube, fourteen and a half kilometersthird,up
the latest cultural stratum, lying at a depth of
the river from Donji Milanovac, approximately
between 1.45 and 0.30 meters, consists of two habi-
at the end of the so-called Upper Gorge tation
of thehorizons (Lepenski Vir III a and III b).
Iron Gate (as the gorge is called on the Horizon
borderIII a, the depth of which averages one meter,
between Roumania and Jugoslavia). The is of blackish
site of color and consists of soft earth, while
Horizon
the prehistoric settlement is clearly indicated in III b, varying in depth from 0.50 to 0.30
the surrounding landscape: it is surrounded meter, bycontains a considerable quantity of stones and
is composed chiefly of hard clay-like earth. Stratum
great limestone rocks on the south ând north, and
III is covered with a layer of humus (0.30 to 0.10
by steep cliffs of the Korso Hill on the west, while
meter) cut at a number of places by burials from
on the east, on the left bank of the Danube, rises
later prehistoric and historic epochs.
the denuded peak Treskavac, which looks like a
In color and general composition, Strata I and II
giant marker for the settlement. It was in this
clearly differ from Stratum III. This sharp break in
picturesque landscape that a concealed U-shaped
the Lepenski Vir cultural deposit becomes even more
recess, lying in the shadows of a primevaldistinctive
wood upon analysis of the finds from the vari-
ous strata.
was chosen as the site of the settlement. The re-
cess is accessible only by a narrow path from Thethefirst inhabitants of Lepenski Vir settled only
the
south side where, at a distance of a kilometer and U-shaped recess, taking up an area about seventy
meters long and about forty meters wide. The con-
a half, there is a canyon that opens up a short
centration of life in this relatively restricted area
passageway to the mountainous hinterland . Thus
eventually led to the emergence of a settlement which
the site looks like an isolated oasis lost as
among
it conformed to the natural outline of the site took
the rocks, woods and the river . The first settlers
on the form of a giant horseshoe, or more precisely,
could have gained easy access to it by waterofonly .
a trapezoid with a slightly bent base.

26

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 Lepenski Vir I a -e: the five building
horizons that appear are house 30
(I a), house 30 a (I b), house 29
(I c), house 22 (I d), house 21 (I e).

Lepenski Vir : view from

the south of the north-
western part of Settle-
ment I, the earliest cul-
tural stratum. Of the
fifty-eight houses found,
all are in the form of a
trapezoid in the center
of which is a hearth. The
numbers in the photo-
graph are the numbers
assigned by the excava-
tors to the houses.

27

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 LEPENSKI VIR continued

Within Stratum I a total of fifty-eight houses h

been discovered, under which there were traces
forty-six other buildings. These houses (104 in all
however, do not belong to the earliest settlement b
can be assigned to five successive building pha
All of the buildings discovered in Stratum I,
gardless of differences in size (their floor areas ran
from five and a half to thirty square meters) have
only the same plans and proportions, but also
same arrangement of building elements. The mater
used were wood and grey, yellow and pale red sto
(limestone, sandstone, and porphyry) which col
the surrounding landscape. The foundations of all
the houses are in the form of a trapezoid the base
which bends slightly outward. In the center of th
houses, towards the longer side, are hearths in th
form of sunken rectangular basins lined with larg
limestone blocks set on edge. The floors are m
of a kind of hard lime plaster and regularly h
a thin polished surface coating of pale red or whi
Stone sculpture and sacrificial vessels are set into t
floor near the hearths, usually at the apex of a bor
or frieze made up of thin red slabs. The houses di
Lepenski Vir: view from the west of the southeast part of not have vertical walls. Instead, the superstructur
Settlement I, showing houses number 45, 50, 37, 3 and 1. was in the form of a saddle-roof with the rooftree
slanting from the base down towards the shorter paral-
lel side of the trapezoidal house foundations. The
entrance was regularly in the middle of the longer
side, but two stone thresholds set at an angle directed
movement exclusively toward the lateral parts of the
house.
The large sculptured boulders discovered in the
floors of the houses are, together with the architec-
tural remains, the most characteristic features of the
culture represented in Stratum I. All of these boulders
were found in situ and generally were firmly set into
the floor near the hearths in such a way that their
finished side faced the entrance, i.e. the east. Only
boulders of hard, coarse-grained yellow or greyish
sandstone were selected for sculpture. Regardless of
the motives, the modeling always remained closed
within the framework of those large boulders; the
artist altered the natural form only insofar as it did
not interfere with its basic structure. The modeling
was done by pecking, presumably by means of flint
tools and a mallet.

Stratum I yielded a total of twenty-three works of

sculpture and eighteen sacrificial stone vessels with
relief decoration. According to their motives, the
sculpture can be classified into two groups: figures
modeled in a naturalistic style and works on which
apparently only abstract arabesques are represented.
Human and animal heads - the only figures used as

Lepenski Vir I : house number 24 with the rectangular hearth sur-

rounded by a series of small red stone slabs set vertically in the
earth, in the form of isosceles triangles with projecting sides.

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
Lepenski Vir: Settlement I, view of the central Close-up of the hearth of house number 24 with
house (number 54) with two sculptured boulders the rectangular hearth surrounded by the series
and an ellipsoid stone sacrificial vessel in front of of slabs forming triangles.
the hearth.

Lepenski Vir I: in front

of the hearth of house
number 21 was found this
burial with the skeleton
extended. A human skull
was placed on the left
shoulder and an ox head
on the right shoulder of
the deceased.

29

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 Lepenski Vir I: stone face (number 8) photographed in situ Stone face with rudimentary body (sculpture num-
in front of the hearth of house number 31. It is of yellow ber 9) found in house number 28 at Lepenski Vir I.
sandstone and 22 cm. high. It is of yellow sandstone and 21 cm. high.

Sandstone altar from house number 45 at Lepenski Vir I; 28 x 16 cm. Lepenski Vir I: sandstone sculpture (number 12)
found in house number 33. It appears to represent
an animal head, 24 x 19 cm.

30

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
LEPENSKI VIR continued

subjects - are usually life-sized and always have clearly

indicated facial features. There are no chronological
differences between the figures and the ornamental
sculpture; and there are seven works representing hu-
man or animal figures and sixteen with abstract de-
signs. It seems that the group of ornamental sculpture
also employs figure-motives which are, however, inte-
grated into more complex compositions which the
artist, because of the restrictions imposed on him by
the natural form of the boulder, schematized to the
extreme and dissolved into abstract forms only in the
actual process of transposing his vision into stone.
Sculpture from this group is mainly covered with
curvilinear motives: tendrils, circles, parts of spirals
and, only exceptionally, sections of meanders in com-
binations which hint at swastikas.
An exceptional place among the works of art of this
period belongs to a fairly large fragmented sand-
stone slab (not illustrated here) which has engraved
on it a hunting scene. Only the lower part of this
large composition has been preserved : in it the figures
of two hunters throwing spears at an animal are
clearly visible among enigmatic signs in the form of
trapezoids.
Apart from sculpture and sacrificial vessels, only
tools, weapons and bone and stone ornaments have Lepenski Vir II: sandstone sculpture number 44
been found on the floors of the houses. The most showing the ornamental patterns characteristic of
numerous are flint tools which all belong to the micro-
the sculpture found in Stratum II; height, 44 cm.
lithic industry (scrapers, notched blades, triangular
and oval burins, blades and points). In contrast to
flint implements (the size of which varies from 0.70
to 2.5 centimeters), stone tools are macrolithic. On
the floors of almost all of the houses, massive sand-
stone and schist clubs were found with dimensions
ranging from 0.20 to .455 meter. The flat sur-
faces of these heavy clubs are frequently decorated
with engraved wavy, zigzag or angular lines, while
some of these tools viewed as a whole, are in the
form of a snake or fish. Other frequent finds include
marble ornaments and boulders with a deep groove
along the middle.
There are also tools made of antler and tubular
bones. In addition to very primitive tools made of
split bone roughly cut at one end, there are normally
finished awls of various size and shape, as well as
extremely finely worked tools and decorative needles
with carved ornaments.

The settlement of Stratum II does not exceed

the boundaries of the earlier settlement, but its build-
ings are considerably less numerous and more widely Lepenski Vir I :
spaced. They are technically simplified, built in a tool made of antler;
length, 9.8 cm.
cruder way and do not have hard floors and carefully
built internal structures. Within this horizon, thirty-

31

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
Sculptured boulder of sandstone from the second Sculptured boulder (number 37) of sandstone from house
cultural stratum (II) at Lepenski Vir; height, 3 6 cm. number 44 of Lepenski Vir II; height, 51 cm.

Lepenski Vir II: two sandstone works found in house number 44.
Number 41 (Left), 41 cm. high; number 38 (Right) 40 high, x 35 wide x 22 cm.

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
LEPENSKI VIR continued

five house foundations have been clearly distinguished,tions in this region. In their buildings and general
but the abundance of stone blocks and slabs found on layout, the settlements of Stratum III differ sharply
the whole explored area indicates that at least thirty from those in Strata I and II. While the earlier set-
houses were inhabited at the time of the formation of tlements expanded along the west-east axis and always
Stratum II. The buildings still retain the trapezoidal remained within the U-shaped recess, Horizons III a
form and are not infrequently of impressive dimen- and III b spread north and south beyond the bound-
sions. Wood and stone are still the basic buildingaries of the U-shaped recess and cover an area of
materials ; large, heavy stone blocks are still used ; the approximately 5500 square meters. The houses as-
position and form of the hearths remain the same. sociated with these horizons (III a and b), though
Yet one feels that in spite of the persevering tendency only partly preserved, clearly show that the old ar-
towards the monumental, the earlier fine sense ofchitectural pattern has been completely abandoned
proportion and the care in finishing both the whole and that the sense for a planned building and com-
and the details have been lost. fortable dwelling has been lost. The basic building
material is no longer stone, but earth. Even wood is
Sandstone sculpture constitutes, in this phase too, the
most characteristic feature of the household equip- not used to any significant extent. The changes in the
ment. It is interesting that in this period, the sculp- type of building are so pronounced that very radical
tured works are made exclusively of boulders the alterations of the general conditions of life, and pre-
dimensions of which range from forty to sixty centi- sumably of the climate as well, must be assumed.
meters. Although both the position and the basic Horizon III a is characterized by pits of various size,
subjects of the sculpture continue to be the same, some of which were certainly used as underground
dwellings. In the later settlement (Horizon III b)
considerable alterations are visible in stylistic concep-
tion and technique. The surfaces of the second planequadrangular mud huts were built above ground.
are considerably deeper, so that the sculpture takes on Inside them on the floor of stamped clay, there is
a more pronounced plastic quality. The techniquefrequently an oven with a U-shaped base of rubble and
becomes considerably freer, but on the other hand, the an upper structure of fired earth. Stone sculpture,
earlier, skillfully achieved harmony between the nat- microlithic tools and heavy stone clubs disappear
ural outline of the boulder and the plastic content completely, but the pottery shows a surprising abun-
infused into it has been disturbed. dance of forms and techniques of decoration.
A total of fifteen works of sculpture was discov- The pottery forms characteristic of Stratum III
ered in Stratum II. Seven of these have figures and include deep hemispherical bowls, spherical vessels
the remaining eight are decorated with ornamentalwith a curved or cylindrical neck, shallow conical
patterns. The figures again represent only the human dishes on a ring foot; also a unique ceramic form:
head, but now they have pronounced fish-like fea- large vases with a wide quadrangular bowl on a
tures; in some cases they attain monumental propor- perforated quadrangular foot. The predominant type
is monochrome ware and pottery with roughened
tions. Two figures from this phase combine orna-
mental motives with human features. More striking uneven external surface decorated with incisions and
impressions of fingers or nails. Vases with white
changes, however, are noticeable in the works modeled
(Horizon III a) and later (Horizon III b), dark
in the ornamental style. In this phase, curvilinear
motives yield to rectilinear ornaments, with a prev- painted ornaments on a red background represent only
alence of chevrons, zigzags or broken angular lines sporadic finds. Numerous burnished stone axes, bone
and plaits. While the tools and weapons of stone andtools and pendants of fired clay or of bone complete
bone are the same as in the preceding phase, a certain
the otherwise very rich equipment from these latest
decline in the number of stone implements is notice-habitation horizons.
able, although this stratum yielded an exceptionally
finely engraved stone club in the form of a fish. The special significance of Lepenski Vir lies in
the fact that below the horizons with the material
The finds from the two latest habitation hori- of the previously known Stracevo-Körös-Cris Culture,
zons (a and b) which form Stratum III and overlie thehave been found with monuments of a prehis-
strata
earlier settlements entirely, are of particular toric
impor-culture which has been up to now unknown in
tance for the understanding and chronology of thetheDanubian region and in the broader Euro-Asian
territory. The archaeological material from Horizons
culture represented in Strata I and II. The settlements
III a and III b is definitely associated with the finds
of Stratum III are associated with the full flowering
of the Early Neolithic ceramic culture, the Starčevo-
characteristic of the earliest phase of the Starčevo
Körös-Cris Culture already well-known from Culture,
excava- which can be dated safely in the first half

33

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 Lepenski Vir: Settlement I, view from the northwest toward the Danube.

34

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 LEPENSKI VIR continued

Tel Ramad, Kalat Jarmo and Tepes Sarab. In the

same period there appear sculptured pebbles in the
Near East, e.g. in Eynan, Ain Shakri, Shar Hagolan
and Gesher. These analogies are probably of interest
merely as cultural, not chronological, parallels. They
cannot be made use of in an attempt to explain the
origin of the culture discovered in Strata I and II at
Lepenski Vir, or to establish its absolute chronology.
At this stage it is possible only to state the following :
that the culture discovered in Strata I and II origi-
nated in the hilly landscape of the Iron Gate region ;
that its centers were probably located in the proximity
of the great Danubian whirlpools which are espe-
cially convenient for primitive fishing and which, to-
gether with the wooded hinterland abounding in
game and wild fowl, provided two practically inex-
haustible sources of food, permitting the earliest set-
tlers to live in one location for long periods of time
Lepenski Vir I : in spite of their primitive economy; that it was pre-
tool made of bone; ceded by the great but remote tradition of the Upper
length, 9 cm.
Palaeolithic Danubian cultures and that it developed
at the critical stage when human communities in this
part of Europe were abandoning the economy based
on hunting and gathering and beginning to produce
food first through the domestication of animals and
then by the cultivation of the soil. The culture and art
of Strata I and II were based on a hunting-fishing
economy and developed in the atmosphere of a kind
of autocratic social order. The culture represented
in Horizons III a and III b, in contrast, was evolved
by farmers and stock-breeders, in a community with
a "democratic" organization. These momentous
changes in economy and social relations were sufficient
in themselves to alter basically the old culture, so
Sacrificial vessel of clay found in the floor of a hut that it is not necessary to presuppose an influx of new
from Layer III b (Lepenski Vir III b); height, 14 settlers or the presence of some direct external in-
cm. and width, 40 cm. fluences. The progress made in the economic and
social spheres resulted in perceptible stagnation of
some forms of culture, primarily in the field of art
of the fifth millennium b.c. This means that the culture
and in religious concepts. Because of all this, it would
represented in Strata I and II precedes the formation seem that the culture discovered in Strata I and II at
of the Starčevo group and that it must be defined in Lepenski Vir bridges the gap hitherto existing be-
terms of a Protoneolithic culture whose communities
tween the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic cultural
did not yet have any knowledge of agriculture and groups of the Danubian region.
stock-breeding. By means of formal analogies, too, the
finds from Strata I and II can be associated only with
the forms found in Protoneolithic and the earliest The author was born in Kragujevac, Jugoslavia in 1931.
Neolithic culture of Asia Minor, or with some forms He was educated at the University of Belgrade where
he received his doctorate. He is now Present Docent in
of Mesolithic cultures in Europe. The earliest Stratum Prehistoric Archaeology, Philosophical Faculty of the
I settlement, with its planned house forms, stone University of Belgrade. Since 1955, Dr. Srejovič has
sculpture and plastered floors recalls the architecture been the principal investigator at excavations of a num-
of Protoneolithic and earliest Neolithic sites of Pales- ber of prehistoric and Classical sites: Doclea, Municip-
ium S (Komini), Domavia (Sase), Donja Brnjica,
tine, Syria, Anatolia, Iran and Iraq, such as the settle-Korbovo, Ljuljaci, among others. His most recent work
ments in Wadi Felah, Jericho, Haçilar, Ras Shamra, is at Lepenski Vir.

35

This content downloaded from

144.82.8.248 on Sun, 10 Nov 2024 12:29:56 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms