Djordje Jankovic (Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade)

The Serbs in the Balkans in the light of Archaeological Findings

ource! The Serbian Questions in the Balkans, Faculty of "eography, Belgrade, #$$%& [Note: prepared for the web and names partially transcripted by "Project Rastko"] A medley of historical circumstances was the reason that the Serbs started li in! to!ether only after the formation of "u!osla ia in #$#%& 'ut e en then( the union of the Serbs was not complete& )istory and archaeolo!y did not reali*e the Serbian ethnic area as a whole( e+cept for a few e+ceptions& ,his was due to a small number of e+perts and to the "u!osla orientation( and that is why hardly any research work was done in connection with the early Serbian past& -n .orld .ar -- /ermany and -taly di ided and separated the Serbs& ,he conse0uences of the state breakin! apart could not be eradicated e en after the ictory of the Allies& ,he Serbian people( di ided into new republics( could not take care of their tradition and culture( as well as of their archaeolo!ical monuments& ,here were arious national archaeolo!ies( but not the Serbian( in the former "u!osla ia& Still( a portion of archaeolo!ical monuments isible on the earth1s surface can be used for research& ,he archaeolo!ical findin!s below the surface of the earth are !radually comin! to li!ht& ,he a ailable archaeolo!ical data in the Serbian ethnic area fully confirm and e+plain the insufficient written historical records& ,he maps of the archaeolo!ical monuments made in different periods of time show the continuity and !radual spreadin! of the Serbian ethnic area from the early 2iddle A!es& De administrando Imperio, written by 3mperor 4onstantine Porphyro!enitus 5--( is the only written source in which the tradition of the settlin! of the Serbs is preser ed&[#] -t ori!inated in the mid #6th century& ,he history of the Serbs and their territories were depicted in it& Accordin! to the story therein( the Serbs who li ed in 'oyka were di ided between the two successors to the throne& ,he prince of one portion of the people and his people escaped and found shelter with )eraclius( the emperor of 'y*antium 78#698:#;& )e !a e them a town in the Salonica re!ion which was later called Ser ia( after the Serbs& ,hen( they started mo in! towards the <anube ri er( but they chan!ed their minds and throu!h the 'el!rade commander !ained a permission from the emperor to settle in <almatia& ,he archaeolo!ical science has established a link( which dates back to the =th century( between the <anube ri er near 'r*a Palanka and the re!ion of Plje lja&[>] ,his may mean that the Serbs from today1s Northeast Serbia mo ed to the <almatian pro ince of the time& ,his also pro es that the fact about the Serbs mo in! from the icinity of Salonica towards the <anube ri er could be true& )owe er( there are no other data on the Serbs in the icinity of Salonica& So( the data on the Serbs( Salonica( and Ser ia could be interpreted differently& Namely( the name of Salonica is similar to the name of the classical town of Solin near Split 7Salona;& Ser ia( which is around #?@ km away from Salonica( bears essentially the same name as the town of Srb near Anin( located some #@6 km from Solin& So( one could think that the story was about Srb and Solin( that the

Serbs came first to western <almatia( and not to Ser ia and Salonica& ,hese notions show that the problem of the accuracy of the data on the settlin! of the Serbs could not be sol ed without archaeolo!ical findin!s& ,he ori!in and meanin! of the Serbian name ha e been sou!ht for centuries( but no interpretation has been !enerally accepted so far& ,he pre ailin! iew is that the Serbian name is of -ranian ori!in( e en -ndo9-ranian&[?] Acceptin! this or some other assumption about the ori!in of the Serbian name is hindered by the lack of knowled!e of the oldest Serbian history( i&e& the knowled!e of the e+act time when the !roup of Sla s were thus namedB or( of the time when the bearers of the Serbian name became Sla s& As a people who probably named themsel es thus( the Serbs are amon! the oldest Sla peoples& -n the Story of the Past, the first Russian chronicle( the Serbs are amon! the first fi e Sla peoples who were enumerated by their names&[:] -n this 4hronicle( they are mentioned in the li!ht of the e ents referrin! to the first millennium before 4hrist& )owe er( science does not take this source into account because it cannot be checked from the archaeolo!ical point of iew& ,he a!e of the Serbian name is simply pro en by its !reat diffusion in the early 2iddle A!es& ,here are not many e+amples of the sort in 3urope& At that time( the Serbs li ed on the Caba and in Roman <almatia( but they also li ed in the abo e mentioned town of Ser ia in the re!ion of Salonica& ,hey li ed in /ordoserba near Nikea in Asia 2inor( tooB this was the bishop1s town mentioned many times since the be!innin! of the =th century&[@] Since there are records of the Serbs li in! on such a ast area( it is e ident that they had been numerous and powerful and borne their name before the resettlin! of the Sla s in the 8th and =th centuries& -t is also uni0ue that today the Serbs li e both in the 'alkans and in /ermany& ,he state of Serbia was first mentioned by 3mperor 4onstantine 5--& ,he name Serbia has been mentioned re!ularly since then& Drom the #>th century( in western 7Catin; written sources( the Serbian state in the ri er basins of the <rina and 2ora a was called Raska 7Rassa( Rassia;&[8] ,he last time when the name Raska was used for the Serbian re!ion in the mesopotamia between the Sa a and <ra a ri ers and in today1s 5oj odina was in the #@th and #8th centuries&[=] ,he Serbian western states and lands were named mostly by the local names of 'osnia( Rama( )er*e!o ina( etc& -n the 'y*antine written sources the Serbs are fre0uently mentioned by their classical names( after the re!ions they li ed in 7<almatians( ,ribali( <acians( etc&;& ,hey were most fre0uently called <almatians( after the Roman pro ince of <almatia( the country they li ed in& ,his was the land e+tendin! from Aoso o and the towns of Cipljan and E ecan&[%] ,he Chronicle of the Frankish Kingdom 7year %>>; recorded that the Serbs "&&&had control o er a lar!e part of <almatia&" ,his fact is related to the re!ion of the Fna ri er&[$] Catin sources of a later date state that the Serbs li ed in <almatia or Sla onia 7Scla onia;( dependin! on whether the classical or the then term <almatia was considered& Namely( the Roman pro ince of <almatia e+tended from -stria to the basin of the 2ora a ri er and from the sea to the alley of the Sa a ri er& ,his is the <almatia depicted in the Drankish and 'y*antine chronicles& 'ut( since the 'y*antine theme of <almatia of the time occupied only the narrow littoral belt( the Catin sources sometimes called Serbia by the name of Sla onia( the land which e+tended between <almatia 7with the towns of ,ro!ir( Split( <ubro nik( and 'ar; and )un!ary&[#6] -n the last centuries( the Serbs in <almatia were called 5lachs( 2orlachs 72orlaci;( 2oro lachs& [##] ,he -talian sources call e en the Serbs from 'el!rade by the names of 2orlaci and 5lachs&[#>] ,he Sla s called Romanic people and the Romanic people 9 cattle breeders by the name of 5lachsB later( the name was used for all cattle breeders& .hen the population of 4roatia 7<almatia; was

seriously thinned by the 2on!olian in asion in #>:>( a new area for settlin! was open& Cater( the "5lachs" were mentioned in the area of the 4etina ri er( in Anin( and in Cika&[#?] ,he name "5lach" was deri ed for the Serbs because of their cattle breeder1s way of life& -n the mountainous re!ions of <almatia( especially in the border areas( the Serbs raised cattle by tradition& ,his helped them to sur i e more easily in the wars that they had to fi!ht constantly& Drom the earliest times( one of the characteristics that distin!uished the Serbs from their nei!hbours was cattle breedin!& ,he nature of the Serbian economy( which has in some modes persisted till the present day( is e ident both in archaeolo!ical and written sources& 4onstantine Porphyro!enitus 5-- was the first who recorded the Serbian cattle breedin! trade& )e wrote that the Serbs of Pa!ania li ed on the islands of 2ljet( Aorcula( 'rac and ) ar( and that "&&&they owned their herds and li ed off them&"[#:] Go an Ainam( in his description of the con0uest of /alic near Aoso ska 2itro ica in ##:$( wrote that the 'y*antines imprisoned many barbarians "&&&who were partly warriors and partly cattle breeders&"[#@] ,he western sources from the same period also recorded the Serbian cattle breedin!& -n the second half of the #>th century( .ilhelm of ,yr wrote that the Serbs li ed in mountains and woods( that they did not know much about a!riculture( and that they had many herds of cattle( much milk( cheese( butter( honey( and wa+&[#8] ,his( still preser ed( cattle breedin! way of life of the Serbs was best described by Go an 4 ijic&[#=] ,heir seasonal mo ements( sin!led out in his works( from the <inaric re!ion to the mesopotamia between the Sa a and <ra a ri ers( and partly to the Cittoral( !a e an e+act picture of the old Serbian ethnic area& ,he settlements were located in the mountainous re!ions( and in winter the pastures were looked for in the plains& ,he Serbs followed the same pattern in the 2iddle A!es as well( when they settled the <inaric mountains( with many plateaus( and the nei!hbourin! sunny alleys and plains suitable for winter homes& ,he arran!ement of settlements and !ra eyards( the appearance of homesteads( the crafts( and the character of the population had to be in accordance with their way of life& -t is certain that other Sla !roups also settled the today1s Serbian territory in the early 2iddle A!es& -n the written sources of the time( these !roups of Sla s were not usually mentioned by names since they were not numerous& 5arious written sources from the $th and #6th centuries state that the Serbs in the 'alkan peninsula were surrounded by some tribes that also li ed in the nei!hbourhood of the Serbs on the Caba ri er& ,hese tribes mer!ed into one and the same Serbian people& ,he process of amal!amation was completed in the #?th century althou!h the assimilation of the new Sla !roups continued& ,hus( 4onstantine 5-- records that Prince 2ihailo of Eahumlje descended from the Citcik family& At the same time the Cicika iki li ed between the lower Hdra and 5arta ri er basins&[#%] -t seems that the today1s town of 5uko ar 7in the past called 5lcou( .olko ( 5olkow; !ot its name after the 5ilci family 7.ol es; that li ed on the Caba ri er in the 2eklenbur! re!ion&[#$] -t is necessary to take into account the other Sla s who were known to be li in! in the north 9 the )a olians on the )a ela ri er( then the Cjutici( /linjani( /lomaci( 2oracani( etc& -t can be assumed that e en the members of the South Sla tribes reached <almatia& III -t has been established that since the middle of the @th century the Sla s kept settlin! the territories under the Roman control& ,hat was the time when the Roman defence on the <anube

was crushed by the )un9/erman in asion& ,hat was the time when the oldest Sla settlement in the 'alkans dated& -t was situated near 2usici( on the <rina ri er&[>6] ,he written and archaeolo!ical sources state that the South Sla s settled the 'alkan and western Pannonian re!ions durin! the second half of the 8th century and at the be!innin! of the =th&[>#] At that early time one should distin!uish the South Sla s from the Serbs& ,he culture of the South Sla s is well known thanks to the researches carried out in 'ul!aria( Romania( and in our country&[>>] ,he settlements were located in ri er alleys( on !entle slopes( close to the water& )alf9buried wooden houses had stone or earthen furnaces in one of the corners& -n most cases only the 0uadran!ular buried construction and the furnace remained intact& ,hey burnt their dead( as all other Sla s did( and then buried them in the !round( with or without urns& Such settlements and !ra eyards on the territory of the former "u!osla ia are known to e+ist in the <anube and in the Sa a 'asins&[>?] ,he Serbs li ed in hilly9mountainous re!ions& ,heir settlements with houses abo e the !round were situated on the slopes( close to wells and ponds& ,he fireplace was on the floor of the house( close to the wall or in the corner& Not much could be sa ed of these houses( so they are not easy to locate& ,he whereabouts of an early Serbian settlement ha e been established in the Pester field&[>:] ,he only e+plored settlement is situated in 'atko ici near the town of 'ijeljina&[>@] Shallow foundations of irre!ular shape 9 the remains of these houses abo e the !round 9 were found here& ,his settlement was populated throu!hout the 2iddle A!es( startin! from the early =th century& ,he Serbs cremated their dead and displayed the remains abo e the !round& -t was a special way of burial in the air& Hnly under certain conditions the archaeolo!ical findin!s of this custom could be called !ra es& ,his procedure with the dead is depicted in the Story of the Past.[>8] ,hese "!ra es" were archaeolo!ically e+plored in the area of Cu*icani&[>=] ,oday( they are small mounds of about ? m in diameter and 6&@ m by hei!ht& ,he construction of the burial mounds has not been sufficiently e+plored& Shattered pieces of the dishes which were used in the funeral and memorial feasts are sometimes found alon! the brim or inside the burial mound& ,he Serbian !ra eyards from the =th and %th centuries were archaeolo!ically e+plored in Cjutici near the town of Plje lja( and on 2ount Ge*erska between the towns of Pri*ren and Strpce&[>%] Since these burial mounds were easy to notice( they were also found on many other sites 9 on 2ount Pester and by the towns of Sa nik( <r ar( /raho o( Srb( etc& A burial mound near the town of Aonjic was partly e+plored&[>$] .ith the abundance of earthenware findin!s( it is similar to the burial mounds on the <anube ri er found on Hstro ul 2are in Romania&[?6] ,hese !ra eyards can hardly be preser ed on culti able land with no rocks& -n the Pannonian Plain( or on similar !rounds( they could only be preser ed and noticed by accident& ,he !ra eyard on Hstro ul 2are is not destroyed as there were meadows there( not culti able land& ,he !ra eyards with burial mounds are usually located near a water sprin!( which shows that there were settlements in the icinity& As a rule( e en today( modern settlements and sheepfolds are situated close to these !ra eyards althou!h no traces of the pre ious settlements ha e been disco ered so far& 'ut( they e+isted and this is supported by indirect proofs of social life in the icinity& Namely( in the Story of the Past were depicted pa!an "i!rista" 7play!rounds; between the illa!es&[?#] ,here( the pa!an Sla s !athered( danced( and !ot married& -n 3mperor <ushan1s 4harter 7#??#9#?@@; to 4hilandarion( in which the boundaries near the monastery of St& Peter Aoriski were described( a toponym for one of the peaks of 2ount Ge*erska was "-!riste".[?>] ,his means that both the Serbian !ra eyard and a pa!an centre of social life were situated on 2ount

Ge*erska( which certainly pro es that people li ed there in the surroundin! illa!es& Such toponyms still e+ist& Dor e+ample( in central 'osnia( east of the town of Aakanj( there is -!risca peak 7#?6? m; and on 2ount Ga or( south of 5lasenica 9 Igriste 7#:68 m;& So( the Serbian settlements as well as their !ra eyards were situated in the hilly9mountainous re!ion such as the <inaric re!ion& -n these re!ions people mostly raised cattle& ,he line that connects the locations of the e+plored burial mounds denotes the area in which the Serbs li ed in the =th and %th centuries: from the di ide of the Sitnica and Cepenac ri ers in the south9east to the basin of the Fna ri er in the west& ,here are no data about the eastern boundaries so far& Fig. 1.- Serbs in the 7th-8th centuries [click for the large image]
1. Known locations of Serbian tombs. 2. Studied Serbian tombs. 3. Slav urns of the 6th-7th centuries. 4. Croatian cemeteries or the 7th-9th centuries. . !ombs of the Komani-Kru"e culture. 6. Studied Slav settlements. 7. #$%antine &'omanic( towns. ). #orders of 'oman *rovinces.

,he area beyond these boundaries offers archaeolo!ical traces of the South Sla s and other peoples& ,he !ra eyards common in the South Sla culture( with the remains of the dead cremated and buried in the !round( ha e been disco ered in the <anube basin 74elare o( Slankamen;[??] and in the Sa a basin 7Caktasi( 'ijeljina;&[?:] ,hese findin!s determine the former northern boundaries of the Serbs& Such !ra es in the Cittoral could possibly belon! to the 4roats 7Aasic([?@] 'akar[?8];& .ithin the boundaries of the medie al 4roatia( in the Cittoral( archaeolo!ists found numerous skeleton !ra eyards which undoubtedly belon!ed to the 4roats from the time when they adopted 4hristianity in the %th and $th centuries&[?=] ,hese !ra eyards determine the possible south9western boundaries of the Serbs& Apart from the Sla s( the population that spoke the Romance lan!ua!es also li ed on this territory& ,he archaeolo!ical findin!s until the =th century inclusi e !i e information about the Romanic people or 'y*antines li in! in the hinterland&[?%] ,he Romanic people( known in the written sources( stayed lon!er in the Cittoral 9 in the towns such as <ura**o( <ubro nik or Eadar& ,he town of S ac( about #6 km far from the 4oast and Flcinj( is ery si!nificant&[?$] ,he crypts in which the dead were buried in the 4hristian tradition were disco ered in this town& 'y*antine jewellery( dishes( and other objects known in the 'y*antine re!ions e+tendin! from 4rimea( across Sicily( to -stria were found lyin! by the skeletons& ,he objects of the Sla ori!in( such as pots made on a slow wheel and decorated with a comb( were also found& Similar !ra eyards were also disco ered in <ura**o&[:6] ,hese 'y*antine !ra eyards are particularly important for establishin! the ori!in of the Aoman9 Aruje culture& ,his culture appeared at the end of the =th century and disappeared in the $th& Albanian scientists are tryin! to use this culture in order to pro e the continuity between the old Romani*ed population and the Albanians of today& [:#] )owe er( these skeleton !ra eyards conceal the remains of special costumes and presents& Fni0ue buckles( shackles known with some nomads( a+es as weapons( and imported 'y*antine jewellery were found& ,hese findin!s differentiate this population from the Romanic people of S ac and <ura**o( where there are no such objects& Since the !ra eyards in the Aoman9Aruje culture are situated in the mountains( one should ha e in mind cattle breeders here& ,hey li ed in the area from 2ount Rumija to Hhrid Cake& 3 erythin! points to the fact that the bearers of the Aoman9Aruje culture arri ed there at the end of the =th century& [:>] ,hey were probably settled in the re!ion in order to defend the <ura**o9Salonica road( and

they were destroyed when the 'ul!arians started spreadin! in the hinterland of <ura**o in the $th century& Archaeolo!ical findin!s of the South Sla ( Romanic( and 4roatian tribes as well as of the Aoman9 Aruje culture delineate the ethnic area of the Serbs& -t is necessary to point out that all the archaeolo!ical data on the Serbs coincide with those of their nei!hbours& ,he history of the Serbs in the $th and #6th centuries is much better known thanks to the work of 3mperor 4onstantine 5--& )e was rather precise in delineatin! the boundaries of the Serbian lands in the Cittoral& Accordin! to him the Serbs li ed in <uklja( ,ra unia and Aona le( Eahumlje( Pa!ania( and Serbia& ,he first to come across in the south9east was <uklja in the hinterland of <ura**o( Cjes( 'ar( Aotor( and Flcinj& -n the north9west( Pa!ania was the last Serbian land in the Cittoral which bordered on 4roatia on the 4etina ri er& Eahumlje also bordered on 4roatia "towards the north"& <uklja( ,ra unia( and Eahumlje bordered on Serbia by the mountains in the hinterland& Serbia "&&&borders on 4roatia in the north and on 'ul!aria in the south&&&(" i&e& it reaches to the 4roats on the Sa a ri er in the north9west and to 'ul!aria on the 5ardar ri er in the south9 east& ,he boundaries of the coastal 4roatia were clearly defined( from the 4etina ri er to the town of Cabin in -stria( with the borders on Serbia "&&&towards the 4etina ri er and the town of Ci en&" Hf the ei!ht towns in the principality of Serbia mentioned by 4onstantine 5-- the location of almost none of them has yet been clearly defined& -f we presume that the towns were listed in some specific order( their locations could be more or less defined based on our knowled!e of the locations of the ones already found& ,he reliable data show that the first of the listed towns <estinik was in 2etohia&[:?] ,he ne+t two towns( 4erna usk and 2edjurecje were probably situated somewhere to the west of 2etohia& ,he followin! <resneik could be <re*nik( the town near the Fna ri er& 'etween <resneik and the town of Salines 7undoubtedly ,u*la of today( the former Soli; was Cesnik of unknown location& ,he last two towns( listed in 'osnia( but in the principality of Serbia( were Aotor and <esnik& Hne of them was near Saraje o( in the area of Ro!acici[::] or -lid*a[:@] where some church remains of the period were disco ered& ,he other could be by <esetnik near the town of Aakanj& ,he boundaries of 4roatia are important for the delineation of the western boundaries of the Serbs& [:8] .hen Serbian Prince 4*asla died around $@6( 4roatia e+panded to the bano ina 7administrati e unit; of Arba a( Cika and /acko&[:=] ,he data e+plainin! the concept of this administrati e unit are found in the Annals of the Frankish Kingdom althou!h the 4roats are not mentioned& Prince 'orna 7around %#%9%>#; is mentioned as the prince of the /uduscani( the people that undoubtedly li ed in the re!ion of present9day Cika( i&e& between the 4roatia in the Cittoral and the 4roatia on the Sa a ri er&[:%] A little later( it is described how Prince Cjude it1s rebellion a!ainst the Prankish authorities was crushed& -n %>>( Cjude it fled from Sisak and found shelter with one of the Serbian *hupans& )e killed his host and tried to take o er his state but had to flee towards the sea where he was murdered& As mentioned earlier( !i en the route which Prince Cjude it had to take and the data on the state and the town of Srb in the #:th century( it seems that he must ha e found shelter in today1s Srb near the headwaters of the Fna ri er& Accordin!ly( in the $th and #6th centuries( in the farthest west( Serbia bordered on the re!ion of /uduscani in today1s Cika( which was included in 4roatia later on& ,he area of the northern 4roatia in the continental part has not been conclusi ely established& ,hat is why it is more difficult to define the northern boundaries of the Serbs& ,he boundaries of Ea!reb bishopric( constituted at the end of the ##th century( show where the northern boundary of Serbia

mi!ht ha e been& -t is common in )un!ary that the territories of bishoprics coincide with the boundaries of administrati e re!ions& ,his means that the boundaries of the new bishopric were set around the territory of the old principality with the seat in Ea!reb& ,hus( the southern boundary of Ea!reb bishopric( i&e& of the older principality on the Sa a ri er( e+tended in the direction Erinska /ora 9 'ela Arajina&[:$] So( in the $th and #6th centuries( the Serbs could reach the mesopotamia between the Fna and Arka ri ers with today1s 'anija and Aordun 7the re!ions fa ourable for cattle breedin!;& /i en the structure of the soil( the Serbs could spread o er the mountains in the direction of H!ulin& -n the $th century( Prince Aocelj 7%8#9%=8; ruled the Cower Pannonia 9 5uko o( Srem( 2ac a& ,he name of the today1s illa!e of Aocelje a in 2ac a confirms that Serbia bordered on Pannonia& Pope Gohn 5--- 7%=>9%%>; wrote to the Serbian Prince 2utimir 7around %@69%$#J>; to subju!ate his bishopric to the Pannonian archbishopric of Saint 2ethodius&[@6] ,his is just an additional proof that in the north Serbia bordered directly on the re!ions ruled by Prince Aocelj& Scarce data on the )un!arian inroads into our lands at the be!innin! of the #6th century cited that Ea!reb( Po*e!a( and 5uko o were looted while neither the Serbs nor 4roats were mentioned&[@#] ,his pro es that these towns were probably the seats of se eral principalities of the 4roats( 5ilci 7.ol es;( and of the third tribe of an unknown name& At the time of Prince 4*asla 7$>=J$>%9around $@6;( the boundary of Serbia could reach the <ra a and <anube ri ers&[@>] -n the north9east and east( the border shifted due to the clashes with 'ul!aria& -n the mid #6th century( the 2ora a principality was situated somewhere in the re!ion of Sumadija( the 2ora a ri er basin and 'ranice o&[@?] 'ased on the location of this principality( the north9east boundary of Serbia coincided appro+imately with the boundary of Roman <almatia 9 from 2ount 4er to 2ount Rudnik& ,hen the border ran southward( between the Eapadna J.esternJ and Gu*na JSouthernJ 2ora a ri er basins& -t is now difficult to define where e+actly the southern boundary was( but it should be somewhere on the watershed of the 2ora a and 5ardar ri ers( and on the watershed of the 5ardar and <rim ri ers&

Fig. . Serbs in the middle of the 1!th centur" [click for the large image]

,he archaeolo!ical data on the Serbs in the $th and #6th centuries are too scarce to be used for definin! their ethnic area& -f compared to the nei!hbourin! countries( known for their numerous sometimes la ish findin!s( one could !et a completely wron! idea about the Serbia of the period& 4apital cities( towns( and the seats of bishoprics ha e not been e+plored in the Serbian re!ion& Some e+amples( howe er( show that this could be a wron! conclusion& ,he 4hurch of SS Peter and Paul in Ras is the only ori!inal bishopric church of the Sla s which is still more or less unchan!ed& ,his is a rare e+ample of at least one thousand years lon! tradition and continuity& [@:][@@] Another clear proof is the preser ed portion of the potter1s inscription in /la!olitic about the olume of the ju! from 4ecan( Aoso o&[@8] ,his not only speaks of the widespread literacy( but also of the sta!e of de elopment of the state in which the units of measurement were used and the ta+es were fi+ed& At present( we can only speculate about the si!nificant role which Serbia played in the world of the Sla s& Archaeolo!y cannot shed more li!ht on the period of the ##th and #>th centuries( either& Althou!h

the forei!n relations chan!ed( the Serbian state was still powerful and more or less of the same si*e& <urin! the rule of Ain! 2ihailo 7around #6@@9#6%>; and 4onstantine 'odin 7around #6%>9 ##6#;( Serbia was a serious ad ersary of the nei!hbourin! countries& -t is worth mentionin! the 4rusaders1 journey under Raymond of ,oulouse in the winter of #6$8J#6$=& ,hey tra elled for almost :6 days throu!h "Sla onia" 7Scla onia;( from the western border to Scutari where they were met by Ain! 'odin&[@=] 4onsiderin! the len!th of the journey( they probably entered Serbia somewhere in Cika( the westernmost re!ion of Serbia& -n the south9east( the Serbs li ed in Aoso o and their southern boundary was somewhere on the <rim ri er near 2ount <ebar&[@%] -n the nei!hbourhood( somewhere in the re!ion of 3lbasan and ,irana( the "Arbani" 7Albanians; were bein! mentioned from the middle of the ##th century& [@$] ,he schism of the 4hurch and the appearance of 'o!umilism had a rather ne!ati e impact on the Serbs& Fnder the pressure of the )un!arians and Rome( in the crusades( the north9west parts of Serbia were taken from it& Cater( these parts united under the name of 'osnia& ,hrou!hout many centuries( there were constant attempts to con ert the Serbian and other Sla population to 4atholicism and to include them into a nameless Sla corpus in the )un!arian state& )owe er( a continuous mentionin! of the "schismatics" in the mesopotamia between the Sa a and <ra a ri ers( and in 5oj odina show that the Sla onic( i&e& the Hrthodo+ 4hristian 4hurch ser ice had remained uninterrupted until the ,urks came&[86] -n the #:th and #@th centuries( the Hrthodo+ Sla s in )un!ary could not be differentiated from the Serbs( either because the Serbs had li ed there before or because they were assimilated& ,he territorial ratio of the Hrthodo+ 4hurch to the 4atholic 4hurch is e ident in the distribution of the epi!raphs& Fntil the #?th century( 4yrillic monuments spread to the island of 'rac and the 4etina ri er in the west( and in the hinterland they reached the ori!inal 'osnia&[8#] Cater on( in the #:th and #@th centuries( epi!raphs became more numerous( and ery common on tombstones& ,hey were recorded west of the line: 2ljet 7island; 9 Peljesac 7peninsula; 9 /radacac 9 Pakrac 7towns;&[8>] A considerable number of Catin epi!raphic monuments were also disco ered( especially in the Cittoral& )owe er( the Sla population could be differentiated by them only in some rare cases& After #>:%( when Rome once a!ain allowed the use of the /la!olitic alphabet( many /la!olitic inscriptions appeared&[8?] ,he arran!ement of these inscriptions coincided with the spreadin! of the 4yrillic alphabet in the west& -nsi!nificant o erlaps show that there were no si!nificant shiftin! of the Serbs towards the west& ,hus the western boundary of the Serbian ethnic area was determined in the late 2iddle A!es&

Fig. #.- $istribution of the medie%al e&igra&hic monuments [click for the large image] ,he ori!inal ethnic area of the Serbs kept its cultural homo!enity althou!h they were di ided in ten or so small states from the end of the #:th century& ,he best e+amples of the abo e are the tombstones& ,hese tombstones are massi e and usually in the form of different casks& Some of them are ornamented either with small fi!ures( symbolic drawin!s or some other ornaments& ,he Serbian art is well known and has attracted much attention e er since& Dor lon!( propa!anda has presented these tombstones as a form of the 'o!umil art( which was wron!&[8:] -nscriptions on the

tombstones are all in 4yrillic& /ra eyards with tombstones were situated in the same area where the old pa!an !ra eyards with burial mounds were& ,his means that the settlements probably were nearby( and that the old cattle breeders1 way of life was preser ed& .ith the spreadin! of the Serbian cattle breeders towards the west 7the 5lachs; the use of the tombstones increased and there were many of them in <almatia and in the Krajina, from the 4etina ri er to Cika and Pakrac& /ra eyards with tombstones are located by the churches( both the destroyed ones and those still in e+istence where people are bein! buried&[8@] As a rule( these churches face east( the Hrthodo+ churches( as the tombstones themsel es& 5ery rarely these churches and contemporary !ra eyards with tombstones are 4atholic& .hen it is possible to determine the ori!inal appearance of the present9day 4atholic church it becomes ob ious that these churches are the remodelled ones& Dor e+ample( St& /eor!e1s 4hurch in 4a tat( surrounded by broken tombstones( has a flat wall on the east side& 'ut in the altar( a semicircular apse can be seen in the floor& -n 2okro Polje( by Ea odje near Anin( in a preser ed !ra eyard with tombstones( there are church ruins with semicircular apse& ,he apse passes into a flat wall towards east( as in 4a tat& ,his allows a supposition that all the churches located in the !ra eyards with tombstones used to be Hrthodo+ churches& At the locations of the tombstones( pottery from the same period was collected durin! archaeolo!ical e+ca ations& ,his is the pottery characteristic of the Serbian <inaric re!ion( unpolished( made on a slow wheel& ,he pottery is represented mostly by cookin! pots with lon! open brim( without ornaments or arie!ated with wa elike impressions( stripes and small pits& At the bottom they could ha e a seal print from the wheel& ,hey were found in the fortified towns westward of the <rina ri er[88] and in the e+plored monasteries in the re!ion of the Despotovina.[8=] ,hey date back to the time of the ,urkish inroads 9 the late #:th and #@th centuries& Such pottery is the characteristic of the ori!inal Serbian ethnic area preser ed until the present& ,he locations of the workshops with slow wheels in the >6th century coincide with the locations where the pots of the same make were found in the #:th and #@th centuriesB e en the appearance or the pots was the same&[8%][8$]

Fig. '. - Tombstones in the 1'th-1(th centuries [click for the large image] <urin! the #?th and #:th centuries( the Serbian ethnic area in the east was formed& After the fall of the 'y*antine 3mpire in #>6:( the Nemanyich shifted the borders of Serbia towards the east and south& Ac the time of 3mperor Stephen <ushan( the eastern border ran from <jerdap to the Struma ri er alley( and it reached the /ulf of 4orinth in the south& ,hese e ents and the borders are well9 known thanks to the written historical data& ,he cultural monuments of the Serbs and other Sla s in the liberated and anne+ed re!ions somewhat differed due to the 'y*antine influence& Still( althou!h many churches ha e been preser ed( there are not ery many archaeolo!ical data related to the 5ardar and Struma ri er basins& ,he re!ion which pretty much coincided with the idea of today1s central Serbia was formed at the time of Prince Ca*ar 7#?=#9#?%$;& Althou!h constantly threatened by the ,urks( the Serbs de eloped material and spiritual culture under the stron! influence of theolo!ians( artists( and

craftsmen from 4onstantinople and ,hessaloniki& 4ultural and industrial peak was reached at the time of the <espoto ina& -n the sense of archaeolo!y( apart from uni0ue churches and towns( the Serbian <espoto ina was known for its jewellery and especially for the pottery& /la*ed bowls( dishes( plates( ju!s( and flasks bear specific ornaments impressed in "*!raphito" techni0ue& 4ookin! pots were mostly made on a fast wheel& ,hey had lon! open brims and were ornamented alternately with ribs with small pits and an en!ra ed ornament& ,he pottery of the Serbian <espoto ina is also known in the re!ion of Aljuc and the Ne!otin Arajina&[=6] After ,urkey had anne+ed 5idin in #?$8( these re!ions became a part of Serbia and remained within the Serbian boundaries until the fall of the <espoto ina under the ,urkish rule in #:@$& Althou!h there are no specific historical data([=#] this is confirmed by the e+istence of the pottery& ,he distribution of the findin!s of this special pottery makes it possible for archaeolo!ists to follow the mo ements of the Serbs caused by the 2uslim in asion& -n southern )un!ary 7today1s 5oj odina( the mesopotamia between the Sa a and <ra a ri ers( 'aranja;( amon! the pieces of pottery of central 3uropean style( it is easy to discern the rou!her Serbian pottery pieces datin! back to the #:th and #@th centuries( as well as the pieces of the 'y*antine style& [=>]

Fig. ). - $istribution of the late medie%al Serbian &otter" [click for the large image] ,his sur ey based on the a ailable archaeolo!ical data has pointed to the undoubted continuity on the Serbian ethnic area& ,his is the area that has not under!one any considerable chan!es since the =th century& 4ertain spreadin! of the Serbian people is understandable since the Serbs ha e always been the most numerous Sla people in the 'alkans&

Footnotes
#& 4onstantine Porphyro!enitus( De administrando Imperio, ed& /y& 2ora csik( 3n!lish translation by R& G& )& Genkins 7'udapest( #$:$;& >& 2ilica and <jordje Ganko ic( Sloveni j goslovenskom Pod navlj J,he Sla s in the "u!osla <anube 'asinJ 7'el!rade: 2u*ej !rada 'eo!rada( #$$6;( pp& >6(>@& ?& /eor!iy A& )abur!ae ( !tnonimiya "Povesti vremennih let" 72oscow: -*datelst o 2osko sko!o uni ersiteta( #$=$;& pp&>#69>#>& :& Povest vremennih let 72oscow( Cenin!rad: Akademiya nauk SSSR( #$$6;( pp&##( >6=& @& )einrich /el*er( #ngedr ckte nd ngen gend veroffentlichte $e%te der &otitiae episcopat m 72unich( #$6#;( pp& @?%9@:@& 8& Go anka Aalic( "Na*i Raska u starijoj srpskoj istoriji 7-K9K-- ek;(" JName Rashka in the 3arly Serbian )istory 7$th9#>th centuries;J in '(ornik Filo)ofskog fak lteta, K-59# 7'el!rade( #$=$;( pp& =$9$#& =& Sima 4irko ic( Istorija srpskog naroda J)istory of the Serbian PeopleJ 7'el!rade: SAE( #$%>; --( p&?=8 %& Anne 4omnene( Ale%iade 7Re!ne de C13mpereur Ale+is - 4omnene #6%#9###%; --( pp& l@=:?9 l8B #&88: >@9#8$& ,e+te etabli er traduit par '& Ceib t& -9--- 7Paris( #$?=9#$:@;& $& Nada Alaic( Povijest *rvata ranom srednjem vijek J)istory of the 4roats in the early 2iddle A!esJ 7Ea!reb: Skolska knji!a( #$=@;( p& >##& #6& +aim ndi de Ag ilers canonici Podiensis *istoria Francor m , i ceper nt Iher salem,

Recueil des historiens des croisades 7Paris( #%88;( p& >?=& ##& -iaggio in Dalma)ia dell.a(ate Al(erto Fortis 75ene*ia( #==:;( #( >& #>&Eeljko Skalamera and 2arko Popo ic( "No i podaci sa plana 'eo!rada i* #8%?&" JNew <ata from the 2ap of 'el!rade of #8%?J in /odisnjak pada 0eograda, KK--- 7'el!rade( #$=8;( pp& :69 :>& #?&Nada Alaic( Povijest *rvata ra)vijenom srednjem vijek J)istory of the 4roats&&&J 7Ea!reb: Skolska knji!a( #$=8;( pp& 866( 86=98#6& #:&4onstantine Porphyro!enitus( 4ap& ?6& #@&A& 2eineke ed& Ioannis Cinnami epitome rer m a( Ioanne et Ale%io Comnenis gestar m 10onnae, #%?8;( pp& #6>:#%( #6?:#$& #8&.illermi ,yrensis archiepiscopi( *istoria rer m in parti( s transmarinis gestar m, Recueil des historiens des croisades( - 7Paris( #%%:;( KK( ::$:8( $:=& #=&Go an 4 ijic( 0alkansko pol ostrvo i j goslovenske )emlje J'alkan Peninsula and South Sla 4ountriesJ 7'el!rade: <r*a na stamparija Aralje ine Srba( )r ata i Slo enaca( #$>>;( pp& >=$9 >%8& #%&5idukind Aor eyskiy( Deyanija Saksov( ed& /& 3& Santchuk 72oscow: "Nauka"( #$=@;( p& >@=& #$&)eraus!e!eben on Goachim )errmann: Die Sla2en in De tscliland 7'erlin: Akademie9 5erla!( #1$%@;& >6&-rma 4remosnik( "-stra*i anja u 2usicima i Eabljaku i pr i nala* najstarijih slo enskih naselja kod nas(" JResearch in 2usici and Eabljak and the first Dindin!s of the earliest Sla SettlementsJ in /lasnik )emaljskog m )eja, KK5 7Saraje o( #$=6;( pp& :@9###& >#&/eor!ije Hstro!orski( Istorija -i)antije J)istory of 'y*antiumJ 7'el!rade: Pros eta( #$@$;( pp& $$9#>#& >>&Ehi ka 5*haro e: Slavyanski y slavyano(lgarski selishcha v 0lgarskite )emi od kray na -I34I vek 7Sofia: 'l!arska akademiya na naukite( arheolo!icheski institut i mu*ey( #$8@;B Slavyani i Pra(lgari po danni nekropolite ot -I34I v 7Sofia: 'l!arska akademiya na naukite( arheolo!icheski institut i mu*ey( #$=8;& >?&Ganko ic and Ganko ic( Sloveni.... >:&Ganko ic and Ganko ic( "Reko!nosciranje&&&(" JReconnaissance&&&J in Arheoloski pregled. >6 7'el!rade( #$=%;( p& #%%& >@&4remosnik( "Ranoslo ensko naselje&&&(" J3arly Sla Settlement&&&J in /odisnjak A&#0i*, #@ 7Saraje o( #$==;( pp& >>=9?6@& >8& Povest vremennih let, pp& #@& >##& >=& Die Sla2en in De tschland, pp&?69?#( Di!& #6& >%&Ganko ic and Ganko ic( Sloveni..., pp&>6( >@& >$&Pa ao Andjelic( "< a srednje eko na nala*a i* Sultica kod Aonjica(" J",wo 2edie al Dindin!s at Sultic near Aonjic"J in /lasnik 'emaljskog m )eja, K-5 7Saraje o( #$@$;( pp& >6?9 >#:& ?6&5asile 'oroneant and -on Stin!a( "4ercetarile pri ind secolul al K--9lea de la Hstro ul 2are(" in Dro(eta 7,urnu Se erin: 2u*eul re!iunii Portilor de fer( #$=%;( pp& %=9#6=& ?#& Povest vremennih let, pp& #@( >##& ?>&Aleksandar 5& Solo je ( "< a prilo!a prouca anju <usano e dr*a e(" JStudies of 3mperor <ushan1s state&&&J in /lasnik Skopskog na cnog dr stva, -- 7Skoplje( #$>=;( pp& >8( ?6& ??&Ganko ic and Ganko ic( Sloveni..., pp& $6( #6:9#6@( ##=& ?:&Edenko Eera ica( "Ranoslo enska nekropola 'a!rusa u Petose cima kod Caktasa(" JAn 3arly Sla Necropolis&&&J in /lasnik 'emaljskog 5 )eja, :69:# 7A; 7Saraje o( #$%@9#$%8;( pp& #@?9#@:& ?@&Ganko 'elose ic( 5aterijalna k lt ra *rvata od -II do I4 stoljeca J2aterial 4ulture of the 4roats from the =th to the $th centuryJ 7Ea!reb: Ciber( #$%6;( pp& :89:%& ?8&Edenko 5inski( "/ibt es fruhslawische Aeramik aus der Eeit der sudslawischen CaudnahmeL" in Archaeologia 6 goslavica, - 7'el!rade( #$@:;( pp& =#9=?&

?=&'elose ic( op.ch., pp& 8=9=>& ?%&Ganko ic and Ganko ic( Sloveni..., pp& #$9>6& ?$&3mina Eece ic( "Re*ultati istra*i anja srednje eko no! S aca(" JResearch Results of the 2edie al S acJ in /lasnik Srpskog arheoloskog dr stva, @ 7'el!rade( #$%$;( pp& ##>9##:& :6&Patos ,artari( "Nje arre*e e mesjetes se hershme ne <urres(" in Iliria, # 7,irana( #$%:;( pp& >>=9>::& :#&5ladisla Popo ic( "Albanija u kasnoj antici(" JAlbania in the late 4lassical PeriodJ in Iliri i Al(anci 7'el!rade: SANF( #$%%;( pp&>6# 9>@6& :>&Goachim .erner( "Neue Aspekte *um Awarischen Shat*fund on 5rap(" in Iliria, # 7,irana( #$%?;( pp& #$#9>6#& :?&Relja No ako ic( /de se nala)ila Sr(ija od -II do 4 veka 78here Serbia was situated from the =th to #6th centuriesJ 7'el!rade: Narodna knji!a( #$%#;( pp& 8#98?& ::&4remosnik( -* estaj&&&(" JReport&&&J in /lasnik 'emaljskog 5 )eja, 5---( ?6>9?#@& :@&,ihomir /la as( "-skopa anje preromanicke crk e u 5rutcima kod 5rela 'osne(" J3+ca ations of a pre9Romanic 4hurch in 5rutci near 5relo 'osneJ in /lasnik 'emaljskog m )eja, ?=7A;( #$%>( pp& $?9#>>& :8&Alaic( Povijest *rvata ranom srednjem vijek , Appendi+ -K& :=&No ako ic( op. cit., pp&:#9:%& :%&3inhardi Annales( Annales Re!um Dranconim( Pert*( 2onumenta /ermaniae -& See An& %>>& :$&Alaic( Povijest *rvata ranom srednjem vijek , pp& :$=9 @6=& @6&Cjubomir 2aksimo ic( "H remenu pohoda bu!arsko! kne*a 'orisa na Srbiju(" JPrince 'oris 4ampai!n on SerbiaJ in '(ornik filo)ofskog fak lteta, #:9# 7'el!rade( #$=$;( p&=?& @#&4hronicon Anonymi re!is notarii( /esta * ngaror m, Scriptores rerum )un!aricum 7'udapestini( #$?=;( pp& %=9 %%& @>& 9jetopis popa D kljanina 7Ea!reb: 2atica hr atska( #$@6;( pp& 8:988& @?&4onstantini Porphyro!eniti, De cerimoniis a lae (y)antinae, ed& -& Reiskins 7'onnae( #%>$;( pp& 8$#:%9#?& @:&Radosla 2ihailo ic( "4rk a S eto! Petra kod No o! Pa*ara(" JSt& Peter1s 4hurch near No i Pa*arJ in &ovopa)arski '(ornik, #6 7No i Pa*ar( #$%8;( pp& 8=9#66& @@&G& Nesko ic and R& Nikolic( Petrova crkva kod &ovog Pa)ara. JSt& Peter1s 4hurch near No i Pa*arJ 7'el!rade: Republicki *a od *a *astitu spomenika kulture( #$%=;& @8&/ordana ,omo ic( "/la!oljski natpis sa 4ecana" J/la!olitic -nscription from 4ecanJ( in Istorijski casopis, KKK5-- 7'el!rade( #$$6J#$$#;( pp& @9#%& @=& +aim ndi de Ag ilers&&&( p& >?=& @%&4omnene( Ale%iade, ---( %::##9>?& @$&'& Derjancic( "Albanci u i*antijskim i* orima" J,he Albanians in 'y*antine SourcesJ in Iliri i Al(anci 7'el!rade: SANF( # $%%;( pp& >%@9?6>& 86&<ra!oljub <ra!ojlo ic( "Si*maticki popo i franje ackih <ubia i pra osla na tradicija u Srednje eko noj 'osni(" JSchismatic Priests of Dranciscan <ubia and Hrthodo+ ,radition in 2edie al 'osniaJ in 0alcanica ann aire de l.instit t des et des 0alkani, es, K5-9K5-7'el!rade( #$%@9#$%8;( pp& :?9@:& 8#&Rade 2ihaljcic( "Nementra!ende Steinischriften in Gu!oslawien om 3nde des =& bis *u! 2athe des #?& Gahrhunderts" in /lossar ) r fr hmittelalterlichen /eschihte im :stlichen ! ropa, > 7.iesbaden: Dran* Steiner 5erla! /mb)( #$%>;& 8>&Sefik 'esla!ic( Stecci, tipolosko3kataloski pregled J,ombstones&&&J 7Saraje o: 5eselin 2aslesa( #$==;( map #&#& 8?&'& Ducic( /lagoljski natpisi 7/lagolitic InscriptionsJ 7Ea!reb: GAEF( #$%>;( Di!s& >9:& 8:&'esla!ic( Stecci 3 k lt ra i metnost J,ombstones 9 4ulture and ArtJ 7Saraje o: 5eselin 2aslesa( #$%>;( pp& :%@9 @#?& 8@&Cjubo Spara alo( "Srednje jeko na !roblja( crk ine i crk e na podrucju Sume trebinjske("

J2edie al 4emeteries( 4hapels and 4hurches&&&J in $r ( nia, @ 7,rebinje( #$=$;( pp& @?9#?8& 88&Andjelic( 0o(ovac i Kraljeva S tijeska 7Saraje o( #$=?;( pp& ###9##>( #%#9#%>& 8=&3milija Pejo ic( "Aatalo! arheoloskih nala*a" J,he 4atalo!ue of Archaeolo!ical Dindin!sJ in 0lago manastira St denice 7'eo!rad: SANF( #$%%;( p&=?& 8%&4 etko Popo ic( ",ehnika primiti no! loncarst a u Gu!osla iji(" JPrimiti e Pottery ,echni0ues in "u!osla iaJ in /lasnik 'emaljskog m )eja, K-5 7Saraje o( #$@$;( pp& >@9 @=& 8$&Persida ,omic( /rncarstvo Sr(iji 7Pottery in Ser(iaJ 7'el!rade: 3tno!rafski mu*ej( #$%?;( pp& >:9?>& =6&<jordje Ganko ic(",he 2edie al Pottery of the Serbian Cower <anube 'asin(" in 0alcanoslavica, ? 7'el!rade& #$=:;( pp& #6%9##$& =#&<usanka 'ojanic9Cukac( "Arajina u reme turske lada ine(" JArajina durin! ,urkish RuleJ in /lasnik !tnografskog m )eja, ?#9?> 7'el!rade( #$8%9#$8$;( pp& 8@98%& =>&2arko 5uksan( "Ao in( lokalitet /rad 9 sonda*no istra*i anje #$%8& !odine(" in /lasnik Srpskog arheoloskog dr stva, @ 7'el!rade( #$%$;( pp& ##=9#>>&

Dr Djordje Jankovic
Assistant Professor in the <epartment of Archaeolo!y( Daculty of Philosophy( Fni ersity of 'el!rade& )e teaches 5edieval Archaeology from the ;th to the <=th cent ries. )e has published about twenty scientific papers in medie al archaeolo!y( in particular within the area of Sla Archaeolo!y& 'ooks Pod navski deo o(lasti akvisa -I i pocetkom -II veka J,he <anube 'asin Section of the Pro ince of Ak is in the 8th and at the be!innin! of the =th centuryJ 7#$%#; Sloveni j goslovenskom Pod navlj J,he Sla s in the "u!osla Section of the <anube 'asin 7#$$6( 4o9author with 2& Ganko ic; Srpske gromile 7Serbian ,umulsJ 7#$$%;&

JJ Project Rastko J Archaeolo!y JJ

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