Ka preciznijem datovanju srednjovekovnog groblja na Velikom Gradcu

Abstract

Srednjovekovna nekropola na Velikom Gradcu je iskopavana 1966. Rezultati istraživanja su ubrzo publikovani, a trajanje sahranjivanja je opredeljeno u razdoblje od poslednjih decenija XI do kraja XIII v., s mogućnošću da je groblje bilo u upotrebi i u kasnijem vremenu. Radi se o groblju koje se odlikuje osobenim grobnim nalazima, na osnovu kojih se izdvaja u odnosu na ostale srednjovekovne nekropole do sada poznate u srpskom Podunavlju. Na osnovu analize grobnih nalaza može se sugerisati nešto preciznije datovanje prihvatljiva je samo donja hronološka granica, dok bi se trajanje sahranjivanja moglo opredeliti do u prve decenije ili najduže do polovine XII v. Postojanje mlađih grobova se ne može isključiti u potpunosti, ali oni nisu potvrđeni odgovarajućim grobnim nalazima.

Veliki Gradac is located at the centre of the Iron Gates on the site of the modern settlement of Donji Milanovac. The fortification was built in the 1st century and, with breaks in occupation of varying length, and renovations which varied in scale, remained in use until the end of the 6th century. At the turn of the 9th century it was occupied again and settlement continued throughout the 10th and most of the 11th centuries. In the 1070s occupation ended abruptly, never to be renewed, while at a later date the area within the ramparts was used for burials. The Mediaeval cemetery was partially excavated in 1966. It began within and over the remains of an Early Byzantine church, restored and used in the 11th century. In all 105 graves were excavated. These are concentrated in the space around the apse, and are less frequent to the north and south of the church. The cemetery was dated to between the 11th and 13th century; its earliest use was established by the discovery of a coin of the King Ladislas I of Hungary (1077-1095) and burials were believed to have continued there until the end of the 13th century, with the proviso that later burials may exist. Today, thanks to extensive excavation which has greatly enriched our knowledge of the site, it is possible to be more precise. While the earlier date remains the same, it seems clear that burials at the site ceased in the first decades of the 12th century, in all probability before the middle of the century at the latest. Findings from the cemetery at Veliki Gradac (fig. 1/1-20) set it apart from the other known Mediaeval cemeteries in lower Danubian Serbia, which include burial grounds that are of older (Grabovica or Kostol, from the 10th to the 11th century) and also later date (Korbovo, Prahovo or Vajuga from the 12th century). The chronological distribution of burials at Veliki Gradac corresponds to the time of Byzantine rule in the region. The end of habitation within the settlement, over the remains of which the cemetery soon became established, seems to be connected to the uprising of 1072. This event must have had serious consequences in North-east Serbia, bearing in mind that it coincides with the end of habitation in a number of fortified settlements. It is assumed that the local Slavic population took part in the uprising and that after it was suppressed they were either moved out of the fortifications or abandoned them of their own volition. Such an event could also account for the change in the grave inventories at the site. The presence of the church which at that time must still have been visible above ground level is most important in explaining the initiation of burials. The deceased were either members of a newly settled population or of the original inhabitants who after the uprising, were no longer permitted to occupy the fortifications within which they had previously resided. The end of burials at Veliki Gradac coincides with the period of disruption caused by the wars between Hungary and the Byzantine Empire which lasted until the rule of Manuel I Komnenos when the Empire briefly re-established its authority over the Danubian region. The later cemeteries in the lower Danubian parts of Serbia exhibit a much richer inventory. These are graves dated by coin evidence to the second half of the 12th and the first decades of the 13th centuries, and thus come from the time when the Byzantine hold over the Danubian parts of modern Serbia became progressively weaker and finally ended altogether, while Hungary and the resurgent Bulgarian state struggled for control of the region.