Srednjovekovna crkva u Omoljici - istraživanja u 2006. godini

Abstract

Arheološkim iskopavanjima obavljenim leta 2006, kompletirano je istraživanje unutrašnjosti crkve, razjašnjena situacija sa njene južne strane, u vezi sa ranijim pretpostavkama o postojanju još jedne građevine i istražena nekropola u većem obimu. Unutar crkve nisu konstatovani tragovi sahranjivanja, dok su na prostoru oko crkve istražena 142 groba. Ukupno je pronađeno 66 novčića, od čega 56 u zatvorenim grobnim celinama. Po načinu prilaganja novca izdvajaju se retki grobovi u kojima je na lobanji sa spoljne strane vilice pronađen komad kože, ispod koga se nalazio novac. Pojedine naušnice predstavljaju primerke do sada nepoznate na teritoriji Srbije. Na osnovu analize grobnih nalaza, naročito novca, trajanje sahranjivanja je opredeljeno u razdoblje druge polovine XII i prve polovine XIII v.

During the archaeological excavations of 2006 no burials were uncovered inside the church. In the western portion of the central area, partially beneath a previously uncovered brick structure, a late Roman period storage pit sunken deep into the virgin soil was examined. This was almost identical to the pit discovered in the previous excavation on the inner side of the northern foundations. A further storage pit inside the church was discovered from outside in the south-western corner. In the area south of the church contours of alternating dark-brown and yellow earth were sectioned (in the previous excavations this area was tentatively identified as the foundations of a building very close to the church), however, skeletons where discovered at different relative depths underneath, establishing that in fact this is a series of grave pits. 142 graves were examined around the church (pl. I) the most common grave goods are coins; a single coin called an 'obol' was placed in the graves as payment for the journey to the underworld. In all, 66 such coins were discovered, 56 of them in intact graves and the rest in groups of disarticulated bones. The coins were most often placed in the mouths of the dead (pl. II/1) and much more rarely in the region of the belt, along with belt buckles of iron (pl. III/1). Rare evidence of the manner in which the coins were left was uncovered in the few graves in which a piece of leather was found on the outside of the jaw, under which the coin was located (pl. II/2). Most of the items of personal adornment discovered were earrings (pl. III/3-4), finger- rings (pl. III/7) and one pendant (pl. III/2) while the remaining personal items, belt parts, were found in seven graves. The luxurious filigree and granulation silver earrings are the only ones of their kind yet discovered in Serbia (pl. III/5-6) The cemetery in Omoljica has at least two burial levels, of which the newer and more numerous dates from the time when the church was in use. Analysis of the grave goods, in particular the coins which are mostly from the reign of king Géza II (1141-1161) and king Béla IV (1234-1270), dates the cemetery to the second half of the 12th and first half of the 13th century.