Braljina, an Early and Middle Bronze Age Settlement in Southeastern Europe (Nišava District, Serbia)

Description

A few years ago, the Early and Middle Bronze Age settlement of Braljina was completely unknown in archaeological terms. Recent rescue excavation ensured that the site was investigated on a larger scale and that all available methods of archaeological prospection were employed. The remains of household architecture, as well as pottery assemblages, are unusual for this part of the central Balkans, making the site invaluable for understanding the transition from the Early into the Middle Bronze Age in central Serbia, where the boundary between these was previously unclear, apart from at tell settlements. Pottery production at the Braljina site indicates several possible directions of influence that came to this part of the central Balkans from the Carpathian Basin, the middle Danube river, and the Peripannonian region, as well as from the northern Aegean.