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The paper presents an extraordinary new find from the site of Velika Humska Čuka near Niš, in south-eastern Serbia. During the 2022 excavation campaign, a set of bronze jewellery was discovered, comprised of a pin, a band, ten saltaleoni, and ten circular pendants. Of particular importance are the finds of circular pendants, which are known throughout the Bronze Age in the territory of Europe. Such pendants are traditionally connected with Central Europe and the Hügelgräber culture, therefore representing an uncommon find for the Central Balkans. The paper provides a stylistic and typological analysis of jewellery, complemented with physical and chemical analyses, and further discusses the scope and effects of interactions between Central Europe and Central Balkans during the Bronze Age.

The important role of the Balkans in the origin and development of metallurgy is well established with respect to copper. In addition, Aleksandar Durman, in his 1997 paper “Tin in South-eastern Europe?”, essentially initiated studies into the role of the Balkans in Europe’s Bronze Age tin economy. He identified six geologically favourable sites for tin mineralisation and associated fluvial placer deposits in the former Yugoslavian republics, and suggested that these may have added to the tin supply of the region. The viability of two of these sites has been confirmed (Mt Cer and Bukulja, Serbia) but the exploitation potential for the other locations has remained untested. River gravels from these four sites (Motajica and Prosara in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bujanovac in Serbia; Ogražden in North Macedonia) were obtained by stream sluicing and panning. The sites of Prosara and Bujanovac were found to be barren with respect to cassiterite (SnO2). Streams flowing from Motajica and Ogražden were both found to contain cassiterite, but in amounts several orders of magnitude less than at Mt Cer and Bukulja. Although it is possible that minor tin recovery occurred at Motajica and Ogražden, it is unlikely that they could have contributed meaningfully to regional tin trade. This is supported by the fact that the isotopic signature (δ124Sn) of cassiterite from Motajica is highly enriched in light isotopes of tin compared to that associated with Late Bronze Age artefacts of the region.

The paper presents the horizontal and vertical stratigraphy of the site of Bolnica in Paraćin, based on both earlier and the latest archaeological excavations and the material which had been collected for decades by the Hometown Museum in Paraćin, as a result of the construction works connected with the constant urbanisation of the area. The presented archaeological material is attributed to a period from the Early Neolithic to the so-called Dacian La Tène, meaning the 2nd century AD. One of the subjects discussed in this paper is the possibility that the sites of Bolnica and Motel Slatina, in fact, represent one large site, which was artificially divided by the E 75 highway and the Serbian Glass Factory. The comparative analysis, which encompassed the sites positioned on the right bank of the Velika Morava River, showed that this is one of the sites with the most independent chronological sequences in the Central Morava Region. Likewise, the importance of this site as a strategic point and an important intersection on the route from the Danube River to the Central Balkans, and further towards the south and east is underlined. Finally, we analysed the appearance of Dacian material culture during the 1st and the 2nd century AD and compared the occurrence of certain forms and decorations with relevant sites in present-day Romania. The paper cautiously suggests that the Dacian material culture represents traces of the deportation of 100,000 Transdanubians to the territory of Moesia by the legate Silvanus Aelianus, possibly between 61 AD and 64 AD, during the reign of Emperor Nero, which has been partially confirmed by new archaeological excavations at the site of Gloždak-Lidl during 2018. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177020: Cultural Identity, Integrating Factors, Technological Processes and the Role of the Central Balkans in the Development of European Prehistory]

The most common scientific analysis of archaeological ceramics aims to determine the raw material source and/or production technology. Scientists and archaeologists widely use XRF-based techniques as a tool in a provenance study. After conducting XRF analysis, the results are often analyzed using multivariate analysis in addition to interpretation and conclusions. Various multivariate techniques have already been applied in archaeological ceramics provenance studies to reveal different raw material sources, identify imported pieces, or determine different production recipes. This study aims to evaluate the results of multivariate analysis in the provenance study of ceramics that belong to three cultures that settled in the same area during various prehistoric periods. Portable energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pEDXRF) was used to determine the elemental composition of the ceramic material. The ceramic material was prepared in two different ways. The ceramic body material was ground into powder, homogenized, and then pressed into tablets. After that, the same fragments are polished in suitable places. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on the tablets and polished pieces. The results were subjected to both unsupervised and supervised multivariate analysis. Based on the results, it was concluded that qualitative analysis of the well-prepared shards' surface using EDXRF spectrometry could be utilized in provenance studies, even when the ceramic assemblages were made of similar raw materials.