The Norwegian Institute at Athens invites all interested to its upcoming lecture by Dr. Aleksandar Kapuran (Principal Research Fellow, Director of Prehistory Department, Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade).
The lecture is titled “Connections and Interactions Between Greece and the Central Balkans During the Bronze Age: Insights from Recent Research in Serbia,” and will be held at the Norwegian Institute at Athens in a hybrid format, accommodating both in-person and online attendance via Zoom.
Abstract
Contacts between the Greek world and the Central Balkans (present-day Republic of Serbia) fluctuated in intensity during prehistory, depending on the prevailing cultural phenomena and their manifestations in either region of the Balkan Peninsula. The similarities in material culture between these areas have long attracted the attention of archaeologists from Greece, Serbia, and other European countries. After 15 years of excavations at Copper and Bronze Age sites in Serbia, researchers at the Archaeological Institute now have a clearer understanding of the influences that reached this region from the Aegean, spanning from the end of the 4th to the end of the 2nd millennium BC, as well as those flowing in the opposite direction. Beyond parallels in ceramic and metal production, certain aspects of funerary rituals also reveal strong connections, with evidence pointing to influences from the south.
Our research, along with a series of absolute dates, confirms that the EBA communities in the southern Balkans were key bearers of changes in burial customs—particularly the shift from inhumation to cremation—most likely introduced to Serbia by the end of the 3rd millennium BC. Given that the treatment of the dead is one of the most sensitive issues and distinctive markers of a community, we believe such significant changes were unlikely to result from a mere fashion or custom; instead, they were likely brought by migrating communities. This argument is further supported by the remains of material culture, which will also be presented.
Biographical Information
Dr. Aleksandar Kapuran was born in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1965, where he completed his undergraduate studies in archaeology and his PhD. Since 2006, he has worked at the Archaeological Institute (a national institute of importance for the Republic of Serbia), holding the position of Principal Research Fellow and Director of the Prehistory Department. Over the past decades, he has participated in numerous excavations of prehistoric settlements and necropoleis in Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, and Greece.
In addition to his work with the Norwegian Institute in Athens, Dr. Kapuran collaborates with the University of Winnipeg, the Römisch-Germanisches Kommission des DAI Frankfurt, and the Österreichisches Archäologisches Institute in Vienna. In the past decade, he has co-directed the Serbian-Austrian scientific project “Bronze Age in the Territory of Eastern Serbia: Metallurgy, Settlements, and Necropoleis,” a collaboration between the Archaeological Institute in Belgrade and the Österreichisches Archäologisches Institute in Vienna. His research primarily focuses on the metallurgical traditions of prehistoric communities in regions where copper ores were exploited during the Copper and Bronze Ages. He is the author of several
Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.
To attend in person, please register at [email protected]
To attend online, please register via the following link: https://uib.zoom.us/meeting/register/IDM2gphgShyMP2qrlXTDIA