Foodways architecture: storing, processing and dining structures at the Late Neolithic Vinča culture site at Stubline

Abstract

Late Neolithic Vin≠a culture site at StublineStubline is a Late Neolithic Vin≠a culture settlement near Serbia's capital Belgrade, built on an elevated slope around 4850/4800 BC. The plateau, 16ha in area, was surrounded by two watercourses. The Stubline site lies in a small micro-region, with several contemporary Late Neolithic Vin≠a culture settlements in the immediate vicinity. The first excavations at the site were carried out for one month in the late 1960s (c.f. Todorovi≤ 1967). Systematic excavations were renewed in 2006, and have continued since then on behalf of the Belgrade City Museum (c.f. Crnobrnja et al. 2009;Crnobrnja 2012).Based on the current excavation and prospection data, the Neolithic settlement is exceptionally well preserved, with more than 200 above-ground houses arranged in rows ( Fig. 1), with linear communications, open spaces, and circular ditches surrounding the settlement (Crnobrnja et al. 2009;Spasi≤ 2012a). As in many other Neolithic villages in the Central Balkans, the ground plan of the settlement at Stubline clearly illustrates settlement growth dynamics.We do not know which house was the first to be built in Stubline or who its first inhabitants were, but over time, the settlement extended, and two ditches were dug out at the far western part, either as a symbolic division of space, or in order to protect the inhabitants and their possessions (c.f. Spasi≤ 2012a.16). As time passed, the community grew, and as a result, the two ditches were filled in order to provide the additional space needed to build houses. The houses were again erected in rows, in the same direction as the earlier ones. This layout of new buildings enabled the persistence of former communications. New Stubline shows continuity with earlier organisational ideas, which, on a broader scale, reflects that the settlement narrative was an enduring, long-term process, rather than an event or point in history, a true case of longue durée.Three above-ground houses were discovered during the 2008, 2010 excavations (Crnobrnja et al. 2009Crnobrnja 2012). The excavated houses were rectangular, with exceptionally well-preserved

Ancient cattle genomics, origins, and rapid turnover in the Fertile Crescent

“…The Stubline site lies in a small micro-region, with several contemporary Late Neolithic Vinča settlements in the immediate vicinity. The first excavations at the site were carried out in the late 1960s, while systematic excavations were renewed in 2006 and are still in progress(94)(95)(96). A well-preserved settlement was discovered with more than 200 above-ground houses arranged in rows, with linear communications, open spaces, and circular ditches surrounding the settlement.…”

A Vinča potscape: formal chronological models for the use and development of Vinča ceramics in south-east Europe

“…An important sketch of the development of Vin≠a-Belo Brdo itself was offered, with careful consideration given to the character and sources of material in use at the tell; the resulting account asserting the early dominance and eventual slow decline of the site implies a wider narrative, but does not explicitly document it (Chapman 2000.203-220). Other themes, broadly classifiable as post-processual, have included the nature of deposition and symbolic dimensions of houses (Bori≤ 2008;2015.162;Tripkovi≤ 2007;Crnobrnja et al 2009;Spasi≤, Ωivanovi≤ 2015). Wider narratives of beginnings and subsequent development, however, have often been laid aside in this change of focus, and for the most part, chronological precision has not been a major concern of such contextual approaches.…”

“…and storage facilities, which help to define a suite of eating practices (Spasi≤, Ωivanovi≤ 2015), and the layout of house interiors themselves, could have been at least as important as pottery in the creation and projection of social identities. So the context of pottery use was probably primarily associated with houses, but given the broad sharing of style seen in the wide distributions (Figs.…”

What We Do for Food

“…Storage bins were found in numerous houses: house 01/06 at Vin≠a -Belo Brdo (Tasi≤ et al 2007;Vukovi≤ 2011;Filipovi≤ et al 2018;Borojevi≤ et al 2020), the house at the depth of D 6.73m from 1912 at Vin≠a -Belo Brdo (Fig. 3) (Vasi≤ 1912.94;∑uri-≠i≤ 2019), house II/1912 at Vin≠a -Belo Brdo (Va-si≤ 1912.21), house 1 from the trench XIX at Drenovac (Peri≤ 2017), house 1/2010 at Stubline -Crkvine (Crnobrnja 2012;Spasi≤, Ωivanovi≤ 2015), house 2/79 at Banjica -Usek (Todorovi≤ 1981;Tripkovi≤ 2013;Spasi≤, Ωivanovi≤ 2015), house 2 at Opovo (Tringham et al 1992), and houses 13 and 17 at Divostin (Bogdanovi≤ 1988). One of the best examples comes from house 01/06, at the Vin≠a -Belo Brdo site, where two pithoi filled with carbonized (predominantly) emmer grains were found in one of three storage bins located next to an oven (Vukovi≤ 2011;Spasi≤, Ωivanovi≤ 2015;Filipovi≤ et al 2018;Borojevi≤ et al 2020).…”

“…The walls of those features were about 50cm high. Storage compartments, together with ovens and querns located in their proximity, form a food processing set (Spasi≤, Ωivanovi≤ 2015). Storage bins were found in numerous houses: house 01/06 at Vin≠a -Belo Brdo (Tasi≤ et al 2007;Vukovi≤ 2011;Filipovi≤ et al 2018;Borojevi≤ et al 2020), the house at the depth of D 6.73m from 1912 at Vin≠a -Belo Brdo (Fig.…”