Bronze age settlement in churchyard of Gradac monastery
Authors: Pekovic Mirko , Pejovic Emilija 
Published: May 2011

During 2005 and 2008, a team from Republic Cultural Heritage Preservation
Institute carried out preservative, sondage, archaeological and revision
exploration of the Church of Holy Virgin in Gradac monastery. The 2005
exploration aim was to uncover geomorphology and characteristics of soil and
its moisture penetration, to make insight in condition of ground zones,
uncovering of attached structures and archaeological material, obtaining
stratigraphic data, all in purpose of obtaining data for making the Main
Project for preserving the Church of Holy Virgin from moisture. The first
phase of work started in 2008, and it included work on western, north-western
and south-western part of the church. During these explorations, 9 sondages
were opened and a drainage pit, in total area of 130 m? and total depth of 3
m. Beside medieval cultural layer and medieval necropolis, a prehistoric
layer of 0.5-0.6 m depth was found which was documented with four residential
horizons as well with other belonging archaeological material originated in
period of the end of Early Bronze Age and Middle Bronze Age. Pottery from
older prehistoric layer in Gradac, which was documented with two residential
horizons, mainly consists of fragments of pottery made of weaker, refined
clay, with smooth surfaces and with range of colour from brownish to dark
grey. These are fragments of dishes and larger spherical pots with two
vertical handles on wider part of body. Some fragments are decorated with
wartlike bulges or recesses made with fingers. From fine pottery, there are
pear-shaped amphorae with thin sides, bowls and cups. Beside pottery, in this
layer there were also few fragments of different shapes made of Rozhnac
stone, flints and quartzite, part of stone axe with perforation whose upper
part is shaped into secant and two fragmented millstones made of
quartzlathyte, a mineral found in mountain Golija (Pl. I-III). Analogies to
this pottery are found in sites in Milica Brdo in Ljuljaci, several sites in
region of Krusevac and in Kosovo and Metohia. Pottery of the earlier layer is
made of better refined earth with additives of fine grained sand. It has
smoother surface with light brown colours. Distinctive items are fragments of
biconical and S profile bowls with lingulate handles and wartlike bulges and
fragments of cups with emphasized curved handles that exceed the height of
mouth edges. Beside this, there is also, in less numbers, pottery of rougher
shapes, which mainly includes smaller pots of conical or biconical shapes
with flat or slightly curved edges. Some fragments are decorated with
fingerprints or notches and some of them have plastic ribs and engraved lines
(Pl. IV-V). This pottery from earlier layers from Gradac is similar to
pottery from sites in Morava Basin, regions of Krusevac, Kraljevo and Kosovo.
Explorations of these settlements, though small by exploration area, gave
precious data about residential architecture. Residential structures have
been situated in middle and topmost part of the plateau and we assume that
this settlement area has not been expanded, but that new buildings have been
built in place of old ones. Remaining of these structures shows that they
were solid and relatively commodious. Entrance, together with economy part,
was on the south side. At the end of Early Bronze Age, settlement was
abandoned, but it was reestablished in lesser scale during Middle Bronze Age.
Reason for this could be a stable period during Middle Bronze Age, change of
economy and beginning of migrating cattle breeding. Gradac settlement was
completely abandoned during Middle Bronze Age and was not reestablished again
in Prehistoric period.