Field Survey of the Daruvar — Lipik Road Section

U terenskom pregledu trase buduće ceste Daruvar – Lipik, na osnovi prikupljenih površinskih nalaza, otkriveno je 40 arheoloških nalazišta koja pripadaju svim razdobljima, od kojih je dosad tek nekolicina bila registrirana i od prije poznata u literaturi. Dokumentirana brojnost arheoloških nalazišta nikako ne iznenađuje s obzirom na istaknuti geografski položaj daruvarsko-pakračkog područja, kojim se ostvarivala povezanost Posavine i Podravine. Iako rezultati terenskog pregleda počivaju na prikupljenim površinskim nalazima, najveći broj nalazišta moguće je vremenski defi nirati. Najstarija zabilježena nalazišta pripadaju neolitičkoj starčevačkoj te eneolitičkoj lasinjskoj kulturi. Znatan broj nalazišta pripada i razdoblju kasnoga brončanog doba, kada su se na tom prostoru doticale kulturne skupine različitog porijekla. Tijekom mlađega željeznog doba na ovom području obitavaju panonski Jasi koji se spominju u rimskim izvorima te na natpisima, zbog čega im se vjerojatno može pripisati i nekoliko pronađenih antičkih lokaliteta. U srednjem vijeku zabilježena je gusta naseljenost s dokumentiranim najvećim brojem pronađenih nalazišta. Posebno su brojna kasnosrednjovjekovna naselja koja ukazuju na važnost ovog područja u obrani od Turaka tijekom 15. – 16. stoljeća.For the study on the construction of the Daruvar–Lipik road (counties of Bjelovar–Bilogora, Požega–Slavonski Brod), a field survey of the road section was conducted in which a large number of until now unknown archaeological sites from all periods were documented. Their excavations facilitate insight into the chronological sequence of settlements in the territory of western Slavonia, situated on an important communication route linking the regions of Posavina and Podravina. In the northern part, the road’s route passes west and south of Daruvar across gentle hills, or valleys of the rivers of Toplica and Bijela, while in its southern part it passes through the little mountain called Pakračka Gora and across the Pakra River Valley, ending on the eastern slopes of Blatuško Brdo (Map 1). In a field survey of the road section, 40 sites were found from all periods. On the basis of the collected surface finds, their spatial distribution and chronological classification were identified. The sites are almost evenly distributed along the entire road section (Map 1). The majority of finds is situated on elevations or slopes of hills, along rivers or smaller streams, while a smaller number of sites were found situated on tops of the Pakračka Gora hills. At the majority of sites (33) finds were documented that can be dated in the period of the Middle Ages. After that follow the sites from the Neolithic/Aeneolithic (8) Bronze Age (6), then those from classical antiquity (5) and the smallest in number are Iron Age sites (2). At the majority of sites, finds from different periods were documented, mostly prehistory and the Middle Ages (Tab. 1). At Neolithic/Aeneolithic sites, pottery fragments and stone artefacts (lithica) were collected suggesting Starčevo or Lasinje cultures settlements. A significant number of sites also belong to the Late Bronze Age period, i.e. the Virovitica group of the older stage of the Urnfield culture (Fig. 1). The finds of grey pottery, manufactured on a potter’s wheel, belong to the Early Iron Age. Excavations of the listed sites (Fig. 2) might bring about interesting answers to questions about the relationship between the Celtic and the Pannonian heritages, i.e. the system of the Iassian community which in Roman sources and on the basis of inscriptions is located in the area between Daruvar and Varaždin. Sites that can be dated approximately between the 2nd and the 4th centuries belong to the classical antiquity period. Possibly these are settlements or villas along the road connecting Daruvar with Pakrac (Menneiana–Aquae Balissae). The majority of discovered settlements belongs to the Late Middle Ages (14th – 16th centuries), but finds were documented that also suggest settlement in the Early and particularly in the High Middle Ages. A dense population is testified also by the fact that the oldest Croatian coin mint was situated in Pakrac. The site Gornji Sređani-Zidine (Fig. 4) where there are still traces of ditches that used to protect certain parts of the settlement stand out with a large number of pottery fragments and tiles. The large size of the site and the number of surface finds can probably be associated with the prominent late mediaeval settlement Pukur/Pekerzerdahely with the Petrovina fortification and the church of St. Peter. Along with the listed settlements there were also some smaller ones, consisting of a smaller number of structures and used by smaller communities; those were found in a much larger number. A larger number of discovered settlements from the Late Middle Ages testify to the significance of the Daruvar – Pakrac route in the 15th – 16th centuries, a time when the border with the Ottoman Empire passed this way