Results of the 2010 Trial Excavations of the Batina–Sredno Site

U probnim istraživanjima nalazišta Batina–Sredno potvrđene su pretpostavke koje počivaju na rezultatima terenskog pregleda o postojanju prapovijesnog i rimskog groblja smještenih južno od naselja na Gracu. Razdoblju prapovijesti pripadaju ostaci ravnog paljevinskog groblja daljske grupe s kraja brončanog i početka željeznog doba. U grobovima su zabilježeni brojni keramički, metalni i stakleni nalazi koji potvrđuju pretpostavke o iznimnoj važnosti Batine kao istaknutog južnopanonskog centra smještenog na važnoj komunikaciji koja je slijedila tok Dunava. Posebno je važno otkriće danas izravnanih tumula s grobovima smještenim uz njihove rubove od kojih se neki izdvajaju veličinom te brojem i vrstama nalaza. Razdoblju antike pripada otkriće paljevinskih i kosturnih grobova na južnoj nekropoli utvrde Ad Militare i pripadajućeg civilnog naselja. Zabilježeni su i karakteristični jarci V-presjeka koji se povezuju s djelovanjem rimske vojske. Rezultati probnih istraživanja na Srednom potvrdili su iznimno značenje ovog nalazišta za hrvatsku, ali i europsku arheološku baštinu.After two years of field surveying in north-eastern Baranja with the aim of finding new archaeological sites and documenting registered ones, trial excavations in Batina conduced. The trial excavations were conduced at the Sredno site, situated in the north-eastern part of Bansko Brdo. The excavations were conduced with the aim of examining the assumed existence of a prehistoric and Roman cemetery. The assumption was based on the results of a 2008 field survey. In the excavations, four trenches were dug, three in the central part of the site, and the fourth in its northern part, closest to the settlement at Gradac (Fig. 1). The trenches were dug in mild elevations that had been significantly lowered in the course of soil cultivation (Fig. 2). A total of 61 graves were excavated: 47 prehistoric and 14 Roman. In the trenches, a relatively large number of ditches were found, varying in width and depth. In the course of the excavations, a flat incineration cemetery of the Dalj Group was found, which represented the newer stage of the Late Bronze Age and the initial phase of the Early Iron Age. Along the northern margin of the cemetery in Sredno, tumuli were identified, the remains of which were suggested by irregular elevations also situated in other parts of the site. All the graves contained cremation remains, laid in ceramic vessels (Fig. 5) or in organic envelopes (Fig. 3). Most frequently, various forms of pots were used as urns, and in most cases they were covered by a bowl. The majority of finds comprise ceramic vessels that contained food and beverages for the final journey (Fig. 3). The most common finds are various forms of pots, bowls, kantharoi, beakers and cups, and exceptionally dual vessels and stands. Among metal grave goods, attire accessories (fibulae, needles) and ornaments (armlets, torques, pendants) were recorded. These often show signs of having been incinerated in a funeral pyre with the deceased. The number of metal attire accessories and ornaments is larger in women’s graves, where glass beads and ceramic spindlewhorls also appear. Relatively small iron knives with a gently curved blade and a short tang are typical in the graves of both sexes. In men’s graves, the parts of attire also include bronze needles. Whetstones and iron beads were also recorded. Grave 12 stands out with its finds of weapons and attire accessories, which also included a large ceramic symposial set. It was partly cut by grave 3, in which bronze items forming part of a horse harness were unearthed. According to the characteristics of the pottery and metal finds, the graves can provisionally be classified in two burial horizons: an older horizon from the end of the Late Bronze Age (9th century BC), and a newer one from the beginning of the Early Iron Age (8th century to the first half of the 7th century BC). The graves have direct analogies with Dalj Group finds from Batina, which are preserved in numerous European museum collections. In Sredno, 14 Roman incineration and skeleton graves were found. These belong to the southern necropolis located along the road leading from the Ad Militare fort to the Ad Novas fort. Incineration burials in urns, of the bustum type, were unearthed (Fig. 6), as well as those with scattered cremation remains in a grave pits. Skeleton graves with finds of coins were also recorded (Fig. 7). In the fills of cremation graves, ceramic vessel and lamp shards were found, as well as iron nails, wedges and rivets, and bronze mounts. On the basis of their finds, the oldest burials were dated to the 1st century, while graves of the bustum type suggest a more recent dating, probably the 2nd century or the beginning of the 3rd century at the latest. Skeletal graves are more recent and originate from the 3rd century. A relatively large number of wide and deeply sunk ditches were found that possibly represent the remains of ditches which might have been constructed along roads. Two ditches with a characteristic V-shaped cross-section deserve special mention, as they are typical defensive ditches (fossa) of Roman military camps