The White-painted Linear A Phase of the Starčevo Culture in Croatia

Sliku razvitka starčevačke kulture u njezinim početnim stupnjevima znatno su izmijenila i nadopunila desetogodišnja sustavna arheološka istraživanja naselja na Galovu u Slavonskom Brodu. Rezultat istraživanja potvrđuje da je i sjeverna Hrvatska u ranom neolitiku bila integralni dio središnjeg prostora razvitka ove kulture već od njezina najstarijeg stupnja. Otkriće posuda s bijelo slikanim vegetabilnim, kapljičastim i linearnim motivima u dvije radne zemunice 205 i 207 i velikoj grobnoj jami 9 s tri kostura u starčevačkom naselju Galovo u Slavonskom Brodu, uvrstilo je ove objekte u stariju fazu naselja. Njihov kronološki položaj, određen prema stilskim odlikama arheološke građe, potvrdila su datiranja metodom 14C, kojom su utvrđene tri faze izgradnje objekata u naselju. Najstarijoj fazi pripadaju zapadni kultni objekti 149 i 389, radne zemunice 205 i 207 i velika grobna jama 9, datirani u vrijeme od oko 6100 do 5700 cal BC. Srednjoj fazi pripada radna zemunica 155 datirana približno od 5760 do 5630 cal BC, dok najmlađoj fazi pripadaju stambena zemunica 37 i mala grobna jama 15 datirani od oko 5380 do 4960 cal BC. Ovim datiranjima potvrđena je pretpostavka S. Dimitrijevića o postojanju starije faze s bijelo slikanim motivima na posudama u okviru početnog, pred barbotinskog stupnja razvitka starčevačke kulture linear A na prostorima sjeverne Hrvatske. Usporedbom s istovrsno oslikanim posuđem u rano neolitičkim naseljima Donja Branjevina II i III’, Magareći Mlin kod Apatina, Grivac, Divostin I a-c, Drenovac I b, Zmajevac, Starčevo I, Gura Baciului I b, Anzabegovo I i Govrlevo I, potvrđena je pripadnost naselja na Galovu u Slavonskom Brodu fazi bijelo slikanih motiva linear A stupnja na početku razvitka starčevačke kulture unutar središnjeg prostora starčevačkog kulturnog kompleksa.The picture of development of the Starčevo culture in its incipient phases was significantly altered and complemented by the ten-year long systematic archaeological excavations of the settlement at Galovo in Slavonski Brod. The excavation results confirm that northern Croatia in the early neolithic also belonged to the central territory of development of this culture from its very earliest phase. The discovery of vessels with white-painted vegetative drop-shaped and linear motifs in the two work-pits 205 and 207 and in the large burial pit 9 with three skeletons in the Starčevo settlement of Galovo in Slavonski Brod, places these structures in the earlier phase of the settlement. Their chronological position determined by means of the stylistic features of the archaeological material was confirmed by 14C dating, which helped to establish three phases of construction of the structures in the settlement. The earliest phase comprises the western cult structures 149 and 389, the work-pits 205 and 207 and the large burial pit 9, dated to the time around 6100 to 5700 cal BC. Work-pit 155, dated to the time from approximately 5760 to 5630 cal BC, belongs to the middle phase, while the residential pit 37 and the small burial pit 15, dated from around 5380 to 4960 cal BC belong to the latest phase. These dates corroborate S. Dimitrijević’s assumption regarding the existence of an earlier phase with white-painted motifs on vessels in the context of the incipient pre-barbotine phase of development of the Starčevo culture, Linear A, in the territory of northern Croatia. A comparison with identically painted vessels from the early neolithic settlements at Donja Branjevina II and III’, Magareći Mlin near Apatin, Divostin I a-c, Drenovac I b, Zmajevac, Starčevo I, Gura Baciului I b, Anzabegovo I and Govrlevo I, backs up the attribution of the settlement at Galovo in Slavonski Brod to the phase of the white-painted motifs of the Linear A phase at the beginning of the development of the Starčevo culture within the central territory of the Starčevo cultural complex