Neolithic multiculturalism: zones of contact of various communities

Although the term „archaeological culture“ has been criticised from different viewpoints in past several decades, it is still a useful analytical tool (however, must be used with caution) to discern and label prehistoric communities that share similar or identical material culture. Micro-regions where traces of communities ascribed to different contemporaneous cultures are particularly interesting for studying cultural contacts and cultural changes in the past. One of such regions is south-eastern Baranja region in present-day eastern Croatia, where communities of Vinča, Sopot and Lengyel culture lived in the 5th millennium BC. Although this area was long regarded as being populated by Sopot culture communities, recent archaeological researches showed an important presence of Lengyel culture communities in this area. In this paper will be presented two Late Neolithic sites situated in vicinity of Beli Manastir: Kneževi Vinogradi, with archaeological remains attributed to the Sopot and Vinča cultures, and Kotlina, with archaeological remains attributed to the Lengyel culture. At the site of Kneževi Vinogradi, small-scale rescue excavations revealed several structures from Late Neolithic, and the material culture with traits of both Sopot and Vinča cultures. Recent systematic researches at the site of Kotlina revealed a large Lengyel culture site, with habitation structures, burials, and rich material culture. Particularly interesting is the presence of artefacts from exotic raw materials, such as obsidian and marine mollusc shells, showing that Kotlina was part of large trade and exchange network. The habitation patterns, subsistence and economy, and material culture from these two sites will be analysed, as well as their possible place within a larger network of Late Neolithic communities in the region