Archaeological Site Belo brdo in Vinča

One of the important factors that led to the development of Vinča during the Neolithic is the very favorable geographical and strategic position of the site itself. It is located on the Danube, about 14 km southeast of Belgrade, at the place where the Neolithic man could reach distant parts of Europe by river, first the Danube, and then the Sava, Tisa, Tamiš and Morava which enabled Neolithic merchants to exchange goods along these roads.

The river Bolečica, which was located next to the settlement, provided fertile land and drinking water, and the Danube and Avala provided plenty of fish and game. It is important to mention the raw materials that were available to the inhabitants of Vinča on Avala, which could be used for various purposes such as dyeing pottery and fabrics.

Archaeological finds from this period of excavations, from 1978 to 1986, carried out by the Belgrade City Museum form the largest part of the museum exhibition in Vinča, whose focus is on the Neolithic period, and exhibits from the Copper and Bronze Ages, as well as from the medieval necropolis, as evidence of millennial continuity of Vinča's life.

The area of today's Vinča was first inhabited around 5500 B.C. by farmers and stockbreeders, bearers of the Starčevo culture who formed a smaller settlement here. Around two centuries after this area was first inhabited, the Starčevo cultural group has been replaced by the Vinča cultural group. Between 5300 and 4500 B.C, a large Neolithic settlement was formed on the site of today's Vinča, and the area of today's Serbia and the Central Balkans became the Europe’s cultural center.

The settlement consisted of rectangular wattle and daub houses with reed roof structure. Vinča houses often had several rooms, as well as the attic space, they were built next to each other in rows. This is how rows of houses of the precise orientation were created, which did not change for centuries.

Spondylus (spondylus gaederopus) shells that were used by Vinča people to make luxury jewelry came from the eastern Mediterranean, and obsidian, used for blades, originates from the Carpathians. Apart from numerous agricultural and handicraft products, perhaps the mentioned cinnabar from Avala was the most valuable raw material that the people of Vinča had to offer.

This clearly speaks of the importance of these animals in the economy and culture of these communities. Apart from figurines, other objects should be noted, of most likely cult purposes. The most famous are prosopomorphic lids. Cylindrical in shape with accentuated eyes and modelled ears and nose, they were used as a lid on an amphora or pithos, but their magical or cult role has not been fully deciphered.

Highly stylized marble anthropomorphic figurine with perforations on the head, arms and hips. These openings were most likely used to enable the figurine to be hung on clothes, around the neck or similar. 

Vinča anthropomorphic figurine with a pentagonal face and accentuated almond-shaped eyes. The arms are shown in the shape of stumps, and the chest with plastic applications. 

Vinča anthropomorphic figurine with perforations on the head crown and arms. It is possible that the figurines were decorated with plants or hairs that were pulled through the openings or that these openings were used to hang on clothes or something else.

A fragment of a sitting anthropomorphic figurine with a representation of clothing. The representation of the parts of the clothes on the figures can show us how the people of that time dressed and how the clothes were decorated.

A cup with a horned handle was found together with a bowl with protomes, and with three other amphorae, forming a part of the so-called "wedding set". This set was found in a non-residential building and is presumed to have been used during certain ceremonies.

A conical bowl that was most likely used during a ritual. The surface is red, and there are four pairs of protomes on the rim, two pairs in the form of stylized bird heads and two pairs with small horns. 

Ritual bowl with three legs decorated with flutes. The black polished surface of the bowls is one of the characteristics typical for the ceramic production of the Vinča culture.

Baden culture anthropomorphic figurine representing a stylized idol with clear sexual characteristics. It is decorated with incisions along the whole surface.

Double vessels are a feature of the developed phase of the Vatin culture. They are easily recognizable, consisting of two connected vessels and one common vertical stripe handle. They were probably used in everyday life, but also for certain ritual purposes.

Although Belo brdo in Vinča is best known for its Vinča culture, the impressive ten meter cultural layer preserves evidence of the existence of younger cultures that follow the Vinča culture; Eneolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, until the Middle Ages, when perhaps the largest medieval necropolis in the territory of Belgrade was formed in this area, with over a thousand graves. The Belo brdo site in Vinča has been under state protection since 1950, and in 1979 it was declared an archaeological site of exceptional importance for the Republic of Serbia.