Lepenski Vir - Аrcheological Site
At the archeological site Lepenski Vir, within the visitor center, the remains of residential and sacral architecture and monumental sculptures from the Mesolithic period are presented.
By Archeological Sites of Serbia
Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Serbia
The archeological site Lepenski vir with protective construction (Mesolithic, Neolithic) by Republic Institute for the Protection of the Monuments of Culture – Belgrade and Pavle MarjanovicArcheological Sites of Serbia
Archaeological site Lepenski Vir is a very important and in many ways unique prehistoric site. Lepenski Vir was discovered on the bank of river Danube in the Iron Gates area in Serbia. At this site were discovered separated settlements belonging to phases of prehistory:
· The early Mesolithic from 9500 to 7500 BC (Proto Lepenski Vir),
· Late Mesolithic, from 6300 to 5900 BC (Lepenski Vir Ia-e, Lepenski Vir II),
· Early Neolithic, from 5900 to 5500 BC (Lepenski Vir IIIa-b).
Excavation works on Lepenski Vir (Mesolithic, Neolithic) by Manager of Lepenski Vir Tourist Area Ltd. and Archaeological archive of National museum in Belgrade (1968)Archeological Sites of Serbia
Lepenski Vir was excavated continuously since 1965 to 1970, and archaeological excavations were managed by Dr. Dragoslav Srejović. During this period it was explored area of 2500 m2, with a cultural layer of 3.5 m.
Replica of the Lepenski Vir house
During the archaeological excavations, in the Mesolithic layers, the planning built settlements reveled with trapezoid base dwellings of the houses, the skeletal remains that indicate specific burial rituals, statues and altars of stone as well as numerous small finds of stone and bone.
Part of exhibition from Neolithic period in visitors’ center Lepenski Vir (Neolithic) by Manager of Lepenski Vir Tourist Area Ltd. and Vladimir NojkovićArcheological Sites of Serbia
Neolithic settlement Lepenski Vir showed the transition to a sedentary lifestyle, changes in the economy and the emergence of pottery. Although Lepenski Vir shared with other Iron Gates Mesolithic settlements standards of local material culture, such as movable archaeological material (pruned stone tools, tools made of bone, antler and wild boar teeth, stone tools).
Part of exhibition from late Mesolithic period in visitors’ center Lepenski Vir (Mesolithic) by Manager of Lepenski Vir Tourist Area Ltd. and Vladimir NojkovićArcheological Sites of Serbia
The different that sets it apart from other Mesolithic sites, is a high artistic level of its residents who showed it through production of large number of objects made of bone, horn, various kinds of stones, rocks and minerals that are often decorated with incised abstract or figurative motifs.
The foundations of Mesolithic houses (Mesolithic, Neolithic) by Republic Institute for the Protection of the Monuments of Culture – Belgrade and Pavle MarjanovicArcheological Sites of Serbia
Among these objects, the most significant are sculptures and altars which were tightly sealed with limestone plaster in the floors of the houses. All sculptures and altars were made of coarse grained sandstone pebbles of different sizes. Two techniques were used in construction, embossing and carving, and motifs are usually modeled in low relief.
According to what it shows, the sculptures can be divided into figural and ornamental. On figural sculptures only the head was shaped in detail, with prominent eyebrows, ears, nose and mouth. Ichthyoids appearances of these sculptures have shown clear impact and importance that river Danube had on residents of Lepenski Vir.
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The documentary film Lepenski vir from 1968, produced by Dunav film and directed by Vladan Slijepčević, takes us back to the past and takes us right to the time of archeological excavations and discovery at this site.
For ornamental statues and altars the most common motifs are meanders, fishbone and plaits. Artistic manifestations on Lepenski Vir are inextricably related to architecture, funerary ritual and religious beliefs of its citizens. Their representation and diversity indicated that the settlement in Lepenski Vir played a special role and may have been a religious center in the Iron Gates Mesolithic communities.
Sculpture Deer in the forest Lepenski Vir (Mesolithic) by Manager of Lepenski Vir Tourist Area Ltd. and Vladimir NojkovićArcheological Sites of Serbia
What has to be emphasized here is that motifs on decorated objects made of bone, horn, wild boar teeth and engraved river pebbles in the early Mesolithic of Iron Gates, have broadly related repertoire of motifs from the early and late Mesolithic sites in Mediterranean and South East Europe, while the motives of the sculptures, "altars" and stone hammers (scepter) are specific only to Lepenski Vir.
Archaeological site Lepenski Vir on original location (Mesolithic, Neolithic) by Manager of Lepenski Vir Tourist Area Ltd. and Archaeological archive of Archaeological Institute in Belgrade (1970)Archeological Sites of Serbia
Their occurrence and duration coincide with the time of the first direct contact between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers with the livestock-farming communities which to comes to the central Balkans. Lepenski Vir to this day remains the most popular and controversial site in the Iron Gates Mesolithic.
Skeleton discovered in the floor of the house 69 (Mesolithic, Neolithic) by Manager of Lepenski Vir Tourist Area Ltd. and Archaeological archive of National Museum in Belgrade (1967)Archeological Sites of Serbia
Exceptional phenomenon in European prehistory, both from a purely archaeological point of view and because it is one of the few sites where everything is filled with some meaning. Attempts to figure out the meaning of it are in the center of the interest of the global scientific community since discovery of this site until today.
After construction of the first dam on the river Danube and the formation of the reservoir lake upstream of Kladovo, largest numbers of archaeological sites have been submerged. When it comes to Lepenski Vir, the remains of architecture, some of the houses with trapezoidal base were preserved, relocated and now they are placed under the roof of a new building of the Visitors Centre Lepenski Vir. Movable objects and materials from this site are kept in the National Museum in Belgrade. Lepenski vir - Аrcheological site - Apps on Google Play.
Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Serbia
Republic Institute for the Protection of the Monuments of Culture – Belgrade
Manager of Lepenski Vir Tourist Area Ltd.
National Museum in Belgrade
The narration was provided by: Bojana Mihajlović archaeologist, National museum and Vladimir Nojković.
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