Recent fieldwork at the Neolithic site of Veluška Tumba in Pelagonia

Abstract

Veluška Tumba is one of the most interesting Neolithic settlement sites in Pelagonia in terms of its stratigraphy, architecture and material culture. In 2017, a research project was launched, with new scientific approaches that apart from the standard knowledge of layers, buildings and artifacts, aimed to reconstruct the internal organization of the settlement and its natural environment, as well as to gain a detailed insight into the stratigraphy, chronology, architectural features, production of vessels, tools and cult objects, and the diet of the inhabitants of this impressive mound which had an uninterrupted development in the Neolithic resulting into the formation of deposits measuring almost 4 m. Therefore, in addition to the usual archaeological methods, geoarchaeological, archaeobotanical and radiocarbon analyzes were used in the last few years of research at the site, as well as a Harris Matrix to record all archaeological features, which in turn provided a very detailed insight into several aspects of the Neolithic life.