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Sinisa Radovic

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute for Quaternary Palaeontology and Geology, Senior research Associate

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Papers by Sinisa Radovic

Early Dalmatian farmers specialized in sheep husbandry

by Alejandro Sierra Sainz-Aja and Sinisa Radovic

Scientific Reports, 2023

The spread of farming in the central and western Mediterranean took place rapidly, linked to the ... more The spread of farming in the central and western Mediterranean took place rapidly, linked to the Impressa Ware. The Impressa Ware originated somewhere in the southern Adriatic and spread westwards across the Mediterranean. These early farmers had an economy based on cereal agriculture and caprine husbandry, but there is still little information on how this agropastoral system functioned. This study aims to unravel the farming practices of the early Dalmatian farmers linked to the Impressa culture by using an integrated analysis, combining archaeozoology, palaeoproteomics and stable isotopes, applied to the faunal assemblages of Tinj-Podlivade and Crno Vrilo. The results show: (1) the composition of the flocks was overwhelmingly sheep; (2) sheep exploitation at both sites was similar, focusing on milk and meat; (3) sheep reproduction was concentrated at the beginning of winter, with no reproduction in autumn as in later sites in the western Mediterranean. We conclude that a common animal economy existed at both sites, which could be related to the mobility practiced by these early farming societies throughout the Mediterranean.

Analysis of Pigments from Decorated Antler or Bone Artifacts from the Early Iron Age Princely Burial Mounds in Jalžabet (NW Croatia)

by Sasa Kovacevic, Marko Kralj, Marin Petrović, and Sinisa Radovic

INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICA NATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY, 2023

During the Early Iron Age in Europe (EIA), the phenomenon of the Hallstatt culture enveloped a la... more During the Early Iron Age in Europe (EIA), the phenomenon of the Hallstatt culture enveloped a large portion of the European continent. Between the Atlantic Ocean and the River Danube, cultural groups can be roughly divided into two major regions: the Western and the Eastern Hallstatt circle. EIA finds made from organic material decorated with pigments are usually well-preserved only in specific conditions. A good example is the coloured textile found in the salt mines of the eponymous site Hallstatt (AT). Other examples are Scythian finds north and east of the Black Sea, far outside the Hallstatt culture area. This paper presents the results of the analysis of decorated artifacts made from bone or antlers from Jalžabet (NW Croatia). The artifacts were found in two princely burial mounds with incinerated remains: burial mound 1 (Gomila) and burial mound 2. The funerary monuments belong to the Eastern Hallstatt culture and date back to the middle of the 6th century BC, i.e., the end of the Ha D1 period. A group of scientists from Croatia and abroad performed several series of analyses on the selected bone or antler artifacts. The motifs on the artifacts were made by incisions and were filled with black pigment, and there are faint traces of red pigment on the surface. With the help of colourant analysis performed in Brussels and Zagreb (SEM-EDX, MRS, FT-IR), zooarchaeological taxonomic identification, and archaeological determination of a selected group of findings from Jalžabet, we have tried to answer several major questions. The most important question being: are the traces of pigments on artefacts deliberate decoration? If so, can we determine the composition of the paint? What kind of raw materials were used for the production of the artifacts? These questions are important because these kinds of EIA finds are rare and even more rarely analysed. New data would considerably expand our knowledge about the funeral rites of the most prominent members of the Hallstatt nobility in the Drava River valley and Central Europe. Taxonomically, the raw material from which the finds were made was identified to be antlers, probably from red deer (Cervus elaphus). Using methods for colourant analysis, we have successfully proven deliberate application of black paint based on carbon black as a pigment, probably in combination with terpenoid resin. Until now, this composition was only known from much later, Roman-period finds. Also, it was confirmed that the black paint on the artifacts from both burial mounds in Jalžabet is of the same composition. The red pigment on the finds has been identified as hematite. It is highly probable that the red surfaces were deliberate, painted decoration. The probability of extracting the raw material needed for the production of the red paint in the Jalžabet micro-region was also established and requires further research (bog iron ore). The archaeological analysis of the finds supports the idea of the use of various types of decorated plates as inlays, probably on furniture or other luxury everyday items. Smaller finds could have been used as utilitarian objects, parts of attire, and jewellery.

A palaeoecological view of the last Neanderthals at the crossroads of south‐central Europe and the central Mediterranean: long‐term stability or pronounced environmental change with human responses

by Marko Banda and Sinisa Radovic

Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021

This paper presents palaeoecological reconstructions and late Neanderthal responses to environmen... more This paper presents palaeoecological reconstructions and late Neanderthal responses to environmental conditions in two different palaeoecological zones (continental south‐central Europe and the eastern Adriatic) during MIS 3. Our interpretations are based on the available records of climatic conditions, characteristics of Mousterian industries and site characteristics. A variety of data obtained by different methods of analyses (sediments and biological remains) were used for palaeoecological reconstructions, while hominin behaviour was examined from various perspectives based on lithic remains (technology, typology, raw material use), subsistence strategies, land use and site structures. In both regions, Neanderthals practiced a broad exploitation of different faunal and lithic resources available to them and successfully adapted to local environments. Based on a variety of evidence, we offer a new synthesis and examine whether continental south‐central Europe and the Adriatic really acted as refugia during the time of late Neanderthal occupations. We also consider the possible causes and/or timing of Neanderthal disappearance in these regions.

Radiographic analysis and virtual cleaning of a bioarchaeological remain enclosed in mineral deposits from a limestone cave

by Sinisa Radovic and Ivor Jankovic

European Radiology Experimental, 2020

In limestone caves, environmental processes often cause alterations of human or animal skeletal r... more In limestone caves, environmental processes often cause alterations of human or animal skeletal remains, complicating classical analytical methods. Exemplary, a proximal femoral skeletal fragment, enclosed by a thick layer of speleothemic calcite deposits, was discovered during the exploration of the Bedara cave in Žumberak, Croatia. An examination without removal of the surrounding mineral deposits, possibly leading to damage of the specimen, was, therefore, desirable. We describe and discuss the applied techniques, including clinical computed tomography, virtual cleaning by a specially developed segmentation protocol using an open-source DICOM viewer, and virtual visualisation and dimensioning using computer-aided design software, so that this "hidden" specimen could be non-invasively examined in great detail. We also report on the circumstances and origin of the find, the results of radiocarbon dating, and its anatomical and taxonomic identification, according to which,...

The Use of Bone in Stone Tool Technology: Retouchers from Veternica and Vindija (Croatia)

by Marko Banda and Sinisa Radovic

Bone retouchers are tools used for the tasks of retouching lithics and are usually made from long... more Bone retouchers are tools used for the tasks of retouching lithics and are usually made from long bone shaft fragments. They are a common feature of many Middle Palaeolithic assemblages throughout Europe and the Near East but are also found during the Late Lower Palaeolithic and the Upper Palaeolithic. This study presents the results of the analysis of bone retouchers from the Middle Palaeolithic contexts of Veternica (MIS 3-5) and the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic contexts of Vindija (MIS 3), Northwestern Croatia. The study is comprised of an examination of site information, taxonomic and anatomical determination, basic taphonomic analysis, morphometric analysis and analysis of the retoucher use traces. The results reveal a fundamental difference between the two retoucher assemblages. In Veternica, the bone retouchers are an important part of stone tool technology, represented by the number of retouchers, preferential selection of faunal species, preparatory scraping, evidence of curation, the sometimes heavy intensity of use and shaping of the morphology through flaking. In Vindija, retouchers represent a more expedient technology, suggested by the low number of finds in individual layers, their small size, low intensity of use and lack of evidence for preparatory measures and curation. Exceptionally, the assemblage from Veternica has provided retouchers made from cave bear bones, which could suggest exploitation of this species by Neanderthals.

Reconstructing the childhood diet of the individuals from the Middle/Late Bronze Age Bezdanjača Cave, Croatia (ca. 1430 -1290 BCE) using stable C and N isotope analysis of dentin collagen

by Valentina Martinoia Zamolo and Sinisa Radovic

Journal of Bioanthropology, 2021

This paper investigates the childhood diet of 16 individuals from the Middle/Late Bronze Age (143... more This paper investigates the childhood diet of 16 individuals from the Middle/Late Bronze Age (1430-1290 BCE) Bezdanjača Cave (Lika region, Croatia) using stable isotope analysis of dentin collagen from permanent first molars. Results from the analysis reveal that the individuals from Bezdanjača consumed notable quantities of C4 plants during their childhood. The most common C4 plant is millet, whose spread throughout Southern Europe was recently dated to the second half of the 2nd millennium BCE, which agrees with the results obtained in this research. Comparisons between the data collected for the individuals from Bezdanjača and other Middle and Late Bronze Age sites in Croatia suggest that only the individuals from the site of Veliki Vital (Middle Bronze Age, inland Croatia) exhibit similar isotopic values to those from Bezdanjača. Human isotopic values from coastal sites, however, reveal that during the Middle and Late Bronze Age people from the coast had diet that still predominantly contained C3 plant-based foods, which appears to suggest that the dispersion of this crop in Croatia during the Bronze Age followed an east-west trajectory, appearing earlier (Middle and Late Bronze Age) in inland settlements such as Veliki Vital and Bezdanjača and only later (Late Bronze Age and mostly Iron Age) in coastal sites.

Mammoths, Deer, and a Dog: Fossil and (Sub) Recent Allochthonous Remains from the Northeastern Croatia (Podravina Region), with the First Radiocarbon Dating of the Croatian Woolly Mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius)

Quaternary

Eight anatomically and taxonomically different finds are presented in this paper, and they belong... more Eight anatomically and taxonomically different finds are presented in this paper, and they belong to four taxa: woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and dog (Canis familiaris). All specimens represent allochthonous Late Pleistocene and Holocene animal remains, and all were dredged during the gravel exploitation at the Sekuline site near Molve (Podravina region, SW Pannonian basin, NE Croatia). Mammoth remains (bone and tusk fragments) were radiocarbon dated, and these are the first absolute dates on mammoths in Croatia. One upper last left deciduous premolar (dP4 sin.) also belongs to the same species. Ascribed to a dog is one well-preserved skull with a peculiar abscess scar on the maxillary bone as the result of an inflammatory process on the carnassial (P4) premolar. The Late Pleistocene cervid remains are giant deer, while the other cervid finds were determined to be red deer of the Holocene age. Morphometrical an...

Direct dating of Neanderthal remains from the site of Vindija Cave and implications for the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition

A tale of foxes and deer, or how people changed their eating habits during the Mesolithic at Vlakno cave (Croatia)

by Dario Vujević and Sinisa Radovic

Foraging Assemblages: Papers Presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe, Volume 2, 2021

During the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, the eastern Adriatic was an area of dynamic climatic ... more During the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, the eastern Adriatic was an area of dynamic climatic and environmental changes, both of which influenced human subsistence strategies. This paper presents the case study of Vlakno cave, which is located in the interior of Dugi Otok (Long Island), in the region of Dalmatia on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Recent archaeological research of this multi-layer cave site has revealed an abundance of faunal remains, showing that the cave was in use more or less continuously over the past 20,000 years. This study looks at Vlakno’s Early Mesolithic vertebrate assemblage, from which two phases reflecting changes in the subsistence strategies of the cave’s Mesolithic inhabitants can be inferred. Comparison of the vertebrate assemblage from Vlakno cave with contemporaneous faunal assemblages
from the wider region reveals specifics in the faunal composition and human subsistence strategies due to the nature of the island’s conditions.

Radiographic analysis and virtual cleaning of a bioarchaeological remain enclosed in mineral deposits from a limestone cave

by James Ahern, Sinisa Radovic, Ivor Jankovic, Mislav Čavka, and Nenad Buzjak

European Radiology Experimental , 2020

In limestone caves, environmental processes often cause alterations of human or animal skeletal r... more In limestone caves, environmental processes often cause alterations of human or animal skeletal remains, complicating classical analytical methods. Exemplary, a proximal femoral skeletal fragment, enclosed by a thick layer of speleothemic calcite deposits, was discovered during the exploration of the Bedara cave in Žumberak, Croatia. An examination without removal of the surrounding mineral deposits, possibly leading to damage of the specimen, was, therefore, desirable. We describe and discuss the applied techniques, including clinical computed tomography, virtual cleaning by a specially developed segmentation protocol using an open-source DICOM viewer, and virtual visualisation and dimensioning using computer-aided design software, so that this "hidden" specimen could be non-invasively examined in great detail. We also report on the circumstances and origin of the find, the results of radiocarbon dating, and its anatomical and taxonomic identification, according to which, the bone fragment belonged to a wild boar (Sus scrofa) from the timeframe of the Middle Eneolithic Retz-Gajary culture in the region (4,781 ± 35 years before present). This study provides a reference for future paleontological and anthropological analyses, seeking to unlock the enormous potential of anatomical studies of comparable skeletal remains that are either petrified or enclosed in speleothemic deposits. A novel virtual visualisation approach for fossilised skeletal remains non-invasively reveals their original shape and surface in great detail. We present a combination of computed tomography, a specially developed segmentation protocol, and virtual visualisation and dimensioning. Non-invasive methods of analysis leave bioarchaeological finds preserved for future generations. We provide a reference for future palaeontological and anthropological analyses, seeking to unlock the enormous scientific potential of fossilised skeletal remains.

Rezultati zaštitnih istraživanja špilje Zale kod Ogulina 2000. godine

by Domagoj Perkić and Sinisa Radovic

Modruški zbornik, 2013

Daily Food Consumption in a Rural Roman Villa: Excavations at Lički Ribnik, Croatia INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICA NATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY

by Ivana Ožanić Roguljić, Kelly Reed, Sinisa Radovic, and Life on the Roman Road communications, trade and identities on Roman roads in Croatia from 1st – 8th CE (UIP-05-2017-9768)

Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica 10(1), 2019

Kelly Reed, Ivana Ožanić Roguljić, Siniša Radović, Tatjana Kolak Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica... more Kelly Reed, Ivana Ožanić Roguljić, Siniša Radović, Tatjana Kolak
Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica 10(1): Online First, 2019. Online First, 16 May 2019
Large volumes of work exist on Roman villas; however, what the inhabitants ate on a daily basis at
these sites is frequently overlooked. Here we present archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological and pottery
evidence to explore aspects of daily consumption patterns within the rural villa of Lički Ribnik, Croatia.
The remains date from the second half of the 2nd to the first half of the 3rd century AD and provide the
first evidence of villa consumption in the Lika region. The discovery of broomcorn millet (Panicum
miliaceum) grains, domestic cattle (Bos taurus) and sheep (Ovis aries) bones suggest that they were
consumed at the site. Different pottery types and fabrics also suggest a range of dishes were cooked,
including the Roman dish patina. Although these conclusions are based on very limited data, the study
shows the importance of looking at environmental evidence in conjunction with other archaeological
material in order to explore local diet and economy in the Roman period.

Changes in ornamental traditions and subsistence strategies during the Palaeolithic-Mesolithic transition in Vlakno cave

by Barbara Cvitkušić, Sinisa Radovic, and Dario Vujević

The recently discovered Vlakno Cave, situated in the central part of the island of Dugi Otok (Cro... more The recently discovered Vlakno Cave, situated in the central part of the island of Dugi Otok (Croatia), is one of the most prominent Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites along the eastern part of the Adriatic coast. Its uninterupted stratigraphy offers a rare opportunity to study the response of Pleistocene populations to a post-glacial environment. The artifact assemblage shows a gradual transition toward a typical Mesolithic assemblage, but with strongly pronounced Epigravettian traditions. Subtle changes within mostly uniform material culture are best seen in the ornamental assemblage, but similar patterns can be observed in subsistence strategies and lithic production. The Epigravettian deposits are dominated with the remains of red deer. Changes can be observed with the beginning of the Holocene, when marked diversification of mammalian taxa is accompanied with an increasing number of fish and molluscs remains.

Correlation of Upper Pleistocene localities of southern Istria (Croatia): problems and progress

by Ljerka Marjanac, Goran Durn, Dražen Brajković, and Sinisa Radovic

INQUA-SEQS Milano 2006, 2006

The Avifauna of Southern Istria (Croatia) During the Late Pleistocene: Implications for the Palaeoecology and Biodiversity of the Northern Adriatic Region

by Preston T Miracle and Sinisa Radovic

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2013

This paper presents palaeoecological and taphonomic analyses of bird remains from Late Pleistocen... more This paper presents palaeoecological and taphonomic analyses of bird remains from Late Pleistocene sediments from two caves in southern Istria, Šandalja II and Ljubićeva pećina. Most of the identified species are found today in Istria and along the Adriatic coast, although the presence of ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) and willow grouse (L. lagopus) indicates colder conditions than those characteristic of the region today. Taxa from both sites are characteristic of open, forest-steppe, rocky, forest, and mixed biotopes. These sites differ somewhat in avifaunal compositionaquatic-adapted taxa are only found at Šandalja II, probably reflecting differences in human activities and in their geographic settings. Likewise, only Šandalja's assemblages show an increase in the representation of forest-adapted taxa over time. These data from the bird remains complement reconstructions based on mammalian assemblages from these sites. Different taphonomic agents accumulated the bird bones, and bone surface modifications show that birds of prey, small carnivores, and Late Upper Palaeolithic people helped accumulate these remains. The important Late Pleistocene avifaunal assemblages from southern Istria indicate that a mosaic of habitats was present during the Late Pleistocene and a deep time depth to the rich biodiversity of the region today. Furthermore they suggest that the exposed Adriatic Plain supported a diverse and rich biome.

A rare find of bone beads from the Late Bronze Age cemetery in the Southern Carpathian Basin

by Hrvoje Kalafatić, Sinisa Radovic, Mislav Čavka, Marija Mihaljević, and Rajna Sosic Klindzic

Close to the bone: current studies in bone technologies, 2016

Barice-Gređani group was first defined on a basis of cemetery finds from cemetery Barice near Gor... more Barice-Gređani group was first defined on a basis of cemetery finds from cemetery Barice near Gornja Orahovica and it was long known in literature as a group of Barice-Gređani type cemeteries. That was supported by a number of excavated and published cemeteries and lack of settlement research in Slavonian and Bosnian Posavina was present at that time. The first material from settlement of Barice-Gređani group was partially published in late 1980s. A numerous new settlements and cemeteries of Urnfield Culture were discovered and excavated in last 30 years due to intensive building of
infrastructure, organising museum networks and monument protection system. In that light it is now possible to reinterpret older finds and make more complex contextualisation of Barice-Gređani group burial ritual. Three bone beads found in burial 16 belong to rare finds in the cemeteries of Barice-Gređani group. Only two cemeteries except Mačkovac from area that covers group Barice-Gređani have similar worked bone finds. Bone objects are exposed to funeral pyre together
with deceased in all excavated contexts.

Late Upper Paleolithic, Early Mesolithic and Early Neolithic from the cave site Zemunica, Bisko (Croatia)

by James Ahern, Sinisa Radovic, Mario Slaus, and Ivor Jankovic

This paper presents results from lithic, pottery, zooarchaeological, osteological, petrological a... more This paper presents results from lithic, pottery, zooarchaeological, osteological, petrological and geoarcheological analyses from the Early Neolithic, Mesolithic and late Upper Paleolithic levels of Zemunica Cave in Croatia. The site provides valuable information about the aforementioned periods in Dalmatia and original evidence supporting newly proposed models of the spread of Neolithisation in this area.

Diet at the Roman Village of Virovitica Kiškorija South, Croatia. Collegium Antropologicum. , Coll. Antropol. 39 (2015) 4: 829–842

by Sinisa Radovic, Ivana Ožanić Roguljić, Kristina Jelinčić Vučković, and Renata Šoštarić

The Virovitica Kiškorija South site was a Roman village. In this paper archaeological, archaeobot... more The Virovitica Kiškorija South site was a Roman village. In this paper archaeological, archaeobotanical, and archaeozoological
finds are presented and interpreted, then compared with similar sites and information available from ancient
sources. The site was divided into complexes that made a whole. The finds within each complex are presented and compared
to similar archaeological sites, as well as data from ancient written sources. The goal of the paper is to determine
which kind of diet was present at this Roman village in Pannonia, and to analyze the differences and similarities between
this village and analogous sites.

Jama sj 55 iz Tilurija

by Sinisa Radovic, zrinka Šimić-Kanaet, and Domagoj Toncinic

Vjesnik za arheologiju i …, 2005

Sažetak Na području sela Garduna, povrh grada Trilja i tamošnjeg prijelaza preko rijeke Cetine u ... more

Recent analyses of the Pleistocene mammal fauna and flora of the Istrian peninsula (Croatia)

by Dražen Brajković, Sinisa Radovic, and Preston Miracle

Giornate di Paleontologia, 2006