The third US Theoretical Archaeological Group Meeting at The Brown University gathers this weekend archaeologists from different generations to locate the archaeological theory. The over ocean bridge - interview with Nenad Tasic, a renowned Professor from Serbia, is the special world greeting to this remarkable event in American Archaeology.
Professor Nenad Tasic is a son of the Academician Professor Nikola Tasic, the Vice-President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences. As a second-generation archaeologist in this family, he also has dedicated his life to prehistory. In the last years Nenad Tasic has been excavating the Vinca tell, one of the most popular and important prehistoric sites in the world.
‘Why prehistory? What did you make you become a prehistorian?’
Nenad Tasic: Well, the reason is actually simple. Since my father is a prehistorian, all the digs I have seen before I have entered formal education at Belgrade University have been those of the prehistoric sites. Prehistory has always been intriguing for me. The scene without actors.
‘We need to clarify the important place of Vinca tell in world prehistory. Would you please shortly recall us the history of the tell and the main scientific results from the earlier and your excavations?’
Nenad Tasic: The Neolithic site in Vinca is just over 14 km away, downstream from the confluence of the Sava and the Danube. The settlement had been on an extremely favourable location, dubbed by an Austrian scholar (F. Schachermeyer) "the Belgrade confluence", considering that four big rivers, namely, the Sava, the Tisza, the Timi? and the Morava join the Danube close by. Vinca was thus a necessary stop for all setting out on a journey along the Danube or some of its tributaries in that bygone era, which probably enabled it to become the focal point of the huge expanse of South-Eastern Europe. In addition to its being situated on major routes, along which people and different forms of cultural influence came and went, this site had other advantages as well, which made it possible for it to be inhabited for a long time. Located on the big curve of the Danube, which flows from the north swerving eastwards, it offers a view, stretching for more than 8 km upstream and as much downstream, to all who find themselves on the high, loess bank. The population of Vinca was thus always ready for sudden arrivals of both friends and enemies.
Hundreds of anthropomorphic figurines and abundance of other luxurious finds singled this site out from its Late Neolithic neighbourhood. However, the true importance of Vinca is its cultural deposit which hides 7500 long history of this region. The continuity of life here from the early Neolithic Star?evo culture to the medieval period and present inhabitation is astounding.
First to come across the beauty and abundance of Vinca finds was Miloje M. Vasic, who was surprised at what he had discovered. He had embarked on his explorations confident that this was a Neolithic settlement but, during the excavation and particularly after the discovery of the whole settlement, with houses built of hard material, which concealed skilfully fashioned objects of timeless beauty, he concluded that it had been founded by colonists from the Aegean, dating it to the 7th century B.C. Later it was proved beyond any doubt that this was a settlement of Neolithic farmers, cattle breeders and traders, while prejudices about this period started gradually to fade away. The fact that Vinca was discovered in the first decades of the development of archaeology in the Balkans, made it possible to label the entire late Neolithic period after it, to call it the Vinca culture. A ten-metre thick cultural layer, containing all phases of this culture, could be credited too for the status of the eponymous site.
Almost half a century after M. Vasic’s work, a new chapter of archaeological research in Vinca was opened. The new project involved both the Archaeological and Balkanological Institutes of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The works were managed by G. Marjanovic-Vujovic, who explored the medieval necropolis, and Nikola Tasic, researcher of Eneolithic and Bronze-age layers of Vinca. Since 1982, when works on Neolithic layers were launched, the head researchers were Milutin Garašanin, and subsequently Dragoslav Srejovic. The goal of renewed excavation in Vinca was to examine the cultural layer in wide excavation, which provided more complete data on stratigraphy of the site, shape of the buildings and knowledge of other characteristics of certain horizons.
In autumn 1998, the author of these lines got an invitation from Academician Milutin Garašanin, at the time Chairman of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts’ Committee for archaeological research in Vinca, to get a field crew and launch a third series of excavation in the eponymous site of Vinca culture. It was an offer, which, despite the short notice for selection of the crew members and preparation of excavation itself, could not be refused. The following years it turned out that the team that was then gathered had functioned harmoniously over the whole decade and contributed heavily to the application of contemporary methodology procedures and designing new ones.
‘Is it difficult to teach prehistory? What is your mission? What would you like the students to learn from you?’
Nenad Tasic: Actually I teach Methodology of Archaeological Research at the Department for Archaeology. It is a field so wide that I can enjoy tackling so different periods and aspects of human past – from the Paleolithic to Medieval period. However my greatest interest is Neolithic period of the Balkans. My mission is to disseminate the most current and most advanced methods and procedures used to excavate and record the excavations. I would like to teach my students the dedication to the study and protection of past material culture. That is, in my opinion, extremely important for the society that has neglected its heritage for such a long time.
‘Let me go back to the so popular anthropomorphic figurines from Vinca culture. What is you interpretation?’
Nenad Tasic: I am currently preparing a publication in which I will present 71 figurines discovered at my excavations in Vinca, so my thoughts are very much dedicated to this matter. In this respect one should definitely have in mind two recent and very important books in which their authors D. Bailey and S. Hansen have systematized and attempted to propose some answers. There is no doubt in my mind any more about the southeastern origin of this particular concept of representation of human figure. S. Hansen has shown, in his brilliantly elaborated book, that there is an entire block of populations who share basic ideological concepts and also ways and canons in representation of the human figure. On the other hand, D. Bailey has traced various directions of further research of the topic. I am trying to test their results on the figurines excavated since 1998.
I am also certain that these objects have a lot to do with questions of identities of Vinca society. It is striking that representation of the robes on Vinca figurines is unique for every one of them. You will not find identical decoration of their skirts. It is my opinion that those should be regarded at as insigniae of individuality. Personal, family or even clan identity it is not clear enough yet. Another detail might be of importance for answering that question. In the “classical” phase of the Vinca culture at Belo Brdo there is a standard representation of the face, a pentagonal, 3D modeled, often lacking personal characteristics. Impersonal faces and highly individualized skirts and robes. Does that mean that everyone wearing one of those “group identity” skirts requests equal treatment on formal occasions as any other from that group? Is she or he a group representative then? An example from Late Neolithic Divostin, Serbia might add some salt to this. Five terracotta figurines apparently made by a single author have been discovered. These figurines represent four females and an infant. Every one of them has a same featureless face and individual skirt. Are they members of the same group or do they represent a formal occasion? The presence of an infant, a figure smaller in dimensions and without breasts represented, suggests that it could have been some sort of less formal gathering, where skirts are clearly a sign for each individual. Perhaps the abundance of discovered figurines can confirm such a statement. On one figurine, we have discovered recently, one can actually see decoration incised on two different occasions. This suggests an extended use of the figurine and perhaps the change of its ownership.
‘And now more about your family. How is archaeology integrated in it?’
Nenad Tasic: Both my father and myself were fortunate enough to receive the true support of our families who understand our dedication to archaeology and “archaeological way of life”.
‘What is the main difference between our prehistoric ancestors and us?’
Nenad Tasic: Some would say that there is no difference between us and them. These days I believe that there have been few drastic shifts in human behavior which have changed the species even biologically. Such is a shift from hunter-gatherer societies towards food producing societies. This has changed societies radically. That is the first time humans started living in larger groups together. This shift has made an impact on chances for offspring survival, quality of life and life expectancy. One of the most recent shifts, which are changing the course of development of the human race, is Internet. All encompassing and easily attainable knowledge will eventually change the purpose of our brains. They will cease being “hard disks” and become “processors” for manipulation of vast quantity of information we tend to gather on a regular basis. The Internet has already changed the ways we learn, have fun, socialize…
‘I saw a video with children at Vinca tell? How did they feel there?’
View below Vinca, archaeology for children
Nenad Tasic: It has been a most wonderful and inspiring occasion! The kids from the Vinca Elementary School have been enjoying themselves digging at the footsteps of this important Neolithic site. We have prepared a simulation of archaeological excavation for them. Since the material is constantly falling down from the weathered vertical section of the site, we have gathered it and planted in “trenches for children”, so they were digging and discovering real Vinca culture finds! A few years back the Project Vinca has had successful workshop, which was designed for teachers and which has shown them ways to incorporate archaeology in curricula.
‘What do you like in the American archaeology?’
Nenad Tasic: Devotion and openness.
‘What would you recommend the Americans to see in Belgrade?’
Nenad Tasic: Apart from Vinca, which is in terrible state, by the way, and which has been endangered by an active land slide, I would recommend them the Medieval Fortress with most wonderful view and a feeling of 15th century. The younger people will find Belgrade very dynamic city with exciting night life in the bars and restaurants on the banks of its two rivers the Danube and the Sava.
‘What would you like to tell the younger generations of archaeologists all over the world? How important are they for society?’
Nenad Tasic: Well, the Balkan experience of the last twenty years shows that sometimes it is not particularly wise to use history and archaeology in daily political purposes. This tampering with facts and national myths has triggered a bloodbath in the 1990ies in the region once labeled as Yugoslavia. This negative example shows the influence of our sciences and the impact it might have upon the society. Positive impact is, alas, much more difficult to achieve. However, archaeology can be useful tool for advocating environmental awareness. Archaeology studies societies, which have lived in the same environment for thousand years. It is up to archaeologists to discover their recipe for living in accordance with the nature for such a long time.
‘Professor Tasic, thank you so much for your interview especially for examiner.com and hope soon we will learn about new interesting prehistoric discoveries from Serbia. What would you want to ask me?’
Nenad Tasic: What are your new duties as Salt Lake City Anthropology Examiner?
Lolita Nikolova: Thank you so much for this question. It is not a duty - it is a privilege! Writing as Salt Lake City Anthropology Examiner is the most exciting thing that I have ever done in my life together with teaching and writing science. When I lived in Bulgaria, I wrote for the national newspaper Culture, but now I publish everyday. I have been feeling again an archaeologist, but an anthropological archaeologist – digging the society. SL Anthropology Examiner makes me understand the complete mission of anthropology – populating the social space even when there are no visible people in way in which Rene Magritte named his pictures "Human Condition" without showing people. In my article every anthropological site or event becomes a story because anthropology makes me search always for people and their everydayness or eventness and to bridge both conditions. Absolutely exciting! Before being an examiner I had in my mind the conclusion that today journalism was in a crisis since the journalists could not cover even the smallest segment of eventness in society. And now all these examiners – it is revolutionary also for anthropology, by the way. The examiners, together with youtube.com, have been publishing ocean of evidence for anthropology to pattern the contemporary society in much richer clothes since it is better documented.
Source: Examiner