The Balkans in Prehistory and Antiquity: Interdisciplinary Research

Project Director:  Dragana Nikolić, PhD, senior research associate

Interdisciplinary research within this theme is focused on the area of ​​the Central and Western Balkans in prehistory and antiquity. Interdisciplinarity is reflected in the synergy of methods of complementary scientific disciplines: ancient history, epigraphy, classical philology, linguistics (especially Paleo-Balkan linguistics), archeology, and art history. The research is firmly grounded on the research of 1) the written sources, documentary and literary, that illuminate the early past of this region and 2) the archaeological sources, especially those obtained from the team’s field research campaigns. three sub-themes:

1) Epigraphic-historical and linguistic research of the Central and Western Balkans in the classical period. A set of complex questions will be researched about the origin of the local population, about the complex processes through which the Roman government during the first centuries of the Empire managed to integrate the indigenous population of the Balkans and the Danubian provinces (Dalmatia, Upper and Lower Pannonia, Moesia, Thrace) into administrative and legal structures and Roman citizenship, the Roman policy towards the natives, the problems of provincial administration, the processes of urbanization and Romanization of the indigenous population, indigenous onomastics and relict Paleo-Balkan languages. Paleolinguistic research aims to shed light on the linguistic diversity of the ancient Balkans, which can be seen only from indirect sources - inscriptions in Latin and Greek, or from the writings of Greek and Roman authors about the people of the Balkans. The study of the linguistic contacts between the Balkans and Italy in one study is based on the idea that the languages ​​of Italy could partially shed light on the situation in the Balkans and contribute to their better knowledge.

2) Research in Archeology and Art History. By combining extant and newly obtained data, the research within this sub-theme is chiefly focused on the settlements and communications in the central Balkans in Prehistory and Antiquity, on intra- and inter-regional communication, economic activities and exchange/trade in the past of the Balkans, as well as the socio-political relations, cult and religion, cultural and artistic aspects. Archaeological field research .

3) Edition and Digitization of Sources. The sub-theme implies collection, research and edition of 1) epigraphic monuments from the Roman provinces that lay on the territory of present-day Serbia. The preparation of the epigraphic corpora includes gathering the epigraphic documentation, preparing the edition of the monuments and the preparation of digital content. 2) The publication of the archaeological materials primarily refers to the data obtained by archaeological research within the project.

 

Project members:

Dragana Nikolić, PhD, senior research associate Classicist and historian of antiquity. Research interests: Ancient history, ancient epigraphy … 

Vladimir P. Petrović, PhD, principal research fellow,  Archaeologist. Roman communications and settlements in the Balkans… 

Miroslav Marić, PhD, senior research associate Archaeologist. Neolithic, Copper Age, Bronze Age… 

Danilo Savić, MA, research assistant Classicist. Indo-European linguistics, Paleo-Balkan linguistics…