Prehistoric Sites on the Right Side of the Beli Timok Valley in the Knjaževac Region

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the first campaign of the systematic archaeological survey in the Knjaževac region conducted in the Beli Timok basin in 2023, with a particular emphasis on a defined corpus of prehistoric sites located on the right side of the Beli Timok valley. The analysis is based on systematic field survey, UAV-based aerial recording, GPS mapping, and GIS data processing within a relatively uniform geomorphological unit. A total of 15 sites are discussed. The results indicate a broad cultural and chronological range, extending from the Early/Middle Neolithic to the Late Iron Age, with a pronounced multi-layered character of certain sites and presence of less clearly defined zones with indicative finds. Particularly significant is the observed spatial concentration of sites yielding material associated with the Gáva–Belegiš II, Kalakača, and Basarabi horizons. In terms of the regional chronology, these horizons may be broadly placed within a sequence extending from the final Late Bronze Age, partly corresponding to the Transitional Period in Serbian archaeological terminology, to the Early and Advanced Iron Age of the Central Balkans. The observed distribution suggests more clearly defined patterns of settlement clustering along the right side of the Beli Timok valley.