Archaeologists have revealed that a 6,800-year-old settlement in present-day Serbia was significantly larger and more populous than previously thought.

The settlement of Opovo Ugar-Bajbuk is located in Vojvodina, within the southern Banat region, and is associated with the Vinča culture of the Late Neolithic. New research suggests that the settlement covered more than nine hectares and may have supported a population of over 700 people at its peak.

The findings are based on investigations conducted between 2022 and 2024 by a German-Serbian research team, using minimally invasive techniques to reassess archaeological work carried out at the site four decades ago.

Southeast Europe and the Balkans played an important role in the development of Neolithic societies in Europe. During this period, new forms of settlement, agriculture, craft production and exchange emerged in the region before spreading more widely across the continent.

The Vinča culture represents one of the later phases of the Neolithic in the Balkans. More than 6,500 years ago, communities associated with the culture established large and long-lived settlements, maintained extensive exchange networks and produced distinctive pottery and stone artefacts.

Opovo Ugar-Bajbuk was partially excavated during the 1980s and was previously interpreted as a relatively small agricultural settlement or moderately active centre within regional exchange networks.

Earlier estimates placed its extent at approximately five hectares, with a population of around 200 inhabitants.

Researchers from Kiel University, the National Museum of Pančevo, the Museum of Vojvodina and the University of California, Berkeley, have now substantially revised that interpretation.

“Thanks to the new data, we now assume a settlement area of more than nine hectares,” said Dr Fynn Wilkes, a postdoctoral researcher with the ROOTS Cluster of Excellence at Kiel University and lead author of the study.

“We have identified up to 220 house structures and estimate the maximum population at more than 700.”

Mapping the settlement without excavation

Rather than relying primarily on large-scale excavation, the team systematically collected archaeological material from the surface before conducting extensive geophysical surveys.

These techniques allowed researchers to map structures buried beneath the ground without disturbing them.

Geoarchaeological drilling was then conducted at selected locations, followed by a targeted excavation of one of the ditches surrounding the settlement.

The results revealed a much larger and more complex community than previously recognised.

Updated radiocarbon dating places the settlement’s principal occupation between approximately 4850 and 4725 BC. Researchers also identified two distinct phases of occupation, with evidence indicating that the settlement expanded during its existence.

The geophysical survey identified as many as 220 possible house structures, providing archaeologists with new evidence for examining how the community was organised.

Analysis of the different sizes of the houses suggests that disparities in material wealth were relatively limited.

According to Professor Martin Furholt, spokesperson for the ROOTS Cluster of Excellence and a co-author of the study, economic differences probably existed within the community but do not appear to have developed into pronounced social stratification.

Community surrounded by multiple ditches

Another significant discovery was evidence for as many as five perimeter ditches surrounding parts of the settlement.

Constructing such substantial earthworks would have required considerable organisation and the mobilisation of a large workforce.

Researchers found no archaeological evidence indicating that this labour was imposed through coercion. Instead, they suggest that construction of the ditches may have been undertaken through community cooperation rather than under a strongly hierarchical authority.

The revised interpretation transforms Opovo from what was thought to have been a relatively modest village into a sizeable Late Neolithic settlement capable of organising substantial communal projects.

Its scale could also have implications for understanding the settlement’s role within wider networks connecting communities across the Balkans.

“Opovo is one of the largest known settlement sites from the end of the Neolithic period in southern Banat,” Wilkes said. “Therefore, it is also highly interesting for understanding supra-regional networks during that time.”

Researchers say further investigations at Opovo, alongside comparisons with other settlements, could provide a clearer picture of population growth, social organisation and regional interaction during the Late Neolithic.

The study also demonstrates how modern archaeological techniques can substantially revise interpretations of sites excavated decades ago.

By combining geophysics, surface surveys, geoarchaeological drilling and limited targeted excavation, researchers were able to reconstruct much of the settlement while leaving the majority of the archaeological remains undisturbed.

The findings have been published in the journal Archaeologia Austriaca.

Sources : CAU