Gornja Tuzla – prahistorijsko naselje sjeveroistočne Bosne / Gornja Tuzla - Prehistoric settlement of Northeastern Bosnia

Kulturna stratigrafija na osnovu Čovićevog iskopavanja iz 60-tih godina 20. st. / Cultural stratigraphy based on excavation from 60s of the 20th century made by Čović

Abstract

Gornja Tuzla is located on far slopes mountain Majevica, with upper streamof  river Jala, aroun 10km from todays city of Tuzla, in the direction of northeast. This is a rather devastated locality, where the most damage has been done to youngest layer. Most of settlement, whose surface Čović estimates aroun 12 i1 5ha, based on findings of pottery fragments on the ground. Even today, at the bottom of tell, one can see a many fragments of local reddsish pottery from starčevo type. Đuro Basler was the first one who determined the existance of prehistoric settlement when he found grave from iron age. Later, Benac and Čović visited Gornja Tuzla and 1955. Čović opened a first probe, and after learning that cultural layers are going deeper into the ground, he opened another probe 1956, and 1957 where he digged all the way to the sterile soil. Next year, 1958. he opened the biggest probe, probe II (1958) and in that probe he determined complete stratigrapy of neolithich settlement Gornja Tuzla. According to his analysis, VI and deepest layer belongs to Stačevo culture of middle neolithic, and younger layers to the Vinča culture, and the youngest one to eneolithic culture which proved the continuity of life. Second and last  excavation has been done in the years 2008/2009 when smaller probe was opened  bu the results of research have never been published. Gornja Tuzla represents one of the most important settlements in Bosnia and Hercegovinia considering that with  Obre I, has the deepest layers which dates from periodo of middle neolitihic and has  the key role in understanding period of transition from middle neolitihic Starčevo  to young neolithic Vinča culture.