Macedonia - Madzahari

This field project, centered on the first rural societies in the basin of Skopje, aims to evaluate the choices made by the first economies of production of subsistence in exploiting a large range of ecological zones, from mountain range to foothills, and down to marsh land biotopes during the VI^th millennium B.C. We shall follow a contextual approach insofar as it focuses on the human ecosystem and emphasizes the interdependence of cultural and environmental variables. The key of this prehistoric research is interdisciplinary. On the one hand, its intersite scope concerns diachronical reconstitution of environment and territory patterning and their socio-economic structural significance. On the other hand and at a smaller scale, its intra-site scope centers on extensive excavations at Tumba Madzhari. First steps into this two-pronged investigation were undertaken during the 2002 summer campaign.

The 2002 exploratory field season aimed to collect a baulk of reference data and information for guiding future investigations at the site.

One probe was opened at the top of the tumba. Over 2,50 m of archaeological deposits have been exposed. No major geodynamic or geopedological event interferes with the archaeological deposits (but further scanning of sediment samples is here necessary). Profiles give evidence for powerful construction levels. A thorough reading of floors, of intricate structures and fill deposits but also the very nature of sediments leads to the schematic identification of four major occupational levels (I to IV, from bedrock to topsoil). The bedrock is a slimy, laminated and highly micaceous green clay

Abundant faunal remains of wild and domesticated specimens have been recovered in all layers. Microfaunal remains are expected from water sieving of sediment samples. Preliminary statistics on pottery sherds do not give evidence for any major technical or stylistic change in the pottery assemblage from level I to IV. However, further analysis is necessary for relevant results that could evidence subtle variation in pottery production.

With consideration to the probing -and thus eminently local- character of this particular investigation, one can observe that the quantity of collected sherds drastically drops with Level I.

Fragments of effigy-vessels, so typical of Madzhari, have been recovered either in M02 or more significantly, lying on floor 705 (among them, one bent arm of the Goddess, adorned with bracelets). The baked clay figurine that lay on floor 705 shows two flattened faces (document 4). Red painted strokes are still visible around the top of the head, the nose and the eyes. On the back of the head, a thin patch of clay with scalloped edges indicates hairdressing. The face shows features that are characteristic of the ’Goddess’ representation on effigy-vases, and thus is unequivocally meant to represent the same referent. The top of the head is fan-shaped, flattened and enlarged and its features are clearly marked to the exception of the mouth: broad eyebrows, slanted eyes and aquiline nose. Breasts are small. The figurine is broken around the (narrow) hip-line.

  Lithics are scarce at this stage of excavations -yet water sieving already produced many flakes-. However, some interesting lines of research can already be explored. Volcanic, dark brown glass -in other terms: obsidian- is represented by a few ’debitage’ flakes. According to our sedimentologist, its origin can either be local or from the Carpathian area. Similar material has been found at Dimitra in northern Greece (see Kourtessi-Philippakis 1997). Two sickle blades have been found on floor 705. Chert source deposits (and chert nuclei in secondary position as carried by the Vardar river) are found in the vicinity of the site. However, exogenous rocks like schist and quartz blocks are numerous at the site. Thus far, one can note that schist was split to small plates (5x2x1cm) - an easy debitage operation with regard to the laminated structure of schist. The tabulation of small quartz blocks of similar dimensions is quite amazing as quartz has no cleavage capacity.

Preliminary observations on bedrock sediments (at the base of the tumba and in a ditch at a nearby construction site in Madzhari village) identify laminated, green silt clays laden with mica inclusions. These clays present light traces of oxidation that might give evidence either for sedimentation processes resulting from decantation in shallow water, and, perhaps, variations of shoreline location, or for secondary deposits of weathered sediments, taken away by streaming from the bedrock of Skopje spur and rolled down the slope to the basin edge. However, one can observe that east of Skopje, and in the vicinity of Tumba Madzhari, five Neolithic sites are similarly located on the basin’ edge. Their location seems to indicate a half-circular enclave that might follow an old marsh edge or the shoreline of a shallow lake. Sediments analysis will here be very helpful as will be further investigations at other sites.