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Embodied Houses: the Social and Symbolic Agency of Neolithic Architecture in the Republic of Macedonia

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Tracking the Neolithic House in Europe

Part of the book series: One World Archaeology ((WORLDARCH))

Abstract

During the Middle Neolithic, there were major changes within the populations that settled in the territory of Macedonia. The visual approach towards the material culture in that period reflected the cognitive ability of communities to perceive their closer or wider surrounding, to strengthen their mutual relation, but also to define their communal identity. In this period, there was complete transformation in painting the vessels, using the colours, constructing the patterns, developing new corporeality and reproducing the dwellings and their interior as miniatures. The models of the houses as a crucial part of this group of objects were also included so that they consist of both architectural and human parts. Above the top of the house, human body was modelled, so they functioned as a whole. This visual hybridity was manifestation of complex symbolic position of the real house as the centre which binds few essential concepts: birth rate, death and corporeality.

The FYR Macedonia is the official UN name, but the naming of the ‘former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia/FYROM’ is still under discussion and the dispute appears to be near resolution. Since more than 130 countries around the world have now officially accepted the name ‘Republic of Macedonia’, this has also been adopted in the current text and is used interchangeably with ‘Macedonia’.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    According to earlier observations the beginning of Neolithic was dated to around 6100 BC, so that Early Neolithic was defined as 6100–5800 BC, Middle Neolithic 5800–5200 BC and Late Neolithic 5200–4200 BC. However the latest analysis and calibration has indicated much earlier dates for the initial Neolithic phases starting from 6510–6230 cal BC, but also 7050BC – 6200 cal BC (95.4% probability; Thissen 2000; Whittle et al. 2005). The suitability of data and specimens is still debated, as well as the timing and modes of transmission of the Neolithic (Perlès 2001; Naumov 2009b).

  2. 2.

    Broadly on the locations of settlements on flat terraces and tells, as well as further literature, see Tolevski 2009.

  3. 3.

    Partial usage of mud bricks was confirmed on the Madjari excavations and mentioned in the unpublished reports (Commenge and Zdravkovski 2003; Commenge 2004).

  4. 4.

    This information was kindly provided by the director of the Madjari excavation, Elena Stojanova Kanzurova (Museum of Macedonia).

  5. 5.

    The so-called ‘ocarina’ from Čaška has been played by Dragan Dautovski (Faculty of Music – University of Skopje), thus revealing possible Neolithic melodic registers and scales.

  6. 6.

    Data on the skeletal identification from Optičari, Madjari and Grnčarica were obtained from the anthropological reports by Fanica Veljanovska (Museum of Macedonia), while chronological information on the buried individual in Grnčarica was provided by Zoran Čiktušev (Museum of Štip) and the dating report from the University of Glasgow.

  7. 7.

    In Optičari, female and infant individuals were also buried, although it is not confirmed whether they were in mutual relation. The information on the sex and age of skeletons is provided in the anthropological report by Fanica Veljanovska (Museum of Macedonia).

  8. 8.

    Information on the mandible’s context was provided by the director of the Madjari excavation, Elena Stojanova Kanzurova (Museum of Macedonia), while data on the age and sex of the individual were obtained from Fanica Veljanovska (pers. comm.).

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Fanica Veljanovska for her generosity in providing data on unpublished skeletal remains from the Neolithic settlements in Optičari, Madjari, Govrlevo and Grnčarica. My thanks also go to Elena Stojanova Kanzurova for her kind understanding and information on the Madjari constructions and mandible, as well as to Zoran Čitkušev for his efforts to share the latest chronological reports on the Grnčarica burial.

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  1. Institute for History of Art and Archaeology, St. Cyril and Methodius University, Kiro Krstevski Platnik 11-2/7, 1000, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

    Goce Naumov

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    Daniela Hofmann

  2. , School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, United Kingdom

    Jessica Smyth

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Naumov, G. (2013). Embodied Houses: the Social and Symbolic Agency of Neolithic Architecture in the Republic of Macedonia. In: Hofmann, D., Smyth, J. (eds) Tracking the Neolithic House in Europe. One World Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5289-8_4

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