During the spring of 2007 rescue archaeological excavations were conducted on the Ivanovci Gorjanski - Palanka site of Beli Manastir - Osijek - Svilaj highway corridor. 28 000 sq. m. were excavated in total (BALEN 2008). The site is located in eastern Slavonia, north of Dakovo, on a mildly elevated position (Map 1). The majority of pottery presented in the paper was found in the SU 128/129 (Figure 1). The structure is oval (SU 128/129), 4,60 m long and 2,85 m wide, oriented NE-SW. It was dug into sterile soil, consisting of five levels, the deepest level being on the southern side. The relative depth of the dugout is 1,25 m. The postholes that could have carried an above ground construction were not found. The structure's function is not easy to decide, but, presumably, it was not residential. Numerous pottery fragments were also found in the pit, and I have managed to reconstruct 5 pots, 6 bowls and 3 cups. The structure of the pottery appears in several variants: coarse, transitional, and fine. For reference in pottery analysis I will use the typological classification employed in the analysis of pottery from the Kalnik-Igrisce (VRDOLJAK 1995) and Mackovac-Crisnjevi sites (KARAVANIC - MIHALJEVIC - KALAFATIC 2002: 52). Two cups of the C5a type were found (Pl. 1/1,3) (KARAVANIC 1995: 33). The development of this type of cup can be followed from the time of the high Middle Bronze Age period, i.e. the central Danubian Tumulus culture (PATEK 1968: 105; VRDOLJAK 1995: 33). According to the typology of Transdanubian cups these types can be affiliated with the form that belongs - in the terms of relative chronology - to the Br C/BrD period. The fragment of a jar's foot, belonging to a type of vessel called cup on a foot, also represents a piece characteristic for the late Middle and early Late Bronze Age (Pl. 2/1). The so-called miniature vessels belong to a special category. We have classified an almost complete conical vessel 5 cm in diameter as a special find (Pl. 1/2). It was made of unpurified clay and was poorly fired. Several pointed lumps were attached to the outer wall, covering the entire surface of the vessel. It seems that smaller vessels played an important part in the social life of the community since we found them both within the settlements and as grave offerings. Miniature vessels were found in several tumuli in southern Hungary, more precisely, in the Bakony county (JANKOVITS 1992: Abb. 14/9,11; 36/19; 37/6,7). The vessels from settlements are mostly poorly made, although not consistently, while they appeared in forms of small jars or cups when found in graves (JANKOVITS 1992: Abb. 38/4; 1992a: Abb. 63/7, 8). According to the present state of research it seems that these small vessels were often placed as grave offerings during the so-called transitional period Br D/Ha A1. The state of research is nowhere near satisfactory, so even this kind of conclusion is tentative. A deep bowl with cylindrical neck and belly-shaped body was also reconstructed (Pl. 2/3). Its surface is ochre-to-dark brown in colour, while its cross section is gray. The transition from the belly to the neck is emphasized with a shallow groove, while a well formed pointed lump is placed on the widest part of the vessel, enclosed with a shallow groove. The modelled pointed lump is excellently made and it seems it was produced with a mould, while the enclosing groove perhaps represents an imprint of the mould. The vessel is of the B5a type (KARAVANIC et al. 2002: 52). This type of bowl is often used as a funerary urn in the graves of the Virovitica cultural group. Identical forms of lumps are found on urns from the cemetery in Moravce near Sesvete (SOKOL 1996) as well as from settlements in Cerine VII (MARKOVIC 2003) and Mackovac-Crisnjevi, affiliated with the Barice-Gredani cultural group (KARAVANIC et al. 2002). The bowls of this type represent a third of the total number of bowls of any form in the Mackovac-Crisnjevi settlement (KARAVANIC 2009: 11). The Moravce site is presented as affiliated to the earlier phase in the development of the Virovitica group (TERZAN 1999,101). The finds of metal objects, but also pottery forms from the Mackovac-Crisnjevi settlement, also contain elements characteristic of the Middle Bronze Age (KARAVANIC et al. 2002). Shallow incised slant lines are found on two pottery fragments with thin walls: a so-called fishbone motive (Pl. 5/3) and an undefined incision that could represent a side of a shaded triangle (Pl. 5/4). This type of vessel decoration is not frequent on the pottery of the Virovitica group, but is characteristic for preceding period, i.e. the Middle Bronze Age (TERZAN 1999: 100). This type of ornament is characteristic for the Middle Bronze Age Tumulus culture that had started to spread through Pannonia in the early Middle Bronze Age (TERZAN 1999: 101; KARAVANIC 2007: 43). The finds, together with the structures containing the pottery, were a part of a settlement. In the immediate vicinity on the Ctrosmaerovac site a settlement and a cemetery from the same period were excavated; it is more than probable that this is a part of the same settlement. In the latter a number of residential structures were excavated, as well as waste pits and a large number of metal objects (bracelets and pins) affiliated with the material culture of the Virovitica group (HRSAK -BOJCIC 2007: 42). These hypotheses will be substantiated with the publishing of the material recovered from this site. It will be interesting to analyse the relation between the two cultural groups in the light of the increasing number of investigated sites with traces of both cultural groups (KALAFATIC 2009: 22). On the basis of typological analysis of movable material, in terms of relative chronology, this settlement can be dated to Br C/Br D. Certainly, we are well aware that we are dealing with a small sample compared with the total area comprised by a settlement. Nevertheless, the C14 dating allows us somewhat wider chronological positioning, while the obtained dates present the following results: 2 Sigma calibrated result: Cal BC 1300 to 1020 (Cal BP 3250 to 2980) (95% probabilitiy) 1 Sigma calibrated result: Cal BC 1260 to 1120 (Cal BP 3210 to 3060) (68% probabilitiy) The series of C14 dates from the Padnal site in Switzerland are extremely important for the absolute chronology of theMiddle and Late Bronze Age (HARDING 1980: 184). The dates show a rather wide time frame, as much as 200 years for the Br D (HARDING 1980: 184). Harding emphasizes the problem of calibration curve, which is not only applicable onto the well-known problem of the Iron Age, but also the Bronze Age (HARDING 2000: 17). For the large part of Europe we still do not possess an adequate chronology based on series of C14 analyses (HARDING 2000: 16). Here, the problem is often with funding, and isolated dates should be used with caution. The transition from the 13th to 12th c. (1 Sigma) would thus correspond to the late Br D and Ha A1; according to Vinski-Gasparini and the absolute chronology (1230-1100 BC) the object would be affiliated to the phase II of the Urnfield culture, i.e. the so-called Zagreb group (VINSKIGASPARINI 1973: 22). The pottery fragments analysed in this paper do not show any elements later than of the Br D period, that is, elements characteristic of the Ha A1 period are missing (faceted and fluted vessel rims, cups with handles that surpass the rim). A deep bowl with modelled pointed lump can certainly be associated to the central Danubian cultural circle and the Tumulus culture (TERZAN 1999: 101). It represents the earliest element among the repertoire presented. We have thus encountered a discrepancy between the absolute dating and relative chronology based on the typological analysis of pottery. A similar situation occurred at the Vorwald site (Austria). The author of the publication of the material has typologically affiliated the pottery to Br C/D, but the C14 analysis has offered results very similar to those referred to above (2950+-50 1270-1100) (SCHAMBERGER 2007: 261). The cup forms used in the Tumulus culture should be emphasized (SCHAMBERGER 2007: 247). The pottery characteristic for the Baierdorf-Velatice cultural circle is distributed throughout the entire area between the Sava and Drava, especially in its western part (VINSKI-GASPARINI 1973:125). The author of the publication of the material from the Jalkovec-Police site in northern Croatia (Varazdin) has, based on the C14 date from the pit K8 (cal. BC 1322+/-61), attributed the pottery to the Virovitica group (BEKIC 2009: 188), although it has all the elements pertaining to the transitional period of Br D/Ha A1 and reflects the influence of the Baierdorf-Velatice cultural group (the Zagreb group according to Vinski-Gasparini 1973). In this way the problem of the lack of C14 dated presented itself once more, that is, the inconsistence of typological-chronological analyses of pottery. Pottery of this kind is often found together with the pottery of the Virovitica group (LOZNJAK-DIZDAR 2005). This is the reason why the Zagreb cultural group was recently interpreted as the later phase in the development of the Virovitica group, and its duration is extended to Ha A1 (DULAR 2002: 205). The presented material from the Ivanovci Gorjanski-Palanka site supports this chronological positioning of the Virovitica cultural group. Thus, the Bronze Age settlement on the Ivanovci Gorjanski-Palanka site belongs to the Urnfield culture, while strong elements of the Tumulus culture remained present during the 12th c. BC in the area of eastern Slavonia, at the southern edge of the Carpathian basin.
