Welcome to the Zupanja Museum and University of Southampton Archaeological Project webpages.
Dobrodošli na Županja muzej i University of Southampton Arheološki projekta web stranice.
The ZSAProject is a joint venture between the University of Southampton and the Zupanja Museum to excavate a Tumuli cemetery in the forest of Vrbanja which contains 104 tumuli, the majority of which are thought to date to the Late Bronze Age. Led by Dr.Sandy Budden (University of Southampton) and Andreja Malovoz (Zupanja Museum), the project ran its first fieldwork season in the summer of 2008, and had a second successful season in 2009. The team then returned for a very fun and successful third season in 2010, and we have returned again this year for a fourth season, the progress of which will be updated here as the dig goes on. Information about the two directors and our team can be found here at our Team Page, and the location of the site here.
The project combines both a topographic survey of the site and all the tumuli, and the excavation of three of the tumuli within the cemetery. The topographic survey be undertaken on the tumuli aims to establish the spatial relationships between each tumulus and their relation to the site as a whole, while also providing a map and record of the whole site.
The ZSAP Team walking into the forest on the first day.
Along with the survey, the excavation part of the project also aims to look at the relations between the tumuli, and to also clarify the nature of social activity in this area at this period, as archaeologically the study area sits in an incredibly complex location. The site is extremely interesting as it situated at a cultural interface of two regional groups so far argued as being distinct from one another despite both emerging from the previous Urnfield culture. More information about the aims and ambitions of the site can be found here: ZSAProject Aims & Research Outlines.
So far in its four years, the project has had many exciting discoveries including that of some carbonised matting, found in Tumulous One, and the infamous Red Layer which is a very exciting and previously unheard of feature which has been found in each of the three tumuli excavated so far, as well as some very nice diagnostic pieces of Late Bronze Age pottery.
As well as being a research dig, the project also acts a training dig for 8 lucky students from the University of Southampton each year, who get to be part of the team and help work on this intriguing and exciting site.
Visit us regularly to see how the project work is going!
*NEWS UPDATE*
Our recently updated pages are:
We would also like to give a big warm welcome to Prof. Steve Hoskins and Dr. Yvonne Marshall who have come out to the site this week to join the Project. Steve Hoskins has come out to the site to be our official resident artist, and has been charged with capturing the beauty of the forest and the cemetery site, as well as sketches of the dig in progress. Yvonne has come out to join us as part of the senior team and has come to aid in the publication of the site and help work on writing up and discussing the data collected thus far.
Looks like loads of fun this year! Make sure to use the pink spades and shovels as they are clearly awesome. Put lots of photos up too, I need something to look at instead of this dissertation nonsense ><
Hope you're having a good time and not drinking too much rakia :)
Rose (2010) xx