The Bronze Age Collection contains objects dating from 2500 to 1000 BC. Some of the objects in this collection were purchased or presented by donors but the majority of objects were found in archaeological sites throughout Serbia.
The Bronze Age was a period in history when people began to use and make metal objects, such as tools and weapons, from gold and bronze. It was a turbulent age of material culture, consisting of various cultural groups with different characteristics – Vinkovci, Moriš (Mokrin), Vatin and Dubovac-Žuto Brdo in the Pannonia and Danube area, Belotić-Bela Crkva, Bubanj-Hum, Paraćin and so-called Western Serbian variant of the Vatin culture in the Central, Southern and Western part of Serbia. The variety of these cultures can be seen in the Collection.
The objects are made of various materials: clay, metal, stone and bones. The most prominent objects made of bronze are richly decorated bracelets in a shape of a hand (šakaste) from Drmno, and a sword and diadem from a grave in Konjuša. The Collection also contains several extraordinary decorative objects made of gold, found in Velika Vrbica near Kladovo.
Objects made of clay (vessels and plastic decorations) are enriched with ornaments and incrustation. Vessels (cups, urns, etc) come in various shapes. They have accentuated or sharp profile, and a very good developed system of decoration. The statues are bell-shaped and richly decorated. Accidentally discovered ceramic cult object from Dupljaja near Vršac, has a special place in this collection. It is called Dupljaja cart. The composition consists of a rounded cart on three wheels with male deity, pulled by pond birds.
Curator: Jovan D. Mitrović, Senior Curator
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