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tumba madzari

mun. Gazi Baba, Skopje

The first archaeological excavations were conducted in 1978, and the results showed that it was a Neolithic settlement with three stages of life. The oldest archaeological finds discovered on Tumba originate from the end of the Early Neolithic, which has been documented and presented by several ceramic fragments painted by using white colour, as well as a female figurine with steatopygia. Most of the artefacts and archaeological data belong to the Middle Neolithic. In that period, the settlement reached its greatest economic and cultural development. The end of the life in the settlement is at the beginning of the Late Neolithic, recorded by a small number of items, among which is a miniature figurine with a bird-like face, a Late Neolithic stratum is absent.

The houses were built using a traditional method common to all agricultural civilizations. Construction involved driving stakes into the ground, weaving branches between them, and plastering the structure with a mixture of mud and chaff. Split timber planks were arranged vertically on the interior side, leaving the vertical stakes exposed on the exterior. The walls were coated with a thick layer—up to 0.15 meters—of mud-and-chaff plaster, a finish that was renewed seasonally, thereby providing the house with effective thermal insulation. The interior surface was smoothly finished, while the exterior featured decorative elements such as finger impressions or wavy lines; traces of white paint have also been discovered on some remnants. The houses featured a gable roof constructed from a wooden framework and a layer of rye straw, reeds, or sedge, supported by vertical forked posts positioned at the corners and midpoints along the exterior of the walls. Houses might contain more than one oven, each raised on a massive mud platform containing a core of stone and pottery fragments. The ovens featured clay-molded legs at the corners and center, interconnected by gentle arches, and the dome could be decorated with a rim or band up to 10 cm high.

A large number of ceramic vessels have been found at the archaeological site. These include various jars and pithoi decorated using the barbotine technique (appliqué of diluted clay), creating a texture reminiscent of tree bark. The bodies of the vessels feature finger-impressed decorations, while the shoulders and necks are smoothed and demarcated from the body by a raised band of impressed finger marks. The askoi are particularly fine in form and come in various sizes, ranging from small (1 liter) to large (7–8 liters). They feature four vertical handles on the body and one on the back; a rope could be threaded through these handles, allowing the vessels to be carried on one's back. They were used for transporting and storing clean drinking water from a nearby spring or stream.

Another group of vessels of extraordinary beauty, of the category of luxurious pottery, are the simple bell-like cups on a small conical foot, decorated with painted brown spirals or vertical hanging triangles, oftentimes striped or only with slanted parallel lines in pale red as well as the beautiful gourd-like “amphorae”, painted with dark brown or brown ornamentation over pale ocher, are very distinctive. A special group of vessels is represented by the spherical pots decorated by impression incising of nails or sharp objects before baking. Some of the pots were decorated by means of the so-called organized, unorganized barbotine technique or arched technique, with flat or slightly extended wreaths and flat unobtrusive bottoms.

What makes Tumba-Madjari known was the first discovered terracotta sculptural representation of the Great Mother. With its impressive dimensions of 0.39 m in height, the classical calm posture of emerging from the house, representing a vigil over her home, as well as peace and prosperity, makes this terracotta exclusive. On the cylinder over her eyes using brown colour (identical to the colour of the painted pottery) is placed hair in the form of bangs. It is distinctly represented and gathered in the back. In subsequent research were discovered other whole items or fragments of the cylinders and the house with different sizes and depiction of hairstyles. Some resemble Afro hairstyles, others were only highlighted by incising, woven in various braids and then arranged in beautiful hairstyles, secured with a needle, and more. The variety of styles suggests the extraordinarily lavish fashion of the Neolithic woman and its importance in the society of Tumba-Madzari. The head and chest represent a cylinder, moulded around a tree, evident from the imprints of almost all samples. The belly of the woman-house has an irregular square shape, with several different openings. In fact, they represented the windows and the doors. Most of them had openings in which to hold the rope to hang them on the beam over the furnaces.

A special category of items from Tumba are the altars of the so-called type small table. They consist of a recipient (small vessel) set on a square table with small short legs, often decorated with incised lines, hanging triangles, etc.

In addition to the anthropomorphic images, by means of archaeological research, were also discovered many zoomorphic altars, which also speak of the spiritual life of the Neolithic man. They usually represent domestic animals.

By means of archaeological research were found a great number of items from the jewellery category. The most common are amulets made of flat, disk-like river stone, pierced with two conical holes for a leather strap which was worn on the neck. Several examples of ceramic statues, as well as the Great Mother altar of Govrlevo, suggest this type of use. This amulet is presented very distinctly and beautifully on her back. In addition to these, other fragments of bone bracelets were also discovered, as presented on the hands of the Great Mother. A large number of bi-conical and cylindrical bone beads for necklaces were also discovered. This category of decorative objects illustrates the manner of ornamentation of the Neolithic man and the desire to look beautiful.

Many tools made from animal bones used by the Neolithic man were also discovered. They mostly consisted of needles, spatulas, spikes, milling machines, hooks and more. The use of flint is represented by various flint knives produced by means of splitting the flint and smoothing the sides afterward. Stone was used to make mortars, pestles and mills. Neolithic culture is characterized by the smoothing of stone tools, such as: adzes, chisels, wedges, hoes, hammers, spiked maces etc. The smoothing was done on a softer rock by means of water to achieve a finer surface. Most tools have a trapezoidal shape, with the blade smoothed on one side (much like the front teeth in humans). The hoes and axes, in addition to the wedges, were planted onto a horn that was easily perforated for making a handle.

Other archaeological items, such as deer horns, ceramic pintaderas (stamps), various wild olive seeds, freshwater mussels and anthropological and zoological osteological remains were also discovered at Tumba. A pintadera – stamp was made of terracotta with incised angular lines.

Tumba Madzari

mun. Gazi Baba, Skopje