Модели трговине и друштвене структуре на централном Балкану гвозденог доба

Abstract

The distribution of princely tombs would suggest a specific form of trade in the central Balkans in the Iron Age. Although those tombs clearly testify to a special status of individuals and an important role of prestige goods trade in the social stratification, for the time being there are no elements in favour of the thesis about centralized trade and redistribution. Such model of redistributed trade, in which the local chiefs and leaders carried out distribution and the goods and information control, has been established, as already mentioned, for central Europe. The proposed form of Ufe of palaeo-Balkan tribes in the central Balkans, which included permanent mobility and transhumant pastoralism as well as a specific type of settlements, does not imply development of strong commercial redistribution centers. The distribution of princely tombs points to caravan trade in prehistory, such as was known later along those same routes during Antiquity, Middle Ages and even New Age. Caravan trade of the Iron Age in the central Balkans would correspond to "down the line" trade, but also to free lance trade according to the clas sification of Collin Renfrew.