Sotin and Opatovac, trial excavations of multilayered sites in 2014

Trial research on three locations in Sotin and at Sanac in Opatovac confirmed the archaeological sites detected during field survey (Loznjak Dizdar et al. 2014). Archaeological excavations have confirmed some of the periods documented on these locations according to surface finds. In Sotin, west of the village, at Trojstvo position closer to Vucedol, traces of Sopot and Baden settlements were found. In Sotin, in the north part of the present-day village, at Fancage position, traces of middle Bronze Age (Belegis I) settlement were discovered, as well as parts of a late medieval settlement. In Sotin, at the south east edge of the present-day village, at Plandiste, parts of a Sopot settlement and remains of a late medieval settlement were explored. At Sanac in Opatovac, parts of a Baden settlement and a halfdugout from the late Early Iron age period were discovered. Research did not confirm remains of a cemetery from the Late Bronze Age at any of the locations. These aimed archaeological trials suggest that systematic field survey and trial excavation are necessary to locate specific settlements and cemeteries from certain periods. High loess plateau, which was densely populated throughout history, illustrates how space was used differently during individual time periods, which has also been confirmed by this research. The results from new research and field survey and the already confirmed positions of sites, such as Baden and Belegis II settlements in Vucedol (Tezak-Gregl 1985), suggest a possibility for spatial analysis in terms of size and mutual relations between concurrent settlements.