Birth of Europe – Excavations at the Neolithic site of Amzabegovo

Amzabegovo is one of the most significant Neolithic sites in the Balkans, centrally located along the dispersal route from the Aegean to the Danube. It is not only an important archaeological site but also a key to understanding the broader patterns of human development and cultural evolution during the Neolithic era in Europe. The site features a sequence of over twenty construction phases, including residential structures, pits, economic buildings, and burial sites. In addition to Neolithic remains, the site also contains the remnants of a Roman villa.

The site first attracted scientific interest in the late 1960s when it was excavated by a joint team from UCLA (USA) and the University of Belgrade (then part of former Yugoslavia). It was established that the site is spread over more than 10 ha and represents the full duration and development of the Neolithic in the Balkan Peninsula. The emblematic white-painted pottery, widely represented here, was seen as a cultural mark of the Neolithic population of the Central Balkans, but at the same time, some Near Eastern elements were noted (especially in the architecture and the use of marble for the production of personal ornaments). This research positioned Amzabegovo as a reference point for Balkan Neolithic studies. After a 50-year hiatus, field research was reinitiated in 2019 through a collaboration between Dr. Darko Stojanovski, serving as Director, and the Municipal Museum of Sveti Nikole, the host institution for the project. Since 2022, partnerships have expanded to include the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, as well as several other European specialists. The ongoing project, titled “The First Farming and Urban Centers of Macedonia: Excavations at the Amzabegovo Neolithic Settlement,” represents an international multidisciplinary scientific collaboration. Starting in 2025, the Balkan Heritage Foundation joined the team, and the project is now hosting the “Birth of Europe” Field School Program.

The research questions stemming from the site, with a focus on the Neolithic period, encompass a range of topics such as settlement organization, architecture, demography, economy, diet, human-animal interactions, household organization, and material culture. A key question is understanding the regional dynamics and the role of Amzabegovo as the largest settlement in the cluster of sites within the Bregalnica River basin, as well as its communication and trade routes.