EUROPA - NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES, BIRD-SHAPED VESSEL FROM VUČEDOL, the so-called Vučedol Dove

Certainly the most famous find and symbol of the Vučedol culture is the bird-shaped vessel, commonly known as the Vučedol Dove. This vessel is undoubtedly an example of the craftsmanship of a potter with refined artistic talent, as well as an important religious symbol. It is a rare find of animal-shaped plastic art from the Vučedol culture, the youngest and most attractive Copper Age culture of the Slavonian-Syrmian region. The vessel represents a stylized depiction of a bird with an accentuated, voluminous body supported by three flat, knob-like legs. The back, tail and chest are richly decorated with incised ornaments filled with white inlay, which is still partially preserved today. It was found in 1938 during excavations at the Gradac site in Vučedol, near Vukovar, the eponymous locality of this culture, a significant point on the archaeological map of Europe. It is a hollow ceramic vessel that could hold about half a liter of liquid. It is assumed that during religious festivals, while performing certain rituals, liquid, possibly hallucinogenic, was kept in it. However, there are opposing opinions on which type of bird is depicted; some argue that it represents a dove, while others believe it to be a partridge. Both birds are represented in the symbolism and beliefs of the Vučedol culture. Small birds, especially doves, have been companions of the Great Mother, the Great Goddess – a female deity with many names, embodying the worship of fertility and the earth since ancient times. Partridges are associated with male deities and metallurgy. They pretend to limp when in danger, and this lameness is most strongly associated with the crippled blacksmith Hephaestus. The Vučedol culture developed in the Slavonian-Syrmian region at the end of the Copper Age (2900–2500 BC), from where it spread across European lands, extending into areas of present-day Central Europe. The Vučedol culture emerged at a time when writing first appeared in Mesopotamia, reaching its peak during the period of the emergence of megalithic cultures in Western Europe. The foundation of its prosperity was based on a developed pastoral and hunting economy, which, by creating and accumulating surpluses, enabled the development of new crafts. The highly developed copper metallurgy represents the peak of the technology of that time and is considered the driving force behind the development of communities, while the rituals associated with it had a strong influence on and shaped the spiritual life of the community. Alongside the master metalworkers, potters left their mark on the Vučedol culture, making it recognizable by its distinctive style of decoration with numerous intricate motifs filled, most often, with white inlay, which is best exemplified in the bird-shaped vessel, the so-called Vučedol Dove. Jacqueline Balen, dr. sc. Museum advisor at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb