LOESSFEST'09 | Aug. 31st – Sept. 3rd, 2009 |Novi Sad-Serbia
Loess Habitats in Bačka
Đerčan, B.1, Cvetanović, M.1, Bubalo Živković, M.1
1Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Serbia
Since prehistoric times the major determinant for emerging settlements were the distinct features of the area. Even the primitive Neolithic man settled where the nature provided him various conditions for agricultural activity - on the contact of diverse relief elements. The rivers and their alluvial plains provided opportunity for fishing, hunting and grazing cattle, while moving up to higher elevations (alluvial terrace, loess terrace and loess plateau) the water supply was more and more scarce, due to the depth of the well. Settlements emerged where people could use at least two or three different ecological areas.
The pleistocene Bačka was mainly covered with morass and endless steppe, what was certainly not tempting for the Paleolithic man. During the last phase of the Ice Age (between 25,000 and 10,000 years. BC) the region finally got it’s current look. Fertile loess covered the initial ground, the rivers have shapen their riverbed, new flora and fauna migrated to the area, inviting the mammoth hunters to populate the region.
People primarily used local materials found in the vicinity for constructing their homes. The basic building material in vast plains like Bačka is loess and clay. An easy exploitation and processing, a brief period required for the construction of shelters, as well as solidity and durability of these buildings, made loess a highly valued raw material. The neolithic man lived in dugouts, the overground part was made of wattle and daub. In upper Neolithic overground shelters were built as well. The houses were larger, plank was commonly used, the roof was covered with reed. In Nosa near Subotica even silos were discovered from that period.
During the Bronze Age settlements emerged mainly on river terraces, but in some cases on higher ground that dominate the surrounding, like Feudvar near Mošorin, at the base of the Titel loess plateau. People have chosen these locations due to frequent floods prior to the flow regulation of the Tisza in 1846. Comparative analysis of the maps before and after the regulation shows a more scarce settlement network on the loess terraces.
Contemporary houses in Bačka, especially in rural areas, were built using loess. In most cases the walls are from rammed earth. Adobe is used mainly as supplementary material. Initially, every village in Bačka was built using loess and clay in various forms, what is understandable, being the only building material available. On the loess plateau cellars were dug out, mainly as storage for food and vine, because of the excellent thermic features. The cellars were used as auxiliary facilities for storaging fuel (wood, coal) or cattle, as well. Nowadays, due to transitional processes, such habitats unfortunately lost their function. They definitely should be revitalized, upon the model of some Hungarian settlements on the loess plateau, and preserved as cultural heritage. This paper is part of the project (EVB: 146017 D / KOEF = 1) “Demographic transitions in Serbia,” funded by the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of Serbia.