This volume examines the later phases of the Early Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age in the central Balkans, offering a comprehensive review of the archaeological evidence from the region. The book is organised into five chapters: an introductory chapter; a second chapter devoted to the Early Bronze Age; a third addressing the Middle Bronze Age; a fourth focusing specifically on chronological issues; and a concluding chapter.
Aleksandar Bulatovic begins by laying out the geographical and chronological framework of the study and providing a concise overview of the history of research in the region. Although the author engages with absolute dating, the book largely adopts a relative chronological framework. Rather than covering the entire Early Bronze Age, it focuses on the period conventionally defined in the region as the Early Bronze Age – namely, the later part of the 3rd millennium BC – excluding much of the earlier portion of this period from detailed archaeological consideration.
Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 constitute the core of the volume, presenting and discussing the archaeological contexts in considerable detail. The overall structure of the book is schematic and broadly traditional, being organised primarily along geographical and chronological lines rather than according to thematic concerns. While this approach allows a clear and orderly presentation of the evidence, it also renders the diachronic development of certain phenomena between the Early and Middle Bronze Age less readily apparent to the reader.
Time to do it right