Reassessing the Architecture and Spatial Organization of Lasinja Culture Settlements in the Southeastern Alpine Region. Insights from Northeastern Slovenia

Excavations at Zgornje Radvanje in Maribor (NE Slovenia) between 2007 and 2008 uncovered an Early Copper Age Lasinja Culture settlement with a distinctive circular layout. This study re-examines the settlement’s topography and architecture, placing it within the broader Early Copper Age context to achieve a better understanding of Lasinja Culture settlements in the southeastern Alpine region. The settlement’s central area, situated on higher ground, featured predominantly post-in-ground structures, while larger pits and sunken-featured structures (‘pit houses’) dominated the outer zones. Radiocarbon dating confirms that these architectural forms were contemporaneous, yielding some of the earliest known Lasinja Culture dates. This provides the first radiocarbon-dated evidence of two distinct architectural types coexisting in the region during this period. Comparisons with contemporaneous sites in the southeastern Alpine region, the western Pannonian Plain, and northern Croatia reveal shared traits, such as the prevalence of post-in-ground structures of rectangular ground plan (though without foundation ditches in the southeastern Alpine region), alongside regional variations. These findings advance understanding of Lasinja Culture settlement patterns and architectural diversity

Context (archaeology · Excavation · Human settlement · Radiocarbon dating · Settlement (finance · Situated · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Architecture · Geological Formations and Processes Exploration