Butmir Culture

an archaeological culture of the late Neolithic period in Yugoslavia that was located primarily along the upper reaches of the Bosna River.

It dates from the fourth millennium B.C. and is named after the Butmir settlement that was excavated at the end of the 19th century. Since the end of the 1940’s other examples of Butmir culture have been found: the remains of surface dwellings with exterior hearths, partially submerged dwellings, and workshops in which stone tools were made. Butmir ceramic work consisted of pear-shaped amphorae, bowls on saucers, and four-legged “altars” decorated with spiral patterns. Small anthropomorphous statues were also found. The Butmir tribes grew wheat, barley, and lentils, and they kept round-horned cattle and swine. They had close ties with Aegean culture and Danube culture.