Early Iron Age in Central Europe
From The Observatory
An international scientific conference organized by the Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb, running from 1 to 4 July 2026, exploring the Early Iron Age across Central Europe. The conference brings together researchers to present new findings on Hallstatt-period settlements, burial practices, metalwork traditions, and cultural interactions across the region. It builds on a long tradition of IARH-hosted meetings linking Croatian archaeological research with broader Central European prehistoric scholarship.
Agenda
Day 1 – Wednesday, July 1
- 12:00–14:30 – Arrival and registration
- 14:45–15:00 – Opening the conference
- 15:00–19:00 – Presentations (Chair: Martin Trefný)
- Brina Škvor Jernejčič & Petra Vojaković – The Beginning of the Iron Horizon in Slovenia
- Petra Stipančić – Early Iron Age central graves on the Kapiteljska njiva in Novo Mesto
- Mira Majdán – Jakab-hegy revisited
- Domagoj Dujmić – New cremation grave on Dalj – Busija necropolis
- Ivan Drnić & Daria Ložnjak Dizdar – Prehistoric skeletal graves from Vukovar – Lijeva Bara
- Coffee break
- (Chair: Anna Józefowska-Domańska)
- Bogdan Petru Niculica & Ioan Bejinariu – The Beginnings of the Iron Age in the North-Eastern Carpathian Region
- Tamás Hajdu et al. – Early Nomads: A new bioarchaeological project
- Matija Črešnar et al. – Integrating bioarchaeology into Early Iron Age studies
- Emma M. Legrand et al. – Mobility and land-use in Northern Croatia during the Early Iron Age
- Luka Drahotusky-Bruketa – Iron Age culinary practices at Kaptol – Gradca
Day 2 – Thursday, July 2
- 9:00–12:30 – Morning Presentations (Chair: Martin Golec)
- Anna Józefowska-Domańska et al. – Sword Graves at the Edge of the Hallstatt World
- Martin Trefný & Helena Březinová – Funerary rite of the Bylany culture social elite
- Hrvoje Potrebica – Ritual and Status: Bronze Vessels in Kaptol Group Funerary Assemblages
- Zuzana Golec Mírová – Elites, Landscape and Changes
- Anja Hellmuth Kramberger – Monbrodo as a Coastal Hub in Iron Age Istria
- Coffee break
- (Chair: Domagoj Dujmić)
- Luka Gruškovnjak et al. – Inside Early Iron Age Centres
- Hrvoje Potrebica et al. – Development of Hilltop Settlements in Prigorje Region and the Požega Valley
- Saša Kovačević – Shaping the Land, Shaped by Rivers
- Tomasz Gralak – Settlement complex from the Hallstatt period in Brzoza
- 12:30–14:30 – Lunch
- 14:30–19:00 – Afternoon Presentations (Chair: Claudia Panenka)
- Ioan Bejinariu – Cultural interferences at the beginning of the Iron Age
- Marko Dizdar – Time of Change: South-eastern Pannonian Plain around 600 BCE
- Katarina Dmitrović – Mound I at Krnjine in Mrčajevci
- Bence Soós & András Jáky – Late Hallstatt cemeteries in the Balaton region
- Coffee break
- (Chair: Zoltán Czajlik)
- Szabolcs Czifra – Iconographic Analysis of Decorated Vekerzug Daggers and Knives
- Georgeta El Susi – Animal offerings in Scythian necropolises from Transylvania
- Katarzyna Trybała-Zawiślak – The Hillfort in Chotyniec: Western Gate of Scythia
- Tomasz Gralak – Geometry and measurements of Hallstatt architecture in Heuneburg
- Coffee break
- (Chair: Holger Wendling)
- Boris Kavur & Martina Blečić Kavur – Eye beads with prunts in Early Iron Age Novo Mesto
- Georg Tiefengraber – Hallstatt and its southern neighbours
- Dragan Božič – Chronology of the Dolenjska Hallstatt group reconsidered
- Mitja Guštin – Transition from Early to Late Iron Age: Iron Shaft-Hole Axes
- Anja Mlakar – Reimagining the Iron Age from Below
- 19:00–19:45 – Poster presentations
- 20:00 – Social evening
Day 3 – Friday, July 3
- 7:00–19:00 – Excursion
Day 4 – Saturday, July 4
- 9:00–12:00 – Presentations (Chair: Hrvoje Potrebica)
- Mila Erceg – Rituals of the Dead: Cremation, Memory, and Myth
- Joanna Słomska-Bolonek – Miniature Loom Weights
- Vanessa Baratella – Early Iron Age connections between NE Italy and Central/Eastern Europe
- Miloslav Chytráček et al. – Transfer of amber along the Amber roads (800–370 BCE)
- Coffee break
- (Chair: Daria Ložnjak Dizdar)
- Micol Masotti – Pottery evidence for Early Iron Age interaction networks
- Petra Vojaković et al. – From Smelting to Smithing: Iron Production
- Szilvia Gyöngyösi et al. – New technologies: metal finds from the Regöly tumulus
- Caleb Ranum – Archaeobotanical Evidence: Bitter Vetch in Central Europe
- 12:00–12:30 – Final discussion and closing
Participants
Institute of Archaeology
Organizer | Homepage
The Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb (Institut za arheologiju) is a public scientific research institution of the Republic of Croatia, established in 1961. Its mission is to undertake fundamental scientific research and to process, interpret, and evaluate archaeological sources for their valorization in national, regional, and European contexts. The Institute conducts interdisciplinary research across all periods of Croatian archaeological heritage, from prehistory to the modern era, and actively contributes to international scholarly networks through its research groups, field projects, publications, and conferences.
