Table of Contents
Balkan Eye tells the 1965 rescue of Lepenski Vir as a race against the Danube. A dam was about to lift the river by roughly thirty meters, and archaeologist Dragoslav Srejovic is shown digging before the banks disappeared. He finds carbonized wood, then a shaped piece of antler, and calls the crew to that spot. What they uncover is presented as a settlement about ten thousand years old, older than the pyramids and Rome, with trapezoidal houses and a hearth at the center of each home. Sculptures of humanlike bodies with fishlike faces are explained as thanks to the river. The people are said to vanish with no recorded cause. Disaster, climate, or a choice to leave are all left open. In 1971 the Iron Gates dam, opened with Tito and Ceausescu present, drowned the original ground. Archaeologists then moved the settlement so it could still be visited. Those dates and figures are the film’s picture, not a finding of this page.
Key points
- Srejovic’s team is shown digging in 1965 before a rising Danube could cover the banks.
- The settlement is presented as about ten thousand years old, with planned trapezoidal houses.
- Each home is given a hearth, and fish faced sculptures are tied to gratitude toward the river.
- The film leaves the community’s end open among disaster, climate, and a decision to move.
- The 1971 Iron Gates dam is said to have drowned the site, which was then relocated.
Short quotes
An ancient people once called this place home.
Balkan Eye, Lepenski Vir before the dam
The dig is presented as the home of a community, not a stray camp. Watch at 2:54
The true reason for their disappearance remains a mystery.
Balkan Eye, Lepenski Vir before the dam
The film leaves the end of that community unexplained. Watch at 5:29
Video by Balkan Eye. Watch on YouTube.