How far are we

Zrinka MILEUSNIĆ
(University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia)

Keywords: material culture, written sources, archaeological finds, burials in monasteries, anthropology

Abstract:
In the last decade extensive excavations in several monasteries and other locations in Koper were done and are of a great significance for the reconstruction of medieval town and its population. Prior to these, research was related to the study of written sources and the standing architecture. Monasteries have been an important element in the design of urban townscapes and urban society.
This paper presents the state of the research, and its development through the stages towards the integrated study of the social and economic development of the town, with the main focus on the research of the material culture, including the anthropological remains and their integration with the study of written sources. The work comprises the collection and analysis of archaeological, architectural and spatial data obtained from archaeological excavations. The focal point of the research is the life and development of the urban space, its structure and spatial organization, the cemetery, as well as, its economic and social ties. Interdisciplinarity of the interpretation is achieved through a combination of analysis from three different sources: archaeological, anthropological and archival.
The archaeological sources analysis are presented through the research of material culture, more specifically through analysis of the architectural remains and small archaeological finds, such as ceramics, glass, metal and bone artefacts. The results of anthropological analysis provide variety of information that forms an important element in the reconstruction of the demographic and social history of the town. Archival sources focus on resources relating to burials and the material culture of the monasteries. The importance of the integration of primary archival sources with the results of the analysis of archaeological and anthropological sources provides a comprehensive insight into the history of the monastic community, as well as into the history of medieval and early modern towns and their heritage.

Relevance conference / Relevance session:
Paper will present the state of research and problems of integration and interpretation of various sources in the coastal area of Slovenia.

Innovation:
The paper will present the cases that are overlapping the gap between parallel analysis and integrated interpretation for the reconstruction and interpretation of past societies in the urban contexts.

References:

  1. MILEUSNIĆ, Zrinka. Urban archaeology of Koper/Capodistria. V: BÖRNER, Wolfgang (ur.). Proceedings. Vienna: Museen der Stadt Wien, Stadtarchäologie, 2011, str. 561-564.
  2. MILEUSNIĆ, Zrinka. Beneška dediščina na območju nekdanjega dominikanskega samostana v Kopru : doktorska disertacija. Koper: [Z. Mileusnić], 2015. VI, 349 str., [73] str. pril., ilustr. http://share.upr.si/fhs/PUBLIC/doktorsk