National projects

Medieval communities on the eastern Adriatic coast through the prism of interdisciplinary cemetery research (MedComm)

The project Medieval communities on the eastern Adriatic coast through the prism of interdisciplinary cemetery research aims at broadening scientific findings regarding various aspects of the life of medieval populations on the eastern Adriatic coast. The project is mainly focused on the area of Šibenik hinterland (Danilo, Vaćani, Donje Polje, Vrpolje, Piramatovci, Goriš), but it will also analyse sites in Istria (Tar), Kvarner (Bribir), Trogir, as well as Stari Grad on the island of Hvar. The timeline included in the project is determined by the period from the early to the late Middle Ages. To obtain as much information on everyday life, health, diet, and identities of individuals as well as whole communities, an interdisciplinary study of their cemeteries will be conducted. The studied cemeteries function as part of a cultural landscape and spatial analysis will be used to study their distribution within the landscape and their relations to the environment. Apart from the classic archaeological methods of researching material culture, funeral customs and practices, this project will also include bioarchaeological analysis of available osteological material and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to reconstruct diet types of medieval communities.

The main objective of this project is to broaden the findings on the everyday life of the medieval populations on the eastern Adriatic coast. This should be achieved through the following objectives:

1. Ascertaining the distribution, i.e., the positions of medieval cemeteries in the landscape
2. Conducting the analysis of material culture and funeral customs at chosen medieval cemeteries to gain insight into certain identities of the community, but also the individuals
3. Determining the quality of life of the deceased, distribution according to sex and age, presence of diseases, and famine episodes by using bioarchaeological analysis of the available osteological material
4. Identifying the diet of studied populations through the analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes
5. Comparing the obtained data to establish similarities and differences between medieval communities inhabiting various geographical areas
6. Disseminating project results to the scientific and expert communities, as well as to the general public

Web page: https://medcomm.iarh.hr/index.php/en/

Project duration: 48 months (2024 – 2027)

Project financing: The project is financed by the European Union-NextGeneration EU (NPOO) – 88.000, 00 euros.

PI: dr. Siniša Krznar (Institute of Archaeology)

Research group: dr. sc. Juraj Belaj, dr. sc. Ana Konestra, dr. sc. Marina Ugarković, Tea Kokotović, Sebastijan Stingl

External collaborator: MA Željko Krnčević, Gradski muzej Šibenik