Papers by Natalija Čondić
IIIrd Conference of the ‘Török Aurélʼ Anthropological Association. Programme and Abstracts Book., 2019
Nature, 2021
Present-day people from England and Wales harbour more ancestry derived from Early European Farme... more Present-day people from England and Wales harbour more ancestry derived from Early European Farmers (EEF) than people of the Early Bronze Age1. To understand this, we generated genome-wide data from 793 individuals, increasing data from the Middle to Late Bronze and Iron Age in Britain by 12-fold, and Western and Central Europe by 3.5-fold. Between 1000 and 875 BC, EEF ancestry increased in southern Britain (England and Wales) but not northern Britain (Scotland) due to incorporation of migrants who arrived at this time and over previous centuries, and who were genetically most similar to ancient individuals from France. These migrants contributed about half the ancestry of Iron Age people of England and Wales, thereby creating a plausible vector for the spread of early Celtic languages into Britain. These patterns are part of a broader trend of EEF ancestry becoming more similar across central and western Europe in the Middle to Late Bronze Age, coincident with archaeological evidence of intensified cultural exchange2-6. There was comparatively less gene flow from continental Europe during the Iron Age, and Britain's independent genetic trajectory is also reflected in the rise of the allele conferring lactase persistence to ~50% by this time compared to ~7% in central Europe where it rose rapidly in frequency only a millennium later. This suggests that dairy products were used in qualitatively different ways in Britain and in central Europe over this period.
Clanak donosi pregled aktivnosti i preliminarne rezultate arheoloskih istraživanja srednjopaleoli... more Clanak donosi pregled aktivnosti i preliminarne rezultate arheoloskih istraživanja srednjopaleolitickih nalazista u Dalmaciji te geoloskih istraživanja u okviru kojih su provedena busenja potencijalnih nalazista. Aktivnosti su ostvarene provedbom druge i trece godine projekta Kasni musterijen na istocnom Jadranu – temelj za razumijevanje identiteta kasnih neandertalaca i njihovog nestanka Hrvatske zaklade za znanost. Terenski je rad najvecim dijelom bio usmjeren na nastavak istraživanja Velike pecine u Klicevici i podvodnoga paleolitickog nalazista Kastel Stafilic – Resnik. Provedeno je također probno istraživanje jednog nalazista u zaleđu Kastela (Giljanovici/Karanusici) i geoloska busenja.
Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, 2016
This chapter presents some new data on, and interpretations of the Croatian Middle and Early Uppe... more This chapter presents some new data on, and interpretations of the Croatian Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic. Alternative interpretations of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface in Vindija cave (situated in the Zagorje region of northwestern Croatia) are reported, together with preliminary results of research on the early Upper Paleolithic site of Bukovac pecina (situated in the region of Gorski kotar), and the late Dalmatian Middle Paleolithic sites of Mujina pecina, Velika pecina in Klicevica and Kastel Stafilic—Resnik. The archaeological assemblage (Mousterian industry) and the results of chronometric dating make the sequences of these Dalmatian sites contemporary with late Neandertals and with the earliest known anatomically modern human groups in Europe. This recent research greatly contributes to our understanding of the distribution of Neandertals and the complexity of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface.
Prilozi Instituta Za Arheologiju U Zagrebu, Nov 6, 2014
Prilozi Instituta za Arheologiju
Članak donosi izvještaj prve godine istraživanja na projektu Kasni musterijen na istočnom Jadranu... more Članak donosi izvještaj prve godine istraživanja na projektu Kasni musterijen na istočnom Jadranu – temelj za razumijevanje identiteta kasnih neandertalaca i njihovog nestanka koji financira Hrvatska zaklada za znanost. Provedena su probna iskopavanja Matetine pećine kod Kaštela, rekognosciranja zaleđa Kaštela, a nastavljena su ranije započeta istraživanja Velike pećine u Kličevici kod Benkovca i podvodnoga paleolitičkog nalazišta Kaštel Štafilić. U metode dokumentiranja uvedeno je 3D fotografiranje, a u istraživanje električna rezistentna tomografija. The paper reports on the first year of research on the project Late Mousterian in the eastern Adriatic - towards understanding of late Neanderthals’ identity and their demise, financed by the Croatian Science Foundation. Trial excavations were carried out in the Matetina pećina cave near Kaštela, field survey was conducted in the hinterland of Kaštela, and the investigations continued in Velika pećina cave in Kličevica and at the unde...
Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, 2016
This chapter presents some new data on, and interpretations of the Croatian Middle and Early Uppe... more This chapter presents some new data on, and interpretations of the Croatian Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic. Alternative interpretations of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface in Vindija cave (situated in the Zagorje region of northwestern Croatia) are reported, together with preliminary results of research on the early Upper Paleolithic site of Bukovac pecina (situated in the region of Gorski kotar), and the late Dalmatian Middle Paleolithic sites of Mujina pecina, Velika pecina in Klicevica and Kastel Stafilic—Resnik. The archaeological assemblage (Mousterian industry) and the results of chronometric dating make the sequences of these Dalmatian sites contemporary with late Neandertals and with the earliest known anatomically modern human groups in Europe. This recent research greatly contributes to our understanding of the distribution of Neandertals and the complexity of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic interface.
Prilozi Instituta Za Arheologiju U Zagrebu, 2014
Nature, 2021
Present-day people from England and Wales harbour more ancestry derived from Early European Farme... more Present-day people from England and Wales harbour more ancestry derived from Early European Farmers (EEF) than people of the Early Bronze Age1. To understand this, we generated genome-wide data from 793 individuals, increasing data from the Middle to Late Bronze and Iron Age in Britain by 12-fold, and Western and Central Europe by 3.5-fold. Between 1000 and 875 BC, EEF ancestry increased in southern Britain (England and Wales) but not northern Britain (Scotland) due to incorporation of migrants who arrived at this time and over previous centuries, and who were genetically most similar to ancient individuals from France. These migrants contributed about half the ancestry of Iron Age people of England and Wales, thereby creating a plausible vector for the spread of early Celtic languages into Britain. These patterns are part of a broader trend of EEF ancestry becoming more similar across central and western Europe in the Middle to Late Bronze Age, coincident with archaeological eviden...
Diadora 33/34, 2019
Krajem 1923. godine, za vrijeme talijanske vlasti u Zadru, današnji Arheološki muzej Zadar prešao... more Krajem 1923. godine, za vrijeme talijanske vlasti u Zadru, današnji Arheološki muzej Zadar prešao je pod nadležnost Soprintendenza alle Antichità delle Marche e degli Abruzzi (Uprava za starine regija Marche i Abruzzi) u Anconi. Kulturna integracija Zadra i Italije u to je vrijeme bila jedno od pitanja važnih za uspješno provođenje procesa talijanizacije. U tu svrhu, ali vezano i uz (gotovo paralelna) uređenja novih stalnih postava u zadarskom i ankonitanskom muzeju, dogodio se niz razmjena arheološke građe između zadarskog muzeja i njemu nadležnoga muzeja u Anconi. U više je navrata u razdoblju između 1925. godine i Drugog svjetskog rata u Anconu odnošena građa s istraživanja rimskih nekropola Zadra i Nina, a kao protuusluga zadarskom muzeju organizirano je prenošenje triju bogatih picenskih grobova iz nekropola Cupra Marittime i Belmonte Picena za potrebe ovdašnjeg novog postava. Prema raspoloživoj dokumentaciji, razmjenu je zatražio tadašnji direktor Uprave za starine Giuseppe Moretti, a odobrila ju je Opća uprava za starine i likovnu umjetnost u Rimu 27. veljače 1930. Nakon rasformiranja postava u Sv. Donatu i njegova prenošenja u zgradu današnjeg Sveučilišta u Zadru, grobovi više nisu izlagani, a njihov je sadržaj danas nepoznat. Ipak, u muzejskim se spremištima čuva nekoliko predmeta koje s više ili manje sigurnosti možemo pripisati trima picenskim grobnim cjelinama: brončana kaciga, masivni brončani kolut s nizom zadebljanja i cjeloviti apulski vrč, a moguće i ulomak ploče s urezanim figuralnim prikazom. U članku se u kratkim crtama donosi opis i osnovna interpretacija navedene građe te okolnosti pod kojima se razmjena dogodila. U slučaju potonjega, autorica se oslanja na arhivske podatke koje je nedavno objavila Nicoletta Frapiccini, ravnateljica Nacionalnog arheološkog muzeja regije Marche u Anconi. Međumuzejska razmjena, kojom su tri bogato opremljena picenska groba dospjela u Arheološki muzej, zanimljiva je bilješka iz povijesti Arheološkog muzeja Zadar koja pruža uvid u rad ove ustanove u jednom od težih razdoblja njezina djelovanja.
At the end of 1923, during the Italian rule in Zadar, the present-day Archaeological Museum Zadar came under the jurisdiction of the Soprintendenza alle Antichità delle Marche e degli Abruzzi (Administration for Antiquities of the Marche and Abruzzi Regions) in Ancona. The cultural integration of Zadar and Italy at that time was one of the issues important for the successful implementation of the Italianization process. For this purpose, but also in connection with the (almost parallel) arrangement of the new permanent exhibitions in the Zadar and Ancona museums, there was a series of exchanges of archaeological material between the Archaeological Museum in Zadar and its competent museum in Ancona. On several occasions, between 1925 and World War II, materials from the Roman necropolises of Zadar and Nin were taken to Ancona. As a favour to the Archaeological Museum in Zadar, the transfer of three rich Picenian graves from the necropolises of Cupra Marittima and Belmonte Piceno was carried out for the purpose of a new exhibition here. According to available documentation, the exchange was requested by the then Director of the Antiquities Directorate, Giuseppe Moretti, and approved by the General Administration for Antiquities and Fine Arts in Rome on February 27, 1930. After the disbanding of the exhibition in St. Donatus and its transfer to the building of today’s University of Zadar, the graves are no longer exhibited and their contents are unknown today. However, there are several items stored in the museum’s repositories that can more or less be attributed to the three Picenian graves: a bronze helmet, a massive bronze ring with a series of knobs, and a complete Apulian jug, and possibly a fragment of a slab with a carved figural representation. The article provides a brief description and basic interpretation of the material in question and the circumstances under which the exchange took place. In the case of the latter, the author relies on archival data recently published by Nicoletta Frapiccini, director of the National Archaeological Museum of the Marche Region in Ancona. The inter-museum exchange, which brought three richly furnished Picenian graves to the Archaeological Museum Zadar, is an interesting note from its history, which provides insight into the work of this institution during one of its difficult periods.
Katalozi i monografije 31, 2018
Svrha izložbe „Religije kamenog doba“ traganje je za prapočetcima religioznog načina mišljenja, ... more Svrha izložbe „Religije kamenog doba“ traganje je za prapočetcima religioznog načina mišljenja, odnosno ranim manifestacijama simbolike i religije. Stoga se donosi izbor materijalnih dokaza takvog ponašanja u paleolitiku ili starijem kamenom dobu, mezolitiku ili srednjem kamenom dobu te neolitiku ili mlađem kamenom dobu, koji zajedno pokrivaju golem vremenski raspon od približno 3,3 milijuna godina do šest tisuća godina prije sadašnjosti. Na četrnaest izložbenih plakata predstavljene su teme koje obrađuju pojavu simbolike, religijska poimanja i ritualno ponašanje zajednica kamenoga doba na širem prostoru Europe i Bliskog istoka, s posebnom pažnjom usmjerenom i na domaći, hrvatski prostor. Za razdoblje paleolitika u vitrinama su izložene kopije svjetski poznatih primjeraka figurativne umjetnosti, dok mlađe kameno doba predstavljaju vrijedni nalazi dalmatinskog neolitika iz zbirki Arheološkog muzeja Zadar.
Prapočetci religije udaljeni su desetcima tisuća godina od povijesnih pisanih izvora pa smo usmjereni na proučavanje arheoloških i paleoantropoloških nalaza. Za razdoblje paleolitika oni u najvećoj mjeri uključuju tragove posmrtnih rituala i rituala koje možemo povezati s figurativnom umjetnošću. Premda su paleolitičke religije prakticirale ukopne rituale, magiju i šamanizam, teško je reći koliko je granica između materijalnog i duhovnog svijeta u poimanju tadašnjih ljudi bila čvrsta. Religija je tada dio općeg svjetonazora pa nije odvojena od ostalih životnih područja, a čovjek dio prirode koju dijeli s okolnim svijetom. Velika je pozornost usmjerena k životinjama, jer bez njih nema opstanka. One nisu samo materijalni izvor hrane već imaju mitsku dimenziju, o čemu svjedoče mnogobrojni umjetnički prikazi. Simbolika i religija gornjeg paleolitika na taj se način najzornije očituju u špiljskoj umjetnosti i figurativnim prikazima životinja, a posebno ženskih figura, takozvanih paleolitičkih Venera. Umjetnici svoju djelatnost razvijaju do savršenstva, a vračevi ili šamani vjerojatno imaju posebni društveni status.
Neolitik se razvija u izmijenjenim okolišnim uvjetima i unutar posve novog društveno-gospodarskog okvira. U novije se vrijeme uzroci prijelaza na sjedilaštvo i proizvodno gospodarstvo pronalaze upravo u sferi duhovnog života kasnih lovačko skupljačkih zajednica. Čini se kako ključni element leži u načinu na koji je čovjek počeo promišljati svijet koji ga okružuje postavljajući sebe iznad pojavne, materijalne stvarnosti, ali ispod posebnih, nadnaravnih bića koja su upravljala njegovim prosperitetom. Uz izmijenjeno poimanje čovjekove uloge u kontroliranju prirodnih procesa stvoren je novi religijski koncept izražen kroz bogati simbolički repertoar. Prve sjedilačke zajednice grade monumentalna zajednička svetišta i proizvode simbolično-umjetničke izrađevine poput ljudskih i životinjskih figurica ili kultnih posuda raznih oblika. Koriste ih pri obavljanju obrednih radnji najvjerojatnije vezanih uz osiguranje plodnosti, te razrađuju složene ukopne prakse vezane za vjerovanja u zagrobni život i kult predaka.
The purpose of the exhibition Stone Age religions is to trace the origins of the religious way of thinking, namely early manifestations of symbolics and religion. Therefore, a selection of material evidence of such behavior in the Palaeolithic or Early Stone Age, Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age, and Neolithic or Late Stone Age is presented, which together cover a vast time span of approximately 3.3 million years to six thousand years before present. Fourteen exhibition posters present topics that address the emergence of symbolism, religious understanding, and ritual behavior of Stone Age communities across Europe and the Middle East, with particular focus on the domestic, Croatian space. The Palaeolithic period is represented by the copies of world-renowned specimens of figurative art exhibited in the display cases, while the Late Stone Age is represented by the valuable finds from the Dalmatian Neolithic period from the collections of the Archaeological Museum Zadar.
The origins of religion are separated by tens of thousands of years from the historical written sources, so the focus is on the study of the archaeological and paleoanthropological findings. The archaeological findings from the Palaeolithic period largely include the evidence of funerary rituals and rituals which can be related to figurative art. Although the Palaeolithic religions practiced burial rituals, magic, and shamanism, it is difficult to say how strong was the boundary between the material and spiritual worlds in the minds of the people of that time. Religion was a part of the general worldview in that period, so it was not separate from other aspects of life, and man was a part of the nature which he shared with the surrounding world. Special attention was paid to animals, because without them there would be no survival. They were not only a material source of food, but they also had a mythical dimension, as evidenced by numerous artistic representations. The symbolism and religion of the Upper Palaeolithic are therefore most clearly manifested in cave art and figurative representations of animals, and especially in female figurines, the so-called Palaeolithic Venus figurines. The artists perfected their craft and the medicine-men or shamans probably had a special social status.
The Neolithic developed under changed environmental conditions and within a completely new socio-economic framework. More recently, the causes of the transition to sedentism and productive economy have been found precisely in the sphere of spiritual life of late hunter-gatherer communities. The key element seems to lie in the way in which man began to contemplate the world around him by placing himself above the manifesting, material reality, but below the special, supernatural beings that governed his prosperity. With a changed understanding of man's role in controlling natural processes, a new religious concept was created, expressed through a rich symbolic repertoire. The first farming communities built common monumental sanctuaries and produced symbolic artworks such as human and animal figurines or cult vessels of various shapes. They used them to perform ritual acts most likely related to fertility, and they elaborated complex mortuary practices related to the beliefs in the afterlife and the ancestral cult.
Katalozi i monografije 34, 2019
Publikacija predstavlja katalog izložbe „U temeljima grada – iz arheoloških slojeva liburnskoga Z... more Publikacija predstavlja katalog izložbe „U temeljima grada – iz arheoloških slojeva liburnskoga Zadra“. Središte interesa izložbe je najstarija prošlost grada Zadra te važnost Jadrana i naroda Liburna u 1. tisućljeću pr. n. e. Predstavljajući arheološku građu koja je pronađena na zadarskom poluotoku i širem liburnskom području, ona donosi uvid u davnu prošlost i značaj liburnskog naselja u Zadru, njegovu kulturnu i trgovačku moć i važnost kulturnih odnosa sa susjedima, kako onima u zaleđu tako i onima preko mora. Izložba uključuje nekoliko skupina arheoloških nalaza i više tema s podatcima o Jadranu u željezno doba, Zadru u željezno doba, Liburnima i liburnskoj materijalnoj kulturi, istraživanju prapovijesti na zadarskom poluotoku, te o raznim vrstama uvezene keramike (apulske slikane keramike, grčke, gnathia i helenističke keramike).
The publication is a catalogue of the exhibition “In the City’s Foundations – the Archaeological layers of the Liburnian Zadar” . The exhibition aims at interpreting the importance of the Adriatic, Liburni and Zadar in the 1st millennium BC. Presenting the archaeological material found on Zadar peninsula and wider liburnian region, it gives insights about the ancient past and the importance of the Liburnian settlement in Zadar, its cultural and trading powers and the neighbors in the hinterland and across the sea. The exhibits include a few groups of archaeological finds, presenting several subjects and among them: Adriatic in the Iron Age, Zadar in the Iron Age, The Liburni, Liburnian Material Culture, Excavations of prehistorical layers on Zadar peninsula and Imported pottery (Apulian Matt-Painted, Gnathia, Greek and Hellenistic Pottery).
Katalozi i monografije 9, 2014
Publikacija predstavlja katalog izložbe „Cvijina gradina – tragom zaboravljene prošlosti“. U uvod... more Publikacija predstavlja katalog izložbe „Cvijina gradina – tragom zaboravljene prošlosti“. U uvodnom dijelu donosi se kratak pregled prapovijesnih razdoblja na području sjeverne Dalmacije, zatim vrsta i oblika naselja te načina sahranjivanja pokojnika tijekom željeznog doba i antike. U drugom dijelu publikacije predstavljeno je liburnsko-rimsko naselje Cvijina gradina u Kruševu kod Obrovca. Zbog povoljnog geografskog položaja i značaja u željezno doba ova je liburnska gradina nastavila život i tijekom antike. Prva istraživanja na lokalitetu provedena su početkom 20. st. sredstvima Arheološkog instituta iz Beča, a od 1999. godine sustavna arheološka istraživanja provodi Arheološki muzej Zadar. Iako je poput većine istovremenih naselja najvjerojatnije osnovano već početkom željeznoga doba, u 8. st.pr. Kr., najstariji pronađeni arheološki tragovi na gradini datiraju iz 6. st.pr.Krista. Intenzivan život unutar naselja prestaje završetkom antike, a sljedeća povijesna razdoblja ne ostavljaju na njemu vidljivih tragova. Lokalitet je do danas sačuvao formu grada sa svim osnovnim elementima svog urbanog lika – pristup s ulazom, kružno oblikovan gradski perimetar (bedeme), glavni plato i pod njim oblikovane terase stambene zone, gradske komunikacije i groblje u istočnom i jugoistočnom podnožju.
The publication presents the catalogue of the exhibition "Cvijina gradina - tracing the forgotten past". The introductory part provides a brief overview of prehistoric periods in northern Dalmatia, the types and forms of settlements and burial practices during the Iron Age and antiquity. The second part of the publication presents the Liburnian-Roman settlement of Cvijina gradina in Kruševo near Obrovac. Due to its favourable geographic location and importance during the Iron Age, this Liburnian hill-fort continued its existence into the Roman period. Archaeological Institute in Vienna funded and conducted first excavations of the site at the beginning of the 20th century, and since 1999 Archaeological Museum in Zadar has been leading further systematic archaeological excavations. Although, similarly to other contemporary settlements,hill-fort was most likely established at the beginning of the Iron Age in the 8th century BC., the oldest archaeological artefacts date to the 6th century BC. Intense life within the settlement ceases with the end of antiquity, and the following historical periods leave no visible traces on it. To this day, the site has preserved the configuration of the city with all the basic elements of its urban character: the entry gate, circular perimeter (ramparts), main plateau and terraces of the residential zone, urban communications and necropolis in the eastern and south-eastern foothills.
Diadora 26/27, 2012
U studenome 1999. godine na položaju Koinka u mjestu Sikovo (općina Sv. Filip i Jakov) otkriven j... more U studenome 1999. godine na položaju Koinka u mjestu Sikovo (općina Sv. Filip i Jakov) otkriven je novi lokalitet s nalazima iz razdoblja starijeg i srednjeg neolitika. Nalazište je otkriveno slučajno, prilikom pregleda plitkog jarka iskopanog između dviju parcela na obradivom zemljištu sa sjeverne strane sela, stotinjak metara od korita rječice Kotarke. Uz zapadni profil jarka otvorena je sonda dimenzija 4 x 3 m, u kojoj je istraženo sedam slojeva unutar kulturnih naslaga debljine 60 cm nataloženih ispod obrađenoga površinskog humusa. Prva četiri sloja pripadaju danilskoj fazi koja naliježe izravno na građom siromašniji sloj s impresso keramikom. Premda je otvorena samo jedna sonda skromnih dimenzija (nakon 4. sloja prepolovljena po pola), materijal koji predstavlja tristotinjak ulomaka keramičkih posuda dosta je raznovrstan. Nisu nađeni artefakti od kamena, kremena ili kosti, a kroz sve se slojeve pronalaze manji ulomci životinjskih kostiju. Nalazište u Sikovu još je jedno u nizu sličnih neolitičkih naseobina zasnovanih na području pogodnom za zemljoradnju, stočarstvo, lov i ribolov. Smješteno na sjeverozapadnom rubu plodnog Vranskog polja, bogatoga prirodnim izvorima vode, a udaljeno od mora oko 3 km, predstavlja idealan prostor za život. Od relativno velikog broja otkrivenih neolitičkih naselja u sjevernoj Dalmaciji, točnije na zadarskom i šibenskom području koji čine jednu geomorfološku cjelinu, tek je nekoliko višeslojnih lokaliteta na otvorenom koji sadrže slojeve starijeg i srednjeg neolitika, a od takvih su istraženi jedino Smilčić i Pokrovnik. Mala sonda otvorena na Koinki u Sikovu i u njoj prikupljeni uzorci građe nisu ni približno reprezentativni za cjelokupno nalazište, a time ni dostatni da se izvrši prava analiza i komparacija materijala i stratigrafije. Međutim, potencijal tog nalazišta leži u činjenici da sadrži slojeve impresso i danilske faze nataložene izravno, bez vidljive cezure. Sustavna istraživanja tog (i sličnih) lokaliteta možda bi mogla ponuditi odgovore na pitanje trajnosti i kontinuiteta naseljavanja tijekom neolitika, kao i pitanje prijelaza (prijelazne faze) iz starijega u srednji neolitik.
In November 1999, at the Koinka site in the village of Sikovo (Sveti Filip and Jakov Municipality) a new site was uncovered with finds from the Early and Middle Neolithic periods. The site was discovered by chance in a survey of a shallow ditch dug between two plots of arable land on the northern side of the village, about a hundred metres from the Kotarka streambed. Along the western profile of the ditch, a 4 x 3 m trial trench was opened in which seven layers were excavated within 60-cm-thick cultural layers deposited below the cultivated surface humus. The first four layers belong to the Danilo stage, which lies directly on the layer containing the impresso pottery, which is rather scarce in artefacts. Although only one small trial trench was opened (which after the 4th layer was halved), the artefacts represented by approximately three hundred shards of ceramic vessels are rather diverse. No stone, flint or bone artefacts have been found in the layers, but smaller fragments of animal bone were identified. The Sikovo site is another in a series of similar Neolithic settlements founded in an area suitable for agriculture, raising livestock, hunting and fishing. Situated on the north-western margin of the fertile Vrana Field, rich in water springs, approximately 3 km from the sea, the settlement represents an ideal place to live. Of the relatively large number of unearthed Neolithic settlements in northern Dalmatia, or to be more precise in the Zadar and Šibenik areas that form a geomorphological complex, there are only a few multi-layered open-air sites containing Early and Middle Neolithic layers, of which only Smilčić and Pokrovnik have been excavated. The small trial trench opened at Koinka in Sikovo and the collected artefact samples are by no means representative of the entire site, and are therefore not sufficient for a real analysis and comparison of artefacts and stratigraphy. However, the site’s potential lies in the fact that it contains layers of impresso and Danilo phases deposited directly without a visible caesura. Systematic excavations of this site and of other similar sites might offer answers to the question of the duration and continuity of population in the course of the Neolithic, as well as the question of the transition from the Early to the Middle Neolithic.
Diadora 24, 2010
U sklopu radova na obnovi i uređenju gradske jezgre u proteklih pet-naestak godina provođeno je v... more U sklopu radova na obnovi i uređenju gradske jezgre u proteklih pet-naestak godina provođeno je više arheoloških istraživanja na sjevero-zapadnom dijelu Poluotoka. Na području uz Forum otkrivena su tako dva željeznodobna groba, jedan pri istraživanju dijela rimskoga karda (današnja šetnica) 1995. godine i drugi za vrijeme radova na uređenju i prezentaciji rimske bazilike uz jugozapadni rub Foruma 2003. godine. Oba se groba prema pronađenom inventaru mogu datirati u II. fazu liburnske kulture (8. i 7. st.). Dva predrimska ukopa iz istog vremena ot-krivena su i ranije, 1955. godine pod srednjim vratima rimskog bede-ma na jugoistočnom rubu Poluotoka. Nalaz čak četiriju prapovijesnih grobova na području stare jezgre značajan je za određivanje perimetra željeznodobnog naselja (kao i njegova širenja), a zajedno s novi-jim nalazima na području Relje i za pokušaj rekonstrukcije prostiranja liburnske nekropole. Starija istraživanja provođena na Poluotoku od početka pedesetih godina 20. st., u kojima su zahvaćeni i prapovijesni slojevi, odgovorila su na osnovna pitanja vezana uz postanak, opći izgled i unutarnju organizaciju najstarijeg naselja u Zadru. Možemo re-konstruirati prirodni izgled zadarskog poluotoka u željezno doba, koji se u mnogome razlikuje od današnjeg stanja, površinu na kojoj se na-selje prostiralo, položaj gradske dominante te donekle izgled i položaj kuća i moguću liniju gradskog perimetra, a prema sastavu prapovijesnih slojeva koji su mjestimice dosezali i 80 cm debljine i donijeli obilje arheološke građe, osnutak grada možemo smjestiti na početak želje-znog doba. Rezultati arheoloških istraživanja u periodu od završetka Domovinskog rata do danas, od kojih su neka bila i dosta opsežna i donijela su dosta predrimske građe, većim su dijelom još neobjavljeni. Buduća analiza ovih nalaza svakako će upotpuniti postojeću sliku o liburnskom Zadru. U tom nastojanju značajno mjesto imaju i ovdje donesena dva groba pronađena uz jugozapadni rub Foruma.
Several archaeological excavations have been carried out in the northwestern part of the peninsula during the past fifteen years as a part of the renovation and reorganization of the city nucleus. Two Iron Age graves were discovered in the area by the Forum, one during investigation of part of the Roman cardo (the present-day walkway) in 1995, and the other during re-excavation and presentation of the Roman basilica alongside the southwestern edge of the Forum in 2003. Both graves can be dated on the basis of the grave goods to phase II of the Liburnian Culture (8 th and 7 th centuries). Two pre-Roman burials from the same period had been discovered earlier, in 1955, below the middle gates of the Roman walls on the southeastern edge of the peninsula. The discovery of as many as four prehistoric graves in the area of the ancient nucleus is important for determining the perimeters of the Iron Age settlement (as well as its expansion), and together with the recent finds from the Relja district, also for an attempt at reconstructing the extent of the Li-burnian cemetery. Earlier excavations carried out on the peninsula from the beginning of the 1950s, which encompassed prehistoric strata, answered basic questions related to the existence, general appearance, and interior organization of the earliest settlement at Zadar. It is possible to reconstruct the natural appearance of the Zadar peninsula in the Iron Age, which differs greatly from the present state, the area where the settlement extended, the position of the dominant point of the city, and to a certain extent the appearance and positions of dwellings and the possible line of the city perimeter. According to the composition of the prehistoric strata, which in places extended up to 80 cm in depth and resulted in an abundance of archaeological material, the foundation of the city can be placed at the beginning of the Iron Age. The results of the archaeological excavations in the period from the end of the Homeland war to the present, some of which were quite extensive and resulted in considerable quantities of pre-Roman material, for the most part remain unpublished. The future analysis of these finds will certainly supplement the current image of Liburnian Zadar. A significant place in such attempts will certainly be occupied by the two graves published here, found along the southwestern edge of the Forum.
Katalozi i monografije 27, Arheološki muzej Zadar, 2017
Dvojezični katalog koji prati izložbu „U temeljima grada – iz arheoloških slojeva liburnskoga Zad... more Dvojezični katalog koji prati izložbu „U temeljima grada – iz arheoloških slojeva liburnskoga Zadra“ tematski je podijeljen na četiri cjeline.
Prva cjelina govori o Jadranu i Zadru u željezno doba te Liburnima, nosiocima željeznodobne kulture na zadarskom području. U drugoj se obrađuju pitanja arheoloških istraživanja, osobito istraživanja prapovijesti na zadarskom poluotoku te se pobliže opisuju lokaliteti s kojih potječu odabrani ulomci. Slijedeća je posvećena keramici, domaćoj i uvoznoj. A zadnju, četvrtu cjelinu, čini katalog izloženih ulomaka koji donosi 150 obrađenih kataloških jedinica. / The bilingual catalogue accompanying the exhibition In the City’s Foundations – the Archaeological Layers of the Liburnian Zadar has four parts.The first part covers the Iron Age in the Adriatic and Zadar in particular, with the Liburni as a local Iron Age culture. The second part is focused on the archaeological excavations of the prehistorical layers of Zadar peninsula, describing the sites where the selected fragments were found. The third part is dedicated to the pottery found in the area, both locally-made and imported. The final part is a catalogue of the fragments exhibited (150 catalogue units).
Prilozi Instituta za arheologiju u Zagrebu, 2016
The paper reports on the activities and preliminary results of archaeological research of Middle ... more The paper reports on the activities and preliminary results of archaeological research of Middle Palaeolithic sites in Dalmatia and geological research consisting of drilling at potential sites. The activities were carried out within the framework of the second and third years of the research project Late Mousterian in the Eastern Adriatic – towards understanding of late Neanderthals’ identity and their demise, funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. The fieldwork mostly focused on the continuation of excavation at Velika pećina in Kličevica and research at underwater Palaeolithic site of Kaštel Štafilić – Resnik, in addition to the test excavation of a site in the hinterland of Kaštela (Giljanovići/Karanušići) and geological drillings.
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Papers by Natalija Čondić
At the end of 1923, during the Italian rule in Zadar, the present-day Archaeological Museum Zadar came under the jurisdiction of the Soprintendenza alle Antichità delle Marche e degli Abruzzi (Administration for Antiquities of the Marche and Abruzzi Regions) in Ancona. The cultural integration of Zadar and Italy at that time was one of the issues important for the successful implementation of the Italianization process. For this purpose, but also in connection with the (almost parallel) arrangement of the new permanent exhibitions in the Zadar and Ancona museums, there was a series of exchanges of archaeological material between the Archaeological Museum in Zadar and its competent museum in Ancona. On several occasions, between 1925 and World War II, materials from the Roman necropolises of Zadar and Nin were taken to Ancona. As a favour to the Archaeological Museum in Zadar, the transfer of three rich Picenian graves from the necropolises of Cupra Marittima and Belmonte Piceno was carried out for the purpose of a new exhibition here. According to available documentation, the exchange was requested by the then Director of the Antiquities Directorate, Giuseppe Moretti, and approved by the General Administration for Antiquities and Fine Arts in Rome on February 27, 1930. After the disbanding of the exhibition in St. Donatus and its transfer to the building of today’s University of Zadar, the graves are no longer exhibited and their contents are unknown today. However, there are several items stored in the museum’s repositories that can more or less be attributed to the three Picenian graves: a bronze helmet, a massive bronze ring with a series of knobs, and a complete Apulian jug, and possibly a fragment of a slab with a carved figural representation. The article provides a brief description and basic interpretation of the material in question and the circumstances under which the exchange took place. In the case of the latter, the author relies on archival data recently published by Nicoletta Frapiccini, director of the National Archaeological Museum of the Marche Region in Ancona. The inter-museum exchange, which brought three richly furnished Picenian graves to the Archaeological Museum Zadar, is an interesting note from its history, which provides insight into the work of this institution during one of its difficult periods.
Prapočetci religije udaljeni su desetcima tisuća godina od povijesnih pisanih izvora pa smo usmjereni na proučavanje arheoloških i paleoantropoloških nalaza. Za razdoblje paleolitika oni u najvećoj mjeri uključuju tragove posmrtnih rituala i rituala koje možemo povezati s figurativnom umjetnošću. Premda su paleolitičke religije prakticirale ukopne rituale, magiju i šamanizam, teško je reći koliko je granica između materijalnog i duhovnog svijeta u poimanju tadašnjih ljudi bila čvrsta. Religija je tada dio općeg svjetonazora pa nije odvojena od ostalih životnih područja, a čovjek dio prirode koju dijeli s okolnim svijetom. Velika je pozornost usmjerena k životinjama, jer bez njih nema opstanka. One nisu samo materijalni izvor hrane već imaju mitsku dimenziju, o čemu svjedoče mnogobrojni umjetnički prikazi. Simbolika i religija gornjeg paleolitika na taj se način najzornije očituju u špiljskoj umjetnosti i figurativnim prikazima životinja, a posebno ženskih figura, takozvanih paleolitičkih Venera. Umjetnici svoju djelatnost razvijaju do savršenstva, a vračevi ili šamani vjerojatno imaju posebni društveni status.
Neolitik se razvija u izmijenjenim okolišnim uvjetima i unutar posve novog društveno-gospodarskog okvira. U novije se vrijeme uzroci prijelaza na sjedilaštvo i proizvodno gospodarstvo pronalaze upravo u sferi duhovnog života kasnih lovačko skupljačkih zajednica. Čini se kako ključni element leži u načinu na koji je čovjek počeo promišljati svijet koji ga okružuje postavljajući sebe iznad pojavne, materijalne stvarnosti, ali ispod posebnih, nadnaravnih bića koja su upravljala njegovim prosperitetom. Uz izmijenjeno poimanje čovjekove uloge u kontroliranju prirodnih procesa stvoren je novi religijski koncept izražen kroz bogati simbolički repertoar. Prve sjedilačke zajednice grade monumentalna zajednička svetišta i proizvode simbolično-umjetničke izrađevine poput ljudskih i životinjskih figurica ili kultnih posuda raznih oblika. Koriste ih pri obavljanju obrednih radnji najvjerojatnije vezanih uz osiguranje plodnosti, te razrađuju složene ukopne prakse vezane za vjerovanja u zagrobni život i kult predaka.
The purpose of the exhibition Stone Age religions is to trace the origins of the religious way of thinking, namely early manifestations of symbolics and religion. Therefore, a selection of material evidence of such behavior in the Palaeolithic or Early Stone Age, Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age, and Neolithic or Late Stone Age is presented, which together cover a vast time span of approximately 3.3 million years to six thousand years before present. Fourteen exhibition posters present topics that address the emergence of symbolism, religious understanding, and ritual behavior of Stone Age communities across Europe and the Middle East, with particular focus on the domestic, Croatian space. The Palaeolithic period is represented by the copies of world-renowned specimens of figurative art exhibited in the display cases, while the Late Stone Age is represented by the valuable finds from the Dalmatian Neolithic period from the collections of the Archaeological Museum Zadar.
The origins of religion are separated by tens of thousands of years from the historical written sources, so the focus is on the study of the archaeological and paleoanthropological findings. The archaeological findings from the Palaeolithic period largely include the evidence of funerary rituals and rituals which can be related to figurative art. Although the Palaeolithic religions practiced burial rituals, magic, and shamanism, it is difficult to say how strong was the boundary between the material and spiritual worlds in the minds of the people of that time. Religion was a part of the general worldview in that period, so it was not separate from other aspects of life, and man was a part of the nature which he shared with the surrounding world. Special attention was paid to animals, because without them there would be no survival. They were not only a material source of food, but they also had a mythical dimension, as evidenced by numerous artistic representations. The symbolism and religion of the Upper Palaeolithic are therefore most clearly manifested in cave art and figurative representations of animals, and especially in female figurines, the so-called Palaeolithic Venus figurines. The artists perfected their craft and the medicine-men or shamans probably had a special social status.
The Neolithic developed under changed environmental conditions and within a completely new socio-economic framework. More recently, the causes of the transition to sedentism and productive economy have been found precisely in the sphere of spiritual life of late hunter-gatherer communities. The key element seems to lie in the way in which man began to contemplate the world around him by placing himself above the manifesting, material reality, but below the special, supernatural beings that governed his prosperity. With a changed understanding of man's role in controlling natural processes, a new religious concept was created, expressed through a rich symbolic repertoire. The first farming communities built common monumental sanctuaries and produced symbolic artworks such as human and animal figurines or cult vessels of various shapes. They used them to perform ritual acts most likely related to fertility, and they elaborated complex mortuary practices related to the beliefs in the afterlife and the ancestral cult.
The publication is a catalogue of the exhibition “In the City’s Foundations – the Archaeological layers of the Liburnian Zadar” . The exhibition aims at interpreting the importance of the Adriatic, Liburni and Zadar in the 1st millennium BC. Presenting the archaeological material found on Zadar peninsula and wider liburnian region, it gives insights about the ancient past and the importance of the Liburnian settlement in Zadar, its cultural and trading powers and the neighbors in the hinterland and across the sea. The exhibits include a few groups of archaeological finds, presenting several subjects and among them: Adriatic in the Iron Age, Zadar in the Iron Age, The Liburni, Liburnian Material Culture, Excavations of prehistorical layers on Zadar peninsula and Imported pottery (Apulian Matt-Painted, Gnathia, Greek and Hellenistic Pottery).
The publication presents the catalogue of the exhibition "Cvijina gradina - tracing the forgotten past". The introductory part provides a brief overview of prehistoric periods in northern Dalmatia, the types and forms of settlements and burial practices during the Iron Age and antiquity. The second part of the publication presents the Liburnian-Roman settlement of Cvijina gradina in Kruševo near Obrovac. Due to its favourable geographic location and importance during the Iron Age, this Liburnian hill-fort continued its existence into the Roman period. Archaeological Institute in Vienna funded and conducted first excavations of the site at the beginning of the 20th century, and since 1999 Archaeological Museum in Zadar has been leading further systematic archaeological excavations. Although, similarly to other contemporary settlements,hill-fort was most likely established at the beginning of the Iron Age in the 8th century BC., the oldest archaeological artefacts date to the 6th century BC. Intense life within the settlement ceases with the end of antiquity, and the following historical periods leave no visible traces on it. To this day, the site has preserved the configuration of the city with all the basic elements of its urban character: the entry gate, circular perimeter (ramparts), main plateau and terraces of the residential zone, urban communications and necropolis in the eastern and south-eastern foothills.
In November 1999, at the Koinka site in the village of Sikovo (Sveti Filip and Jakov Municipality) a new site was uncovered with finds from the Early and Middle Neolithic periods. The site was discovered by chance in a survey of a shallow ditch dug between two plots of arable land on the northern side of the village, about a hundred metres from the Kotarka streambed. Along the western profile of the ditch, a 4 x 3 m trial trench was opened in which seven layers were excavated within 60-cm-thick cultural layers deposited below the cultivated surface humus. The first four layers belong to the Danilo stage, which lies directly on the layer containing the impresso pottery, which is rather scarce in artefacts. Although only one small trial trench was opened (which after the 4th layer was halved), the artefacts represented by approximately three hundred shards of ceramic vessels are rather diverse. No stone, flint or bone artefacts have been found in the layers, but smaller fragments of animal bone were identified. The Sikovo site is another in a series of similar Neolithic settlements founded in an area suitable for agriculture, raising livestock, hunting and fishing. Situated on the north-western margin of the fertile Vrana Field, rich in water springs, approximately 3 km from the sea, the settlement represents an ideal place to live. Of the relatively large number of unearthed Neolithic settlements in northern Dalmatia, or to be more precise in the Zadar and Šibenik areas that form a geomorphological complex, there are only a few multi-layered open-air sites containing Early and Middle Neolithic layers, of which only Smilčić and Pokrovnik have been excavated. The small trial trench opened at Koinka in Sikovo and the collected artefact samples are by no means representative of the entire site, and are therefore not sufficient for a real analysis and comparison of artefacts and stratigraphy. However, the site’s potential lies in the fact that it contains layers of impresso and Danilo phases deposited directly without a visible caesura. Systematic excavations of this site and of other similar sites might offer answers to the question of the duration and continuity of population in the course of the Neolithic, as well as the question of the transition from the Early to the Middle Neolithic.
Several archaeological excavations have been carried out in the northwestern part of the peninsula during the past fifteen years as a part of the renovation and reorganization of the city nucleus. Two Iron Age graves were discovered in the area by the Forum, one during investigation of part of the Roman cardo (the present-day walkway) in 1995, and the other during re-excavation and presentation of the Roman basilica alongside the southwestern edge of the Forum in 2003. Both graves can be dated on the basis of the grave goods to phase II of the Liburnian Culture (8 th and 7 th centuries). Two pre-Roman burials from the same period had been discovered earlier, in 1955, below the middle gates of the Roman walls on the southeastern edge of the peninsula. The discovery of as many as four prehistoric graves in the area of the ancient nucleus is important for determining the perimeters of the Iron Age settlement (as well as its expansion), and together with the recent finds from the Relja district, also for an attempt at reconstructing the extent of the Li-burnian cemetery. Earlier excavations carried out on the peninsula from the beginning of the 1950s, which encompassed prehistoric strata, answered basic questions related to the existence, general appearance, and interior organization of the earliest settlement at Zadar. It is possible to reconstruct the natural appearance of the Zadar peninsula in the Iron Age, which differs greatly from the present state, the area where the settlement extended, the position of the dominant point of the city, and to a certain extent the appearance and positions of dwellings and the possible line of the city perimeter. According to the composition of the prehistoric strata, which in places extended up to 80 cm in depth and resulted in an abundance of archaeological material, the foundation of the city can be placed at the beginning of the Iron Age. The results of the archaeological excavations in the period from the end of the Homeland war to the present, some of which were quite extensive and resulted in considerable quantities of pre-Roman material, for the most part remain unpublished. The future analysis of these finds will certainly supplement the current image of Liburnian Zadar. A significant place in such attempts will certainly be occupied by the two graves published here, found along the southwestern edge of the Forum.
Prva cjelina govori o Jadranu i Zadru u željezno doba te Liburnima, nosiocima željeznodobne kulture na zadarskom području. U drugoj se obrađuju pitanja arheoloških istraživanja, osobito istraživanja prapovijesti na zadarskom poluotoku te se pobliže opisuju lokaliteti s kojih potječu odabrani ulomci. Slijedeća je posvećena keramici, domaćoj i uvoznoj. A zadnju, četvrtu cjelinu, čini katalog izloženih ulomaka koji donosi 150 obrađenih kataloških jedinica. / The bilingual catalogue accompanying the exhibition In the City’s Foundations – the Archaeological Layers of the Liburnian Zadar has four parts.The first part covers the Iron Age in the Adriatic and Zadar in particular, with the Liburni as a local Iron Age culture. The second part is focused on the archaeological excavations of the prehistorical layers of Zadar peninsula, describing the sites where the selected fragments were found. The third part is dedicated to the pottery found in the area, both locally-made and imported. The final part is a catalogue of the fragments exhibited (150 catalogue units).
At the end of 1923, during the Italian rule in Zadar, the present-day Archaeological Museum Zadar came under the jurisdiction of the Soprintendenza alle Antichità delle Marche e degli Abruzzi (Administration for Antiquities of the Marche and Abruzzi Regions) in Ancona. The cultural integration of Zadar and Italy at that time was one of the issues important for the successful implementation of the Italianization process. For this purpose, but also in connection with the (almost parallel) arrangement of the new permanent exhibitions in the Zadar and Ancona museums, there was a series of exchanges of archaeological material between the Archaeological Museum in Zadar and its competent museum in Ancona. On several occasions, between 1925 and World War II, materials from the Roman necropolises of Zadar and Nin were taken to Ancona. As a favour to the Archaeological Museum in Zadar, the transfer of three rich Picenian graves from the necropolises of Cupra Marittima and Belmonte Piceno was carried out for the purpose of a new exhibition here. According to available documentation, the exchange was requested by the then Director of the Antiquities Directorate, Giuseppe Moretti, and approved by the General Administration for Antiquities and Fine Arts in Rome on February 27, 1930. After the disbanding of the exhibition in St. Donatus and its transfer to the building of today’s University of Zadar, the graves are no longer exhibited and their contents are unknown today. However, there are several items stored in the museum’s repositories that can more or less be attributed to the three Picenian graves: a bronze helmet, a massive bronze ring with a series of knobs, and a complete Apulian jug, and possibly a fragment of a slab with a carved figural representation. The article provides a brief description and basic interpretation of the material in question and the circumstances under which the exchange took place. In the case of the latter, the author relies on archival data recently published by Nicoletta Frapiccini, director of the National Archaeological Museum of the Marche Region in Ancona. The inter-museum exchange, which brought three richly furnished Picenian graves to the Archaeological Museum Zadar, is an interesting note from its history, which provides insight into the work of this institution during one of its difficult periods.
Prapočetci religije udaljeni su desetcima tisuća godina od povijesnih pisanih izvora pa smo usmjereni na proučavanje arheoloških i paleoantropoloških nalaza. Za razdoblje paleolitika oni u najvećoj mjeri uključuju tragove posmrtnih rituala i rituala koje možemo povezati s figurativnom umjetnošću. Premda su paleolitičke religije prakticirale ukopne rituale, magiju i šamanizam, teško je reći koliko je granica između materijalnog i duhovnog svijeta u poimanju tadašnjih ljudi bila čvrsta. Religija je tada dio općeg svjetonazora pa nije odvojena od ostalih životnih područja, a čovjek dio prirode koju dijeli s okolnim svijetom. Velika je pozornost usmjerena k životinjama, jer bez njih nema opstanka. One nisu samo materijalni izvor hrane već imaju mitsku dimenziju, o čemu svjedoče mnogobrojni umjetnički prikazi. Simbolika i religija gornjeg paleolitika na taj se način najzornije očituju u špiljskoj umjetnosti i figurativnim prikazima životinja, a posebno ženskih figura, takozvanih paleolitičkih Venera. Umjetnici svoju djelatnost razvijaju do savršenstva, a vračevi ili šamani vjerojatno imaju posebni društveni status.
Neolitik se razvija u izmijenjenim okolišnim uvjetima i unutar posve novog društveno-gospodarskog okvira. U novije se vrijeme uzroci prijelaza na sjedilaštvo i proizvodno gospodarstvo pronalaze upravo u sferi duhovnog života kasnih lovačko skupljačkih zajednica. Čini se kako ključni element leži u načinu na koji je čovjek počeo promišljati svijet koji ga okružuje postavljajući sebe iznad pojavne, materijalne stvarnosti, ali ispod posebnih, nadnaravnih bića koja su upravljala njegovim prosperitetom. Uz izmijenjeno poimanje čovjekove uloge u kontroliranju prirodnih procesa stvoren je novi religijski koncept izražen kroz bogati simbolički repertoar. Prve sjedilačke zajednice grade monumentalna zajednička svetišta i proizvode simbolično-umjetničke izrađevine poput ljudskih i životinjskih figurica ili kultnih posuda raznih oblika. Koriste ih pri obavljanju obrednih radnji najvjerojatnije vezanih uz osiguranje plodnosti, te razrađuju složene ukopne prakse vezane za vjerovanja u zagrobni život i kult predaka.
The purpose of the exhibition Stone Age religions is to trace the origins of the religious way of thinking, namely early manifestations of symbolics and religion. Therefore, a selection of material evidence of such behavior in the Palaeolithic or Early Stone Age, Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age, and Neolithic or Late Stone Age is presented, which together cover a vast time span of approximately 3.3 million years to six thousand years before present. Fourteen exhibition posters present topics that address the emergence of symbolism, religious understanding, and ritual behavior of Stone Age communities across Europe and the Middle East, with particular focus on the domestic, Croatian space. The Palaeolithic period is represented by the copies of world-renowned specimens of figurative art exhibited in the display cases, while the Late Stone Age is represented by the valuable finds from the Dalmatian Neolithic period from the collections of the Archaeological Museum Zadar.
The origins of religion are separated by tens of thousands of years from the historical written sources, so the focus is on the study of the archaeological and paleoanthropological findings. The archaeological findings from the Palaeolithic period largely include the evidence of funerary rituals and rituals which can be related to figurative art. Although the Palaeolithic religions practiced burial rituals, magic, and shamanism, it is difficult to say how strong was the boundary between the material and spiritual worlds in the minds of the people of that time. Religion was a part of the general worldview in that period, so it was not separate from other aspects of life, and man was a part of the nature which he shared with the surrounding world. Special attention was paid to animals, because without them there would be no survival. They were not only a material source of food, but they also had a mythical dimension, as evidenced by numerous artistic representations. The symbolism and religion of the Upper Palaeolithic are therefore most clearly manifested in cave art and figurative representations of animals, and especially in female figurines, the so-called Palaeolithic Venus figurines. The artists perfected their craft and the medicine-men or shamans probably had a special social status.
The Neolithic developed under changed environmental conditions and within a completely new socio-economic framework. More recently, the causes of the transition to sedentism and productive economy have been found precisely in the sphere of spiritual life of late hunter-gatherer communities. The key element seems to lie in the way in which man began to contemplate the world around him by placing himself above the manifesting, material reality, but below the special, supernatural beings that governed his prosperity. With a changed understanding of man's role in controlling natural processes, a new religious concept was created, expressed through a rich symbolic repertoire. The first farming communities built common monumental sanctuaries and produced symbolic artworks such as human and animal figurines or cult vessels of various shapes. They used them to perform ritual acts most likely related to fertility, and they elaborated complex mortuary practices related to the beliefs in the afterlife and the ancestral cult.
The publication is a catalogue of the exhibition “In the City’s Foundations – the Archaeological layers of the Liburnian Zadar” . The exhibition aims at interpreting the importance of the Adriatic, Liburni and Zadar in the 1st millennium BC. Presenting the archaeological material found on Zadar peninsula and wider liburnian region, it gives insights about the ancient past and the importance of the Liburnian settlement in Zadar, its cultural and trading powers and the neighbors in the hinterland and across the sea. The exhibits include a few groups of archaeological finds, presenting several subjects and among them: Adriatic in the Iron Age, Zadar in the Iron Age, The Liburni, Liburnian Material Culture, Excavations of prehistorical layers on Zadar peninsula and Imported pottery (Apulian Matt-Painted, Gnathia, Greek and Hellenistic Pottery).
The publication presents the catalogue of the exhibition "Cvijina gradina - tracing the forgotten past". The introductory part provides a brief overview of prehistoric periods in northern Dalmatia, the types and forms of settlements and burial practices during the Iron Age and antiquity. The second part of the publication presents the Liburnian-Roman settlement of Cvijina gradina in Kruševo near Obrovac. Due to its favourable geographic location and importance during the Iron Age, this Liburnian hill-fort continued its existence into the Roman period. Archaeological Institute in Vienna funded and conducted first excavations of the site at the beginning of the 20th century, and since 1999 Archaeological Museum in Zadar has been leading further systematic archaeological excavations. Although, similarly to other contemporary settlements,hill-fort was most likely established at the beginning of the Iron Age in the 8th century BC., the oldest archaeological artefacts date to the 6th century BC. Intense life within the settlement ceases with the end of antiquity, and the following historical periods leave no visible traces on it. To this day, the site has preserved the configuration of the city with all the basic elements of its urban character: the entry gate, circular perimeter (ramparts), main plateau and terraces of the residential zone, urban communications and necropolis in the eastern and south-eastern foothills.
In November 1999, at the Koinka site in the village of Sikovo (Sveti Filip and Jakov Municipality) a new site was uncovered with finds from the Early and Middle Neolithic periods. The site was discovered by chance in a survey of a shallow ditch dug between two plots of arable land on the northern side of the village, about a hundred metres from the Kotarka streambed. Along the western profile of the ditch, a 4 x 3 m trial trench was opened in which seven layers were excavated within 60-cm-thick cultural layers deposited below the cultivated surface humus. The first four layers belong to the Danilo stage, which lies directly on the layer containing the impresso pottery, which is rather scarce in artefacts. Although only one small trial trench was opened (which after the 4th layer was halved), the artefacts represented by approximately three hundred shards of ceramic vessels are rather diverse. No stone, flint or bone artefacts have been found in the layers, but smaller fragments of animal bone were identified. The Sikovo site is another in a series of similar Neolithic settlements founded in an area suitable for agriculture, raising livestock, hunting and fishing. Situated on the north-western margin of the fertile Vrana Field, rich in water springs, approximately 3 km from the sea, the settlement represents an ideal place to live. Of the relatively large number of unearthed Neolithic settlements in northern Dalmatia, or to be more precise in the Zadar and Šibenik areas that form a geomorphological complex, there are only a few multi-layered open-air sites containing Early and Middle Neolithic layers, of which only Smilčić and Pokrovnik have been excavated. The small trial trench opened at Koinka in Sikovo and the collected artefact samples are by no means representative of the entire site, and are therefore not sufficient for a real analysis and comparison of artefacts and stratigraphy. However, the site’s potential lies in the fact that it contains layers of impresso and Danilo phases deposited directly without a visible caesura. Systematic excavations of this site and of other similar sites might offer answers to the question of the duration and continuity of population in the course of the Neolithic, as well as the question of the transition from the Early to the Middle Neolithic.
Several archaeological excavations have been carried out in the northwestern part of the peninsula during the past fifteen years as a part of the renovation and reorganization of the city nucleus. Two Iron Age graves were discovered in the area by the Forum, one during investigation of part of the Roman cardo (the present-day walkway) in 1995, and the other during re-excavation and presentation of the Roman basilica alongside the southwestern edge of the Forum in 2003. Both graves can be dated on the basis of the grave goods to phase II of the Liburnian Culture (8 th and 7 th centuries). Two pre-Roman burials from the same period had been discovered earlier, in 1955, below the middle gates of the Roman walls on the southeastern edge of the peninsula. The discovery of as many as four prehistoric graves in the area of the ancient nucleus is important for determining the perimeters of the Iron Age settlement (as well as its expansion), and together with the recent finds from the Relja district, also for an attempt at reconstructing the extent of the Li-burnian cemetery. Earlier excavations carried out on the peninsula from the beginning of the 1950s, which encompassed prehistoric strata, answered basic questions related to the existence, general appearance, and interior organization of the earliest settlement at Zadar. It is possible to reconstruct the natural appearance of the Zadar peninsula in the Iron Age, which differs greatly from the present state, the area where the settlement extended, the position of the dominant point of the city, and to a certain extent the appearance and positions of dwellings and the possible line of the city perimeter. According to the composition of the prehistoric strata, which in places extended up to 80 cm in depth and resulted in an abundance of archaeological material, the foundation of the city can be placed at the beginning of the Iron Age. The results of the archaeological excavations in the period from the end of the Homeland war to the present, some of which were quite extensive and resulted in considerable quantities of pre-Roman material, for the most part remain unpublished. The future analysis of these finds will certainly supplement the current image of Liburnian Zadar. A significant place in such attempts will certainly be occupied by the two graves published here, found along the southwestern edge of the Forum.
Prva cjelina govori o Jadranu i Zadru u željezno doba te Liburnima, nosiocima željeznodobne kulture na zadarskom području. U drugoj se obrađuju pitanja arheoloških istraživanja, osobito istraživanja prapovijesti na zadarskom poluotoku te se pobliže opisuju lokaliteti s kojih potječu odabrani ulomci. Slijedeća je posvećena keramici, domaćoj i uvoznoj. A zadnju, četvrtu cjelinu, čini katalog izloženih ulomaka koji donosi 150 obrađenih kataloških jedinica. / The bilingual catalogue accompanying the exhibition In the City’s Foundations – the Archaeological Layers of the Liburnian Zadar has four parts.The first part covers the Iron Age in the Adriatic and Zadar in particular, with the Liburni as a local Iron Age culture. The second part is focused on the archaeological excavations of the prehistorical layers of Zadar peninsula, describing the sites where the selected fragments were found. The third part is dedicated to the pottery found in the area, both locally-made and imported. The final part is a catalogue of the fragments exhibited (150 catalogue units).