Projects / Programmes
Colapians – the Iron Age people along the river Kolpa
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.02.00 |
Humanities |
Archaeology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.01 |
Humanities |
History and Archaeology |
archeology, SE Slovenia, Bela krajina, Late Hallstatt, Early Iron Age, Vinica group, Iapodes and Colapians, funeral customs, settlement and social dynamics, settlement development, the Iron Age center Podzemelj
Researchers (11)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
The social and historical changes in Bela Krajina at transition from the Early to the Late Iron Age (E/LIA) will be studied in the case of in this region most important Podzemelj Iron Age complex. The excavations at the southern summit of Kučar provide new insight into the intensity and changes in the settlement, but the newly discovered cemetery at Pezdirčeva njiva shows even greater scientific potential. It presents the core base for studying the contact between the indigenous peoples and their Hallstatt cultural tradition and the population in the LIA, who are the bearers of Vinica culture – perhaps in ancient written sources testified Colapians. The analysis of the development and definition of the chronological phases of the Vinica group is a great desideratum of research. With the discovery of new site in Podzemelj, a more detailed study of this cultural group and the LIA in Bela Krajina is now possible for the first time. The proposed project – supported by the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts – will significantly complement the current knowledge of the Bela Krajina settlement picture during the Iron Age and considerably contributed to elucidating the development and origins of the community that inhabited the Kolpa River area. In order to achieve the main aim of the project, we will follow three objectives (RO): 1. Studies of funeral rites at the transition from the E/LIA A key site for this RO is the cemetery at Pezdirčeva njiva, where we will examine the dynamics of burial, the social structure and different changes that occur on the transition period. 2. Analysis of the IA settlement at Kučar With set of studies we will determine the intensity and changes in the settlement pattern of the Podzemelj complex with the main settlement on hill Kučar. In the younger Hallstatt period, there appeared to be radical changes, while the settlement picture in the LIA is not clarified yet. 3. Research on the Vinica cultural group Based on a detailed study of new graves that provide insight into the characteristics of the Vinica community the first typo-chronological scheme will be presented. Great attention will be given to examining the formation and development of this group in relation to the Iapodes and Colapians in neighboring Croatia. The research will be conducted in collaboration with specialists in various research in archeology The results will be evaluated in a final monograph, which will serve as a reference work for various studies of social and cultural processes at the transition of the E/LIA in wider SE Alpine region. It will contribute to the development of the Slovenian archeological profession, but it will also be used for educational purposes and for the promotion and management of the cultural heritage of this area.
