International projects
Unde venis? Unraveling the enigma of stećci tombstones
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
28659 |
PhD Saša Čaval |
Archaeology |
Head |
2024 |
168 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Stećci are medieval tombstones dispersed throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. Still preserved in situ
in tens of thousands in the landscapes, they are common grave markers of the Late Medieval and early Ottoman (12th C - 16th C)
Western Balkans’ plural societies. Although erected in the geographical region known for the ‘medley of peoples,’ stećci are not
attributed to any ethnic or religious group and have always been considered enigmatic, lacking a clear, explicit belonging. The sheer
number and dispersed distribution have hampered stećci scholarship, confining our understanding of this heritage to visual
information and historical overviews. This multi-scale, multi-proxy archaeological project will integrate innovative and
multidisciplinary approaches to study medieval funerary archaeology. The principal goal is to understand the social life of the society
that left us these remarkable monuments. Focusing on medieval Herzegovina, the cradle of the stećci phenomenon, the proposed
research into the social lifeways of these monuments will redefine the scholarship of the medieval Western Balkans funerary culture
and situate it within a European context, significantly raising its visibility within international scholarship and the public domain. In
addition to increasing our understanding of stećci, STONE will establish a discipline of medieval epigraphy in the Western Balkans;
introduce epiconography, a conceptually innovative approach to study inscriptions and decorations on stećci; use a prehistoric
landscape approach to investigate medieval landscape and initiate a paradigmatic shift away from the current culture-historical
approach to the study of past societies. The proposed research will serve as a propulsive force within Western Balkan medieval
archaeology, enabling it to make a decades-long leap to align with current medieval European funerary and research trends.
