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Archaeological topography of the island of Rab: geophysics, trial excavations and topographic research in 2016
Ana Konestra
orcid.org/0000-0002-7726-6515
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Nera Šegvić
orcid.org/0000-0002-1102-2331
; Zagreb, Croatia
Paula Androić Gračanin
orcid.org/0000-0001-6301-3704
; Rijeka, Croatia
Ranko Starac
; Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
Activities of the project "Archaeological topography of the island of Rab" in 2016 comprised a series of research undertakings aimed at outlining known sites and defining new ones through filed survey. As an active partner in the „Millenium of Rab's Benedictism“ project (Monastery of st. Andrew, Rab) together with Branko Mušič, PhD (University of Ljubljana), geophysical prospections of the Monastery's garden were carried out in hope to establish the archaeological potential of the area, known from various sources to have been the seat of the Bishop's palace, a church and perhaps other buildings and a graveyard. Results, difficult to interpret due to the multilayered architectonic history of the area, do show the presence of structures and debris layers in various zones of the garden.
Secondly, trial excavations have been carried out on two previously identified sites: Za Markovićem and Pudarica. In the first case, two test pits have been dug on two terraces located below and above a supposedly antique wall, today incorporated in a drywall terracing structure. In the 2nd pit a complex stratigraphy emerged, while finds seem to point to a Late Antique datation of the identified structures and probably of the visible wall. Similarly, the test pit at Pudarica, aimed at investigating and preserving a grave previously damaged by infrastructure excavations, has proven a Late Antique cemeterial activity in the area. Though the grave served as a child burial over a longer period of time, rare finds point to a later Roman date. Finally, field surveys were carried out on numerous sites on the island, pointing to a complex rural settling in Late Antiquity, but survey also resulted with finds that identify potential sites from Prehistoric and post-Medieval times. Both trial excavations and field surveys have enriched our knowledge on the Late Antique rural settlement pattern on the island, providing clearer dates and pointing to particular features that can guide future research.
Keywords
Rab island; archaeological topography; Roman rural settlements
Hrčak ID:
189482
URI
Publication date:
21.11.2017.
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