Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.52064/vamz.55.2.6
Metal finds from the area of the Yahya-Bey tower, present-day Chapel of the Magi, in Gorjani
Sebastijan Stingl
orcid.org/0000-0002-9203-1650
Ivana Hirschler Marić
orcid.org/0000-0002-6635-1343
Petar Sekulić
orcid.org/0000-0003-3117-0419
Abstract
During 2015 and 2016, archaeological excavations were conducted
in the area of the Chapel of the Magi, in Gorjani. They
revealed that the present-day chapel was originally constructed
as an Ottoman tower during the second half of the 16th century.
The material used for construction was medieval brick, probably
brought from the ruins of medieval Gora/Gara. The tower,
used as a residential and defensive unit, originally comprised a
ground floor and probably two upper floors. The area archaeologically
excavated was the inside of the building and a sizeable
area south and southwest of the tower, revealing a large sewage/
waste pit connected to the tower by a brick canal. Rubble
layers that covered the original floor layer inside the tower
yielded only one bronze find: a ring dated to the late 18th or early
19th century. An interesting, numerous and diverse group of metal
finds stands out among the movable finds from the archaeological
contexts connected to the sewage/waste pit from the unutraštime
of Ottoman rule over Gora/Gara. The most numerous ones
are iron fittings for footwear, followed by knives, several tools,
a razor, a firearm fragment, etc., as well as damaged pieces of
bronze kitchenware. The metal finds give us insight into the
wardrobe, some customs, and activities of the Ottoman crew, or
the tower keepers.
Keywords
Gorjani, tower, Ottoman period, metal finds, footwear, knives
Hrčak ID:
291194
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2022.
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