Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.33254/aia.21.1.7
Archaeology of the island of Ist: the first results of test excavations on Prehistoric, Roman and medieval sites
Pio Domines Peter
; Senj, Croatia
Abstract
This paper presents the first results of test excavations on the island of Ist, conducted within the framework of the project “Archaeological Landscape of the Island of Ist – Archaeo.IST”. Following an initial phase that comprised an extensive field survey of the island, which provided preliminary insights into settlement dynamics and landscape transformation, subsequent research focused on test excavations at selected key sites representing different chronological periods – Straža (Prehistoric), Selišće (Roman), and Mavrela (Late Medieval) – with the aim of collecting additional data relevant to a diachronic perspective. In the third project phase, excavations were extended to the prehistoric sites of Gracina and Smokvenjak, yielding – for the first time – stratigraphic data from all known hillforts on the island. The results, supported by newly obtained absolute dates from these prehistoric hillforts, significantly enhance current knowledge of the island’s earliest settlement. Furthermore, they provide a deeper understanding of the economic patterns and complex spatial practices that shaped the occupation and land use of the island through successive historical periods.
Keywords
island of Ist; Dalmatian islands; small island archaeology; prehistoric hillfort; Roman villa rustica
Hrčak ID:
342671
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2025.
Visits: 849 *