Original scientific paper
Prehistoric Sites in the Starigrad Paklenica Area
Martina Dubolnić
Abstract
Starigrad Paklenica is an important county seat to which gravitate the area from Mandalina in the northwest to Rovanjska in the southeast, finishing off with the highest peaks of Velebit mountain to the north. It corresponds with the territory of the pre-Roman and the Roman community whose center was Argyruntum, settled on Punta in today’s Starigrad Paklenica. The article gives a review of extant findings in the Starigrad Paklenica area during prehistoric times which have been supplemented by results obtained during the reconnaissance of this area in the period between 1998 and 2005. The earliest findings within the area of southern Velebit were found in the numerous caves in the vicinity of Starigrad: Mrtolačka cave, Reljina cave, Obljak, Vodarica-Vodena glava, Vaganačka cave, Jatara cave, Turska cave, Pazjanice cave, Vodarica- Jurline, Jelina cave and Modrič cave, which have provided documented evidence for the period from the Mesolithic to the modern period. On this area 15 Iron age hill-fortresses were settled: Lisarica, Sv. Trojica, Kojići Milovac, Gradina (hill-fortress) and Gradinica on Malo Rujno, Gradina on Veliko Rujno, Starigrad-center, Gradina Marasović, Paklarić, Gradina Seline, Mitrova gradina, Zekića gradina, Gradina Kneževići, Velika gradina and Gradina Modrič. On a number of locations 31 grave mounds (tumulus) have been found of which 8 on Stap, 15 on the location Gromila above Modrič and 8 above the village Jukići, as well as graves on level ground on the location Solilo near the settlement Kneževići. By designating the already known and the newly-discovered settlements new insights have been put forward relating to the economic development of the Starigrad area during the Iron age. Special attention in the article is given to the description of the process of the grouping of a number of Liburnian Iron age settlements into a larger territorial community (civitas) and the origin and growth of a center which in the Roman period became a municipal known by the name Argyruntum.
Keywords
prehistory; Starigrad Paklenica
Hrčak ID:
11881
URI
Publication date:
5.9.2006.
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