The Changing Face of Dalmatia : Archaeological and Ecological Studies in a Mediterranean Landscape

The systematic destruction of the cultural heritage in the Serbian-Bosnian-Croatian war has led to the loss of many prehistoric and historic remains, making it all the more important to record the archaeology and palaeo-environmental field remains of the largest and most fertile plain in the East Adriatic.This is a study of the changing landscape, settlement patterns and land use over the last 12,000 years in the plain and adjoining Velebit mountains of the Dalmatian Coast.

It is the research report of the Neothermal Dalmatia Project, in operation from 1982 to 1986.

The core field work consists of an intensive field survey of over 120 sq. km. of lowland, trial excavations on six sites (from neolithic to Roman) and soil investigations of the total surveyed area.

Work studies are based on surveyed plans and sections of 14 drystone-walled sites.

Two archive-based chapters discuss the changing historical picture of the Zadar lowlands in the early medieval and Ottoman periods.The main conclusions are founded on the evaluation of four landscape-based models: a predictive model of environmental change, particularly in soils, climate and hydrology as they relate to land use; a cyclic land use and settlement model; a communal ownership of property model; and a social power model.

A number of long-term trends are identified against the framework of a wider comparative picture of Mediterranean social change.The study combines interdisciplinary archaeological research with modern social theory, that is, developing a perception of the way people in the past perceived their relationship to landscape and homeland, in order to reconstruct the social power relations of past communities.

The book includes up-to-date site plans and pottery illustrations from Dalmatia..