Conference Archive

It is generally known that dogs can be used for a variety of purposes such as explosives, drugs, blood or disease detection, or that they can find missing persons. However, it is less known that dogs have abilities to detect graves from different periods. Human Remains Detection (HRD) or cadaver dogs are trained to detect and indicate the strongest concentrations of odor that is characteristic for human body at various stages of decomposition. Since the smell of human decomposing odor differs from odor of other decomposing mammals, properly trained dogs can locate positions of human burials. Dogs trained in this way are mostly used to help solving criminal cold cases and they are usually employed by the police. However, research on the use of HRD dogs to detect and locate older historic or prehistoric burials was very limited. Since recent studies demonstrate that human decomposition smell can be very persistent, we have started testing the capabilities of dogs noses and developing the methodology of training and work in archaeology within the “Archaeological dog project”. This talk will present the methodology of work with HRD or cadaver dogs in archaeology and also the results of some research at archaeological sites from various periods. The main goal of this talk is to present the general use and possibilities of Human remains detection dogs in locating burial sites from various periods and demonstrate how dogs can be used as bio-detectors in archaeology in the same manner as many other tools and techniques that are common in archaeology.

Archaeological structural survey is a non-invasive procedure that determines the existence of structures and records the archaeological contents of buildings, or their parts visible above the ground. The archaeology of standing buildings is a method that involves arranging the observed stratigraphic units in a chronological sequence, applying the so-called Harris matrix (and linking the obtained results with other sources, primarily written, legal acts, graphic historical representations, and the results of archaeological research and archeometric analysis (samples of stone and mortar). Both methods were used in the research of remains of medieval castles. The paper will show the results of these analysis on two case studies: the Cesargrad Castle in Hrvatsko Zagorje and Grižane Castle in the Vinodol Valley. In the case of Cesargrad different construction, phases have been identified, showing a rich architectural history of the castle, ranging from the 13th to the 17th centuries. In the case of Grižane Castle, the data suggest that the visible traces date to only one phase of construction during the 15th century, contrary to the known historical data. With the application of the structural survey, the outer buildings and structures of the castle have been documented for the first time.
The use of these methods allows new insights in the architectural development of the buildings in question, give answers to specific research questions, especially in the field of late medieval and post-medieval archaeology, and enrich the data of individual buildings. The data can be used in later monuments protection programs, as the foundation for a better understanding of the buildings and the proper method of their preservation.

The results of archaeological research of the monastery complex of St Mary the Great near Bale have greatly contributed to our understanding of the Frankish expansion along the Istrian peninsula at the end of the 8th century. A quarter of a century of the research has been followed by the evolution of research and documentation methodology, which over the last two years has been more intensively focused on the development of a method for detailed spatial analysis of the microtopographic situation of the surrounding region. The IRCLAMA research team has focused on summarizing the results hitherto achieved and on planning the future research strategy, here presented on the example of wider Bale area.
The goal of this paper is to present the methodology that includes the use of contemporary documentation tools, as well as documentation and spatial analysis carried out at two levels - macro and micro - through the use of geographic information systems. From a macro perspective, it is possible to schematically define the initial impulse of the expansion in the form of infrastructure ramifications (roads, settlements, monasteries, churches, estates of the ruling elites etc.). Although the area of research (Bale region) is geographically limited, such a perspective permits us to reconstruct original points of interest, lines and areas which formed medieval spatial network. Redefinition of this (today lost) network is based on a comparative study of historical and contemporary cartographic material, as well as archaeological and historical sources.
At the second, the micro-level, the endpoint of the landscape is analysed, in this case, the remaining structures of the monastery complex. Here the goal is to revise and classify each individual element of the monument, together with its spatial and attribute data, in order to create a comprehensive database of early medieval architecture of southwestern Istria.

Archaeology has always been a spatial discipline even though it was not always aware of the fact. However, the so-called spatial turn has hit social sciences really hard across the disciplinary board. Archaeology, as usual, may have come late in the game but it did come nevertheless. Another thing archaeology has always been about is heritage. That concept too became a highly debated issue, this time within the general confines of the linguistic turn. All this spinning and turning has raised a rather crucial issue: how can archaeology contribute to valorization and consequently protection of landscape (another highly debated concept). The awareness that landscape is a finite resource and that it has to be engaged with great caution is even codified in various legislation on a national and international level. Historic Landscape Characterization (HLC) was developed as a direct response to these issues and trends and it is high time for Croatian archaeology to catch that train. Our aim is to discuss some theoretical and practical issues regarding the notions of historicity, landscape, landscape protection and heritage. Finally, HLC as a formalized framework for identifying historic landscape formations will be discussed in the context of applying the method to a specific relief – the Dinaric Karst.

Historic landscape Characterisation – HLC is a method that identifies historic character types of the cultural landscape. The basic purpose of characterisations is the management of landscape as heritage. It is a part of the cultural resource management sector. HLC is also a part of applied archaeology since the method was conceptualised and deployed by archaeologists. The characterisation is executed in geographic information systems which were implemented in the method the moment GIS software packages became widely available. However, the characterisation is still carried out by manual vectorisation in a GIS. The basis of characterisation is morphological analysis. The archaeologist as an interpreter has the main role in the process of characterisation. Hence, the quality of characterisation is interpreter dependent and as such extremely subjective. The development of new geospatial technology enables a fresh view on the application of new methods in HLC. The implementation of new methods may improve characterisation by making it more objective while simultaneously accelerating the process of characterisation. The improvement through the previously mentioned two aspects may be achieved through wider use of remote sensing methods, various landscape models, and, finally, the deployment of Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis.

This presentation will deliver results of the ongoing research project MagIstra, which intends to assess the potential of the magnetic method in archaeology for soil sequences on flysch. Detailed evaluation of the effectiveness of this method for identification and determination of the type and physical properties of archaeological remains was carried out in Spring 2021, at typologically and chronologically different archaeological sites in the inner regions of Slovenian Istria. Even though often homogenous soil sequences on flysch can be favourable for recognizing archaeological remains for various geophysical methods, several technical and interpretative problems had to be addressed and checked for successful magnetic mapping. The primary issue was recognizing and interpreting magnetic anomalies of commonly represented archaeological structures - architectural remains, composed of local rocks, with only a slight contrast between the soil’s and their magnetic susceptibility. In order to tackle this challenge, dense and accurate measurements with a high-sensitive, optically pumped caesium magnetometer and selected measurements of magnetic susceptibility on individual natural and archaeological materials were taken. Afterwards, magnetic method results were analysed and compared with excavations and other geophysical method’s results, such as electrical resistivity. Later on, these results were adapted to the specific natural features, archaeological structures and research objectives of particular sites. Based on the outcomes, a set of proven advanced quantitative processing procedures with transformations, as well as 2D and 3D magnetic modelling with all the challenges will be presented. Ultimately, the solutions ideally could serve as a basic methodology that would ensure the optimum survey efficiency and more effective problem solving of magnetic mapping in the specific environment for future research.

Community archaeology, as a part of Public archaeology, terminologically has existed since the 1970s, but still remains open to numerous definitions. Primarily, it is based on the need to include diverse subjects in the interpretation of the past, implying the mutual education of archaeological heritage professionals and the community itself. Despite the very different perceptions of this discipline, it is increasingly present in European archaeology, while the interaction of communities with heritage, either in museums or on sites, is considered an effective process for their integration. The focus of such an approach is particularly the younger population, targeted through schools and teachers, as an involvement priority.
Although we cannot talk about the systematic development of the Community archaeology domain in Serbia, there have been some lasting benefits achieved through participatory programmes for young people, which have been shown to be entirely acceptable methods of archaeological knowledge dissemination. On this occasion, we will point out practices continuously conducted in the Viminacium archaeological park, through children's camps and workshops, the "Young Romans" programme or student tourism internships. Thanks to these, a network of intersectoral partners has been created and, together with the valuable experience gained by the participatory approach, has served as a basis for the special methodology development. Even though such examples are not numerous in the Serbian environment, they are paving the way for a new strategy considering the vertical mobility of archaeological knowledge in the formal education system, from the earliest school age to older students. In such a way, the creation of future professionals is enabled from the very foundations of the education system. Additionally, stable education effects a more responsible audience in relation to archaeological heritage and, ultimately, establishes a community that will actively coexist with it.

If anything shows the interdisciplinary nature and practice of archaeology that it is its methodology. Compared to other social sciences and humanities, archaeology utilizes by far the largest arsenal of methods and techniques coming from other sciences' domains: natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, linguistics, art history, history, communication sciences, computing sciences etc. And there is also something that can be called the archaeological methods in sensu stricto: e.g. archaeological surveying, excavating, object's description, formal archaeological taxonomies etc., which are genuine archaeological combinations of various techniques. What joins this methodological apparatus in a coherent whole is an archaeological interpretation or, to put it better, the archaeological epistemology. Are we successful in doing this?
This paper aims not to discuss the methodological nature and perspectives of archaeology but rather how these methods are transferred to archaeology students. The empirical background is provided by a survey of 100 students from the universities of Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade in November 2021. The survey aimed to reveal 'the methodological landscapes' in these three universities, how the learning of methods is perceived by students, shortcomings of the actual teaching and its future potentials and perspectives.

The International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar (ICUA) is an independent public institution and is a UNESCO Category II centre, strongly promoting the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Alongside research, protection, preservation, and dissemination of underwater cultural heritage on an international level, one of ICUA’s main objectives has been organizing introductory and advanced underwater archaeology courses staged at ICUA every year following the UNESCO/ICUA program since 2011.
The basic course consists of theoretical and practical (hands-on) instructions in underwater
documentation and archaeological excavation, whose main goal is to allow the participants to acquire the best possible knowledge of basic underwater archaeology research techniques. The advanced course is aimed at archaeologists who have diving experience and at least some basic experience of practical underwater archaeology and is designed to provide participants with advanced skills and training in underwater archaeology and basic project planning.
The programs are organized by the ICUA's Education and documentation department. The theoretical part of the course and the practical training is coordinated by ICUA staff and other guest lecturers. As the Centre is an official training partner of the “Nautical Archaeology Society “, we also stage courses based on the “NAS” underwater archaeology syllabus. Alongside the mentioned courses, ICUA also organizes underwater photogrammetry courses and has successfully conducted underwater archaeology field schools abroad.
For practical diving activities, ICUA has eight sets of diving equipment, a scuba tank filling
compressor, and an equipped motorboat. The students dispose of a comfortable dormitory for their accommodation on the Centre’s premise, and a large, fully-equipped lecture hall and library for theoretical presentations, workshops, and education. The courses are organized with the financial support of the Ministry of culture and media of the Republic of Croatia.

The methodology of archaeological researches has undergone important improvements in the 21st century, in an attempt to increase both the quantity and quality of obtained data. In particular, systematic excavations went under significant changes; they are usually long-term, with predefined research questions, and comprise several stages. Although the actual excavations still comprise a large part of the work, equally important parts of research are also non-invasive field surveys with geo-physical methods, analyses of the surrounding environment, etc., as well as specialist analyses of diverse categories of archaeological findings.
This presentation will present the 4-year researches on the Neolithic site of Kotlina-Szuzai Hegy, situated in Baranja in SE Croatia. Researches were carried out in several stages; after the geomagnetic survey, trenches were located following thus obtained data. Magnetic prospection was carried out of the entire surface, and showed a ring ditch system, with many archaeological structures (probably storage areas, dwelling houses, refuse pits, workshop, kilns). Until today, the area covering approximately 150 m2 was excavated, revealing diverse archaeological structures: post holes (parts of habitation units), rubbish pits and graves. The portable archaeological finds were rich and diverse and consist of pottery sherds, animal bones, bone artefacts, chipped stone artefacts, polished and abrasive stone artefacts as well as one bead made from mollusc shell. Also, one very small fragment of copper was discovered. During the excavations also a large quantity of obsidian tools was recorded. The pits also contained large amounts of fragmented daub.
Portable archaeological finds and absolute dates show that the site can be attributed to the Late Neolithic/ Early Eneolithic Lengyel culture. Researches in Kotlina are therefore another confirmation that the Lengyel culture was widespread in this area in Croatia, and at the same time, they testify about the cultural diversity of this region in prehistoric times.

Archaeobotanical analysis of seeds and fruits, known as carpological analysis, is most often performed by applying the flotation method to recover plant remains from sediment on the archaeological site. The main products of flotation are heavy fraction and light fraction which both contain organic remains. Light fraction includes mostly organic remains that were light enough to float above the water, while the heavy fraction encompasses all that is sunken in the sieve after flotation. In the heavy fraction, we usually find small archaeological artefacts, stones, bones as well as plant remains which need to be recovered and examined for archaeobotanical analysis. There are several ways of recovering plant remains from the heavy fraction which differ in efficiency, time and economy. Sugar reflotation has proven to be the most acceptable method when there is a time constraint, many samples and a lot of carbonized macrofossils left in heavy fraction. On the other hand, in the heavy fraction, we can find compact pieces of sediment that did not disperse during flotation due to certain reasons and they still contain plant material that needs to be collected. This can be done by soaking in water alone or by adding deflocculants depending on what type of soil we are working with. It is necessary to consider all crucial parameters prior to using any of the aforementioned methods. That includes the type of site, type of sediment, types of expected macrobotanical remains, research questions, the amount of material to be analyzed, time and other important factors to select the most suitable for our analysis.

During the systematic archaeological excavation conducted from 2018 to 2021 at the site of Kotlina- Szuzai Hegy, human burials with skeletal remains of four individuals were discovered. Portable archaeological finds and absolute dates show that the site can be attributed to the Lengyel culture.
The graves were laid in shallow pits, in the foetal position, only thirty centimetres below the surface, which contributed to their preservation. Conventional bioarchaeological analysis revealed the sex and age-at-death of the studied individuals as well their health status. Demographic profile of the studied individuals is quite unusual - Grave 1 contained the remains of a young female (18-20 years) while the other three graves contained the remains of subadults (G2 adolescent 11-13 years old, G4 young child 2-3 years old, G5 infant 6-9 months old). The samples from all four individuals were taken for the purposes of ancient DNA and stable isotopes analyses that will tell us more on the ancestry, kinship and diet of these individuals. Graves show evidence of complex funerary practice; funerary equipment consisted of ceramic vessels, polished stone tools, and a bead from a mollusc shell. Grave goods and skeletal findings provide a great opportunity for osteological, palaeopathological and demographic investigations, and for the archaeological analysis of mortuary practices within the Late Neolithic community, as well as of the long-distance networks and exchange activity.

The role of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) imaging in biological anthropology
Abstract: In forensic anthropology, MSCT images can be used for personal identification by comparing antemortem and postmortem data, but even in the lack of antemortem records, for biological profiling. In bioarchaeology, MSCT images can be used for creating osteobiography of an individual but can also give valuable data for population studies such as sex, age, ancestry, stature, disease, trauma, and traits on bones and teeth.
The greatest issue in forensic and biological anthropology is the unavailability of documented skeletal collections that could be utilized to develop population/time-period-specific standards for biological profiling. To overcome this issue, MSCT scans of patients are used for creating virtual skeletal collections with documented data.
In this paper, the authors will present activities of the installation research project "Forensic identification of human remains using MSCT imaging" and highlight the possibilities that new technologies can offer to forensic and biological anthropology. They will present the processes of creating a virtual skeletal collection, taking virtual skeletal measurements and non-metric scoring, and developing population-specific standards for sex and age estimation. Lastly, the authors will explain how data obtained from MSCT images of living individuals can be used to compare modern and ancient populations by evaluating migrations, population mixtures, secular changes, and population dynamics in general.
This paper is financed by the Croatian Science Foundation installation research project (UIP -2020-02) “Forensic identification of human remains using MSCT scans imaging”.

The area of Slavonia in continental Croatia has relatively recently started to provide data in the field of archaeozoology, gradually complementing the picture of the prehistoric animal exploitation in the northern Balkan region. As part of the analysis of faunal remains from Neolithic and Copper Age sites (c. 6000 – 3000 cal. BC) in the eastern area of the interfluve of the Sava, Drava and Danube rivers, one of the author’s goals is to study the role domestic animals played in the local population’s subsistence strategies. Since skeletal remains of cattle, domestic pig and sheep/goat are the most abundant in the analysed assemblages, they also yielded a sufficient quantity of measurable bones. The sites are located in the geographically confined area and this presentation aims to examine the potential diachronic differences in individual species’ body size on a local level and compare the data with relevant biometric studies of animal bones from contemporary sites in the neighbouring areas. Given that the majority of the material analysed by the author belongs to cattle, the study of its genetic history in south-eastern Europe is planned in the future. Therefore, the results of this analysis may serve as a stepping stone in observation of the species’ genetic changes in the wider region, which may have occurred relatively instantaneously, with the archaeologically documented cultural transitions.

Main type of settlements in the prehistory of the Adriatic are hillforts and as such have been a focus of most prehistoric settlement research. Given their nature and their visible position in the landscape, they remain an emblem of prehistory. This is also evident in Northern Dalmatia, a predominantly karst relief. Several examples of different sites have been documented through various archaeological methods, such as analysis of areal and satellite imagery and field survey. These sites are not positioned on hills and other strategic positions. Hence such sites remained unmentioned throughout earlier archaeological research. Furthermore, they have never been the focus of the local population as can be seen in their lack of toponyms inspired by archaeological remains. Here we will show different examples of said sites recorded in the aforementioned area from the period of late prehistory. They are positioned on flat ground or on gentle hill slopes and they lack defensive elements, such as ramparts. They also do not have rich cultural layers, even though there are surface finds. What can these examples show? Land use in later prehistory is not limited to hillforts and other strategic positions but is much wider in character.

Densely vegetated areas outside farming zones have long attracted attention in methodology as problematic environment targeted for survey research. The same problem appeared as a special challenge in a case of field survey on the small island of Ist, situated in an outer line of the northern Dalmatian archipelago. In 2020, as a part of a student project „Archaeological Landscape of Island of Ist – Archaeo.IST“, during a systematic field survey on the island, which had not been previously archaeologically explored, a survey was conducted. The aim was to collect relevant data, which will contribute to understanding diachronic insights into the dynamics of human behavior, which are reflected in various traces of complex interaction between human and island-nature in way of shaping the cultural landscape. Long-lasting deagrarization has rapidly transformed the typical look of the island karst landscape to its today shape of uncultivated, heavily forested area with dense vegetation and inaccessible zones to in situ prospection. Terrain conditions demand adjustment of traditional survey methodological settings, and the small surface of the island supported the implementation of a modified approach with emphasis on documenting formation processes, recording spatial distributions of surface material, studying visibility of archaeological record as well. This poster will present an established methodological framework, and the preliminary results of integrated into the GIS database, provide the bases for a further holistic study of various aspects of re(creating) island landscape through different periods of human activity in the past.

Ten years of archaeological research on the Prljuša-Mali Šturac site have shown that on this steep slope of Mt. Rudnik is one of the largest and richest mining sites in Southeast Europe, where malachite was exploited in the period from the Eneolithic to the Bronze Age. Since 2013, the excavations have focused on surface mining open-pits on the central part of the slope (Shafts 4 and 6), while in 2014 the focus shifted to the top of the slope, and, as later research turned out, the imposing shaft Object 1. Over the course of campaigns, a number of interconnected galleries, hallways, entrances, burning marks, and marks of ore extraction were discovered, alongside over 500 hammerstones. As the works progressed, Object 1 became clearly defined, and plans for the arrangement and presentation of this part of the site were in development. In addition to site arrangement, the plans for the presentation included a 3D reconstruction of Object 1, and then the other shafts that are visible on the slope and whose research has not yet been conducted. The ultimate goal is a successive creation of a collection of 3D digitized prehistoric mining shafts of Prljuša - Mali Šturac that would have a research-presentation character.
The first step towards this goal was done in 2019, with the creation of technical documentation of Object 1 through 3D scanning, by terrestrial photogrammetry. During this process, a large number of convergent photographs of the research zone were collected, where all exposed areas, sheltered and covered sections were documented in multiple frames. The primary interest was to deliver complete reconstruction and so-called “ground zero” snap of the situation, for spatial plan development, conservation and presentation of mining structures. The final result of the 3D scan included the creation of a spatial plan of the whole and DMT (Digital Terrain Model) model, as well as a geometrically corrected orthophoto (True Orthophoto), a highly detailed 3D model of the whole, and an optimized view for sharing on online services. This poster presents the final products of this process.
The authors believe that the existence of a reference collection of 3D digitized prehistoric mining shafts would be a welcome resource for the explorers, that would provide unique insight, from a new perspective, into the method of exploitation and formation of shafts, their maintenance, abandonment, and backfilling, together with the process of decay and collapsing.

Prehistoric settlements, especially when dealing with multilayer sites, make complex microstratigraphic sequences that have been formed from different processes and diverse materials. Particularly suitable method for studying and interpreting archaeological layers of complex origin is soil and sediments micromorphology. Preliminary analysis of seven thin sections from the Late Neolithic Sopot culture site of Gorjani-Kremenjača (Đakovo, Eastern Croatia) will be presented in the poster. Four soil samples were collected in sequence in the feature that was originally marked in the field as a possible pit filling, but subsequent micromorphological analysis showed natural soil pedogenesis. Three samples indicate anthropogenic sediments connected to settlement activities, both inside houses and in open areas. Anthropogenic activities are indicated by the presence of ash, phytoliths, organic matter, bones, phosphates and fabric characteristics.

Geochemical characterization of flint is an analysis frequently used by archaeologists in their study of flint provenance in archaeological contexts. While flint deposits from northern Croatia were analyzed geochemically in the last several decades by geologists and archaeologists alike, there have not been any such analysis done on flint from the Istrian peninsula. There are several primary and secondary deposits of flint in the Istrian peninsula which were used frequently during prehistory. We decided to geochemically analyze two flints from archaeological contexts of the Neolithic site of Kargadur in southern Istria, as well as two flints from the deposits in southern Istria: one from the primary deposit on Vižula peninsula, and the other from the secondary deposit on Marlera peninsula, both within a four-kilometre distance from the Neolithic site, as the crow flies. The four flint samples were analyzed using ICP-OES (Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry) and ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) analysis in Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd in Vancouver, Canada, which provided us with data on major oxides, major, minor, and trace elements. Even though we realize only four samples are not enough for a detailed study on the geochemical characterization of Istrian flint deposits, we nevertheless believe our data is a good starting point for other geochemical analyses. Moreover, data from geochemical analyses on four more samples from the Vižula and Marlera deposits using pXRF are forthcoming.