engleski

Settlement pattern modifications on the north- eastern Adriatic: the Island of Rab Roman rural sites case study

The period from the end of the 3rd c. CE onwards is generally marked by changes in the political and economic organisation of the Roman Empire, which are not always easy to pinpoint archaeologically on a site-wide or regional level, especially in those areas that did not participate directly in major historic events. In fact, while there are general trends for late Antique settlement evolution, each region shows different developments, sometimes even opposite to those of neighbouring ones. Taking into account the evidence within a wider area, such as that of an island seen as a "closed context", it is perhaps easier to follow these modifications and patterns in the archaeological record. Taking as base for discussion the Roman rural settlement pattern of the island of Rab (Kvarner region, NE Adriatic), so far investigated by field reconnaissance, remote sensing, GIS and trial trenching, it is possible to preliminarily propose an evolution of the settlement and use of the countryside. While keeping in mind the aforementioned general trends, substantial modifications of this pattern are noticed probably occurring from the 5th-6th c. onwards. While the occurring changes, which seem to point to continuity only on certain sites, are noticeable elsewhere, what remains unclear is the reasons behind this settlement strategy. Comparative archaeological examples from adjacent areas will be taken in consideration in the try to assess what could have induced this reorganisation in rural area settling, while other potential lines of research, such as those combing cultural and environmental factors, will be proposed.

Rab island ; landscape ; late Antiquity

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