engleski

MEDIEVAL PANTRY IN THE COURTYARD OF BANSKI DVORI PALACE (ZAGREB, CROATIA)

In 2021, the Croatian Conservation Institute conducted a multidisciplinary conservation- restoration and an archaeological research of Banski dvori Palace to determine the phases of historical development. Archaeological excavations involved the northern courtyard, the area of the former Rauch Palace. The results have confirmed the continuity of the existence of the Zagreb's Upper Town plateau settlement since the period of prehistory to the present day. During the research, the remains of a buried basement building were investigated and interpreted as the remains of an underground storage room of a medieval town house, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. Remains of ceramic pottery and numerous botanical remains were discovered in the filling of the excavated building. During the archaeobotanical analysis, a total of 1492 plant findings were isolated, out of which only 32 were carbonized. Over 40 % of the remains were found in five clay pots, and other remains were found in the surrounding sediment. Over 94% of the findings represent cultivated and wild edible woody plants, mainly Vitis vinifera (940 macrofossils), Prunus avium/cerasus (260), Prunus spinosa (122) and Rubus fruticosus (28). Some of the species, such as Vitis vinifera and Prunus persica have been cultivated, while other, such as Cornus mas and Prunus spinosa, tell us that medieval inhabitants supplemented their diet by collecting and consuming fruits from nature. Plum stones were also found, but based on their morphology, it was not possible to define whether they were fruits of P. domestica s. l., or P. ceracifera. Cultivated and wild edible herbaceous plants make 3.7% of the findings and are represented by the remains of the vegetable species Cucumis sativus (13), the spice plant Foeniculum vulgare (13) and two cereals Panicum miliaceum (28) and Triticum aestivum/durum (1). A few remaining findings (34) have been undetermined due to poor preservation.

archaeobotany, Middle Ages, underground storage room, vessels

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