engleski

A contribution to the history of Dubrovnik, Croatia - Radiocarbon dating of burial and charcoal samples from church of St. Stephen

The church of St Stephen is situated in Pustijerna, one of the oldest parts of historic core of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The church was mentioned in the book De administrando imperio by Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos in 949 AD. After the Big Earthquake in 1667 the church collapsed and it was no more in use. The site was excavated in 1927, and then in 1997/1998, but unfortunately it was never completely explored and documented. New excavation performed in 2011/2012 comprised all cultural layers till bedrock inside the church area and segment of church cemetery. Archaeological excavations revealed an earlier, pre-Romanesque church under the existing Romanesque one. A series of various building phases are also documented, along with the constructed tombs which were incorporated into the floor of the later church. A graveyard which encircled both of the churches was also found. Radiocarbon dating of 2 charcoal samples and 5 human bones was performed to determine the time scale of the church history. Charcoal samples were prepared as benzene and measured by liquid scintillation counting. Collagen was extracted from bone samples and then graphite was prepared for the accelerator mass spectrometry measurement performed in East Kilbride, UK. The earliest bone sample was dated to 806-882 cal AD, and the latest to 1260-1286 cal AD. These results indicate the existence of pre-Romanesque church before 806 AD, because there must be earlier built church beside the cemetery. The graveyard continuously existed for several centuries, analyses prove period 806-1286 cal AD, but burials belonging to early modern period (Renaissance, Baroque) were also found. The charcoal samples (963-1219 cal AD and 1296-1407 cal AD) can be related to burning during transition of pre-Romanesque to Romanesque period and to Gothic period of the church, but the context of these layers is still not completely clear.

14C dating ; Dubrovnik ; Sv. Stjepan u Pustijerni

Zbornik sažetaka izdan na USB sticku, a dostupan i na internetskim stranicama kongresa.