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The Landscape of Conflict and Materiality of War: Jasenice Survey Project

Over the past few decades archaeology has been profoundly transformed, including ever new perspectives, research agendas and subject matters. The discipline is struggling to find its place among the social sciences. Perhaps now, more than ever before, archaeology is less the study of the distant past and more the study of the material. Archaeological elaborations of contemporary themes are substantially increasing. Contested landscapes and landscapes of conflict are an integral part of archaeological studies for quite some time now and those include not only battlefield archaeology but a whole array of discussions regarding various aspects of materiality of conflict. The project we are presenting is a move in that direction. A systematic field survey commenced during the spring of 2016 at Jasenice municipality area, covering roughly 20 km2. This is a typical Dinaric karst landscape where the preservation of human practices in the form of surface stone structures is excellent. The historic event, which has left a truly lasting mark in the landscape, is War in Croatia (1991 – 1995). Various sorts of military structures which constitute a battle line positively dominate the landscape and their presence is quiet staggering. The line stretches in the north-south direction, beginning at the Zrmanja canyon, spreading over the Obrovac – Zrmanja plain and terminates at Velebit peak zone. The structures were built by adding or subtracting the material and as such they are a permanent part of the landscape micro – topography. The recording and subsequent analysis is enabled by structures preservation, at the level of the individual structure, as well as at the level of the whole complex. Roughly 5% of the battle line was documented during survey.

conflict landscapes; battlefield archaeology; War in Croatia; karst landscapes

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