Field research: discovering the millenial continuity of life of Kalifront area (Rab)
After almost a year, the participants of the GLOHUM project, led by project coordinator Prof Miljenko Jurković and project collaborators Goran Bilogrivić, PhD and Ivor Kranjec, PhD candidate, returned to the island of Rab and conducted a research of the archaeological site which has been chosen as a case study near the Gožinka cove in Kalifront area. The research took place from the September 11th to October 3rd, 2021.
Although the research of the site has been carried out since 2017, the strategy of the 2021 campaign has for the first time included a somewhat different approach. While conducting the archaeological excavation, project members together with the students have carried out an extensive reconnaissance of the surrounding terrain, as well as the research of the comparative examples from the island. Architectural remains of the church, which have already been proven as an extraordinary find, have undergone an extensive survey. For the first time on the site, a contemporary dating analysis will be used to confirm researchers hypothesis. Geological experts have also joined to the GLOHUM team and have done preliminary analysis of the building material, as well as the finds, and have presented a very interesting theory about the distribution of stone material throughout the area from the 1st century AD onwards.
The preliminary results have also confirmed the assumption about the long-lasting inhabitation of the site, as well as evidence of the existence of complex social structures related with the island’s elites. Together with its archaeological value, this find transforms the site into one of the most important historical sites outside the town’s walls, which can help to explain complex historical processes of the Northern Adriatic region.
