Field research: Knin region (Oct 2021)

GLOHUM participants from the University of Zagreb, led by Project director Prof M. Jurković, and the University of Zadar, led by Project member Prof I. Josipović, have carried out an extensive survey of the area surrounding Knin, a historical site of utmost importance for the early medieval period of Croatian history.

The main activity of the research was the archaeological excavation of today orthodox church of St Stephen (Sv. Stefan) in Golubić, historical building still in use which could give an answer to a number of questions related with the organisation of space of the early medieval churches in the Dalmatian hinterland. Parallel with the excavation, led by Prof S. Bekavac from the University of Zadar, project members and students from Zadar and Zagreb visited the most important neighbouring early medieval sites where they documented and studied comparative architectural examples: area of Biskupija next to Knin (Lopuška glavica, Bukorovića podvornica, St Cecilia and Crkvina site), Plavno and the only known example of still-standing westwerk structure, the Church of Holy Salvation at the source of river Cetina.

The results obtained at the Golubić site could help develop a new, contemporary approach to the research of the early medieval architecture of the first territory of the Croatian state, closely related with the implementation of the idea of the Carolingian renaissance.