Early Medieval Archaeology – Selected Topics

The course consists of selected topics. The discussed topics change from one year to another. Lectures are connected to the seminar. This course is regarding contents linked with the course Fieldwork.

Detailed discussion of provinces Noricum Mediterraneum, Pannonia Savia, Dalmatia, and Venetia et Histria or the mentioned area in the Early Medieval period. The emphasis lies on the understanding of settlement picture which varies in this exact area and reveals many specific forms. An in-depth insight into the material culture at some of the most important sites, which to the greatest extent reflect its complex ethnic character and through the development dynamics illustrate the turbulent time of the Antiquity decline, will be presented. A special attention will be devoted to the transitional time between the Early and High Middle Ages, and the comparison between archaeological and historical sources for this period. Theoretical concepts and approaches in Early Medieval archaeology and problems with ethnical interpretation and identities will be presented.