Benjamin Štular | Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (original) (raw)

Books by Benjamin Štular

It is a groundbreaking exploration of the dynamics of early medieval communities within the Easte... more It is a groundbreaking exploration of the dynamics of early medieval communities within the Eastern Alps, covering Slovenia and parts of Austria. This volume, authored by an international team of researchers, presents the results of years of archaeological research into settlement patterns, agricultural practices, and social transformations between the sixth and eleventh centuries. By employing advanced methodologies such as LiDAR and GIS, alongside in-depth archaeological analyses, this book provides unprecedented insights into how early settlers adapted to and interacted with their environment. Through detailed regional and micro-regional analyses, it illuminates the emergence of the Alpine Slavs, their integration with existing populations, and their role in the socio-political fabric of the region. Essential reading for archaeologists and historians, this book redefines our understanding of the early medieval landscape in the Eastern Alps, offering not only a state-of-the-art overview of archaeological research but also fresh perspectives on the acculturation and agricultural evolution that shaped this pivotal historical period.

The Oxford Handbook of Mountain Archaeology, 2024

Airborne LiDAR, or airborne Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing technique that measu... more Airborne LiDAR, or airborne Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing technique that measures, among other things, the terrain elevation. In the past two decades, it has become an indispensable component of landscape archaeology, especially for archaeological prospection. However, it is still infrequently used in mountain archaeology. This is especially true in the high mountains, where technical challenges make its use difficult. We can anticipate more successful applications in the future due to the ever-improving quality of data. At present, the greatest untapped potential of LiDAR data for mountain archaeology, we argue, lies in "deep" interpretation or analysis of archaeological features in their landscape context. This approach is illustrated by the case study Vodotočnik (Slovenia). We used this high mountain pasture to test the hypothesis for site location choice, which was put forward by experienced mountain archaeologists. Based on the results of six distinct geomorphometric analyses we reinterpreted the site and demonstrated the benefits of LiDAR data for modelling landscape context at the scale of individual buildings and activity areas.

E-Monographiae Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 14, 2022

The aim of the book is to demonstrate the importance of grave orientation for the archaeology of ... more The aim of the book is to demonstrate the importance of grave orientation for the archaeology of Medieval death and burial. In doing this, two key points are emphasized.

First, grave orientation was an important, and in some cases the most important, conduit for the symbolic meaning of burials in the Middle Ages. Second, for an archaeologist to reconstruct this meaning, the analysis must be conducted with methodological rigour, and inferences must take the broader context into account.

To this end, the book addresses three interrelated issues. First, the state of scholarship on grave orientation studies; both in this case study and in the literature, the topic is intertwined with church orientation. Second, the methodology for analysing grave orientation; since the case study is based on old excavations, special attention is given to the reuse of the legacy data. Third, the Bled Island case study. Bled Island is an islet on Lake Bled (Slovenia) that has a special meaning for modern Slovenians and it held a special meaning for the local populations since prehistory.

It is thus not surprising that the two Medieval cemeteries and the church on the islet are imbued with symbolism. And much of this symbolism was expressed through the orientation of the individual graves, grave groups, and the church building.

The book, which is a substantially revised version of chapters 3-8 in the monograph Medieval archaeology of Bled Island (2020), is primarily aimed at researchers interested in the Middle Ages and the archaeology of death and burial. A wider range of archaeologists may find interest in the methodology of analysing archival ("old") excavations and other geocomputational methods used in the book.

OPERA INSTITUTI ARCHAEOLOGICI SLOVENIAE 42, 2020

The book you are reading was written within the framework of three research projects. The idea wa... more The book you are reading was written within the framework of three research projects. The idea was conceived and the analysis of archaeological data was performed within the scope of the seminal research pro- ject Sanctuaries. Blejski otok (Bled Island), an island on the Lake Bled, seemed one of the most promising sites for finding evidence of an Early Medieval sanctuary. It turned out, however, that a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the site as a whole would be needed. The work was therefore finished within the framework of research projects, entitled The settlement of the Southeastern Alpine region in the Early Middle Ages and Inventory, analysis and evaluation of the primary and secondary sources of Slovene researchers on ‘the old faith in the region of Soča river’. Cemetery analysis took place within the programme Archaeological research.
Such a book would normally be expected to contain a consolidated archaeological and anthropological analy- sis, an analysis of written sources, and a confrontation of the findings in the conclusion. But, when it comes to Bled Island in the Middle Ages, this is not possible. The most comprehensive archaeological sources are those from the 10th century, and the events of the 11th and 12th centuries cannot be identified with much accuracy. Due to the excavation method, there is no contextualised ar- chaeological data from the 13th century onwards. When it comes to written sources, the situation is reversed. The earliest direct written source for Bled Island dates to 1185 and is followed by two brief mentions in the 13th century. Only from the 14th century onwards do written sources become informative enough to enable the creation of a continuous interpretation.
There is a second, perhaps even more significant difference between the written and archaeological sources for the Early and High Middle Ages. The vast majority of the former are biased writings produced by the extremely narrow and isolated social class of monks and priests. The latter are exactly the opposite: they were unwittingly – or at least without the knowledge that one day they would be readable – produced by all people. The consequences are well known: medieval historiography – at least when it comes to the study of the discussed area – focuses on Archaeology focuses on the study of material culture (cf. Chapter 2), on the stories of individuals and individual communities within the context of long-term processes (cf. Chapter 8.1.2).
Here, we have stumbled upon an unexpected di- chotomy between the archaeology of material culture per se and the archaeology of individuals and communities. This volume contains an outstanding example of the first approach, written by T. Knific and P. Bitenc, and an example of the second approach, written by me. During the process of the creation of this book, I have come to a realisation that might be of a broader significance for archaeology: there is no better and worse method; even less so a right and wrong method, as it is taught by some university programmes. What we are seeing are two distinct scientific fields of archaeology that ask differ- ent questions of the same archaeological record about the same people from the past. More questions result in more answers and our knowledge of the studied past is therefore enriched.
The above realisation had a key effect on the struc- ture of this book. Individual analyses were conducted in parallel with, and independently from, each other. The original separation of tasks into a cemetery analysis (Knific, Bitenc) and a stratigraphic and building analysis (Štular) proved infeasible. The intertwined archaeological record forced everybody to investigate everything. Our intent was to merge the two final products into a ho- mogeneous whole. Soon, however, it was found that duplications were the exception rather than the rule, and the advantages of two different approaches were immense. Both the cemetery and the structures analysis are therefore presented intact. Naturally, both exploit the same catalogue of graves, plates with artefacts, and reproductions of original documents.
The very poor state of preservation of the bone ar- chive meant that an anthropological analysis could not be included in the process of interpretation of the site on an equal footing with archaeological data (Leben Seljak).
This is followed by taking a broader perspective, where the new findings are placed in the context of the archaeological landscape of the Bled micro-region (Pleterski).
Important for the book are the findings of the exca- vations near the village of Bodešče (Modrijan).

GCH 2017 Eurographics Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage, 2017

These are the proceedings of the 15th EG Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage (GCH) 2017, h... more These are the proceedings of the 15th EG Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage (GCH) 2017, held Septem- ber 27-29 in Graz, Austria. The objective of the workshop is to introduce and showcase new techniques and ap- plications for supporting Cultural Heritage information ranging from data acquisition, analysis and synthesis, 3D documentation, and data management, to new forms of interactive presentation and 3D printing solutions. GCH 2017 continues to provide a premier scientific forum to exchange novel ideas and techniques in research, educa- tion and dissemination of Cultural Heritage information, to transfer them into practice, and identify future research and application opportunities. To advance the dialogue between ICT and CH experts, GCH 2017 is organized in close cooperation with the Museumsakademie of the Universalmuseum Joanneum in Graz, providing opportunity for exchange between the ICT and CH domains.

OPERA INSTITUTI ARCHAEOLOGICI SLOVENIAE 35, 2016

Arheološka izkopavanja grobišča Župna cerkev v Kranju so se začela leta 1953 in so z manjšmi in v... more Arheološka izkopavanja grobišča Župna cerkev v Kranju so se začela leta 1953 in so z manjšmi in večjimi razmiki potekala do leta 2013. Raziskano grobišče tako po trenutnih podatkih obsega 2.936 grobov, Gorenjski muzej v Kranju pa ima inventariziranih 3.263 predmetov iz tega grobišča.
Namen monografije je objava grobov, ki jih je Andrej Valič, kustos Gorenjskega muzeja Kranj, izkopal med letoma 1964 in 1970. Podatke črpa iz vseh dosegljivih virov (terenska dokumentacija, predmeti, fototeka, inventarna knjiga, kasnejši zaznamki izkopavalca, analize okostij ipd).
Načrt grobov, ki je nastajal ob študiju gradiva, prvič združuje vse doslej izkopane grobove na grobišču Župna cerkev v Kranju. Zaradi obsežnosti grobišča in velike gostote pokopov na nekaterih delih je namesto običajne enodelne priloge prikazan po posameznih kvadrantih.
Začetni del knjige je spremna študija o naravi predstavljenih podatkov, prav tako pa so v kataloškem delu sprotni komentarji vseh morebitnih nenavadnosti in neskladnosti.

OPERA INSTITUTI ARCHAEOLOGICI SLOVENIAE 37, 2017

Sixty-year excavation (1953 to 2013) of Župna Cerkev Cemetery in Kranj unearthed almost 3000 grav... more Sixty-year excavation (1953 to 2013) of Župna Cerkev Cemetery in Kranj unearthed almost 3000 graves. The monograph introduces 1048 graves found between 1972 and 2010. The excavations were initially led by Andrej Valič, the curator of the Gorenjski muzej (1972 and 73, 862 graves). Milan Sagadin from ZVKD Kranj continued the dig from 1984 to 2001 (163 graves), followed by Draško Josipovič (Megalan Skupina, d. o. o., 2003 to 2010), who excavated 23 more graves. An extensive chapter presents the artefacts of Župna Cerkev Cemetery with no data about their location.

The varied documentation, which has changed over the years, is the basis for the publication of all available data on the graves and artefacts kept by the Gorenjski muzej in Kranj. The introduction, a study on the nature of the data, comments on possible inconsistencies between the various types of documentation. Primarily it deals with the question of reliability of individual grave good assemblages, which is the basis for all further analysis.
The discussed group of graves originates mainly from the northern exterior of the church and from the interior of the present-day church, that is, from the place where graves intertwined with the remains of older church and non-church buildings. Their building development and changing usability will be impossible to explain without good knowledge of the cemetery.

OPERA INSTITUTI ARCHAEOLOGICI SLOVENIAE 38, 2019

It was in the spring of 1953 when digging pits to plant trees in front of the Prešeren’s Theatre... more It was in the spring of 1953 when digging pits to plant trees in front of the Prešeren’s Theatre in Kranj revealed some graves. Extensive excavations followed, led by Jože Kastelic and Vinko Šribar from the National Museum. 308 graves were excavated: 15 were recognised as the so-called (later) "Baroque" graves and 293 as "Ketlach", that is Early Medieval ones. The finds were first stored in the National Museum in Ljubljana, and later moved to the Gorenjski museum in Kranj, while all the documentation remained in Ljubljana.
The excavations of the extensive cemetery continued in 1964 and 1965, from 1969 to 1973, and in 1984. In the following decades, several graves were excavated in the course of various ground works. The graves found between 1964 and 2010 were published in two monographs in the series Opera Instituti Archaelogici Sloveniae (volumes 35 and 37).
From 2011 to 2013 there was a large archaeological excavation at the start of the complete renovation of public areas in the city centre. It was carried out by archaeological company PJP, d. o. o. 561 graves were dug under the leadership of Rafko Urankar.
The third book on the cemetery Župna cerkev in Kranj completes the entire corpus of data on objects, graves and the cemetery as a whole. During the sixty years of field research (1953-2013) all documentation techniques that prevailed in individual periods were used, which is an ideal test of their comparative advantages and disadvantages. The route from excavations to critical publication was extremely compound and could only be completed in a very complex digital environment with the help of a number of unique information solutions. Simultaneous publishing in analogue and digital form makes it possible to use the best of both media.
The three-part structure of the book introduces an overview of field documentation and its structure, and solves the problems that arise. The most extensive is the central part, which uniquely represents archaeological remains. The third part is cartographic and shows spatial distribution of individual graves.
The cemetery belonging to the medieval city is the largest published medieval cemetery in Europe. More than 1000 years (from the 8th century to the end of the 18th century) of continuous burial in the same place caused the accumulation of graves, resulting in over 10,000 stratigraphic relations. Complete information is now available for further typological, chronological, population and other studies. Sky (imagination) is the limit.

Vestnik XXVII, 2018, 2018

Zgodnjesrednjeveška arheologija jugovzhodnoalpskega prostora: nekoč, danes, jutri = Early Medieva... more Zgodnjesrednjeveška arheologija jugovzhodnoalpskega prostora: nekoč, danes, jutri
=
Early Medieval archaeology in the South eastern Alpine area: past, present, future

Modern science started studying the Smlednik Castle over a century and a half ago. However, what ... more Modern science started studying the Smlednik Castle over a century and a half ago. However, what might be even more important is the fact that more or less intense conservation works have been carried out at this location for over half a century. Regardless of this there is almost no expert literature on the castle to be found: short papers can be counted on the fingers of one hand, while monograph publications are sought in vain. The situation regarding contributions that promotes cultural heritage is somewhat better. The purpose of the book in front of you is thus clear: to present the history of the research and conservation efforts as well as the findings gained from the latest research in one book.

This is the English translation of the original publication in Slovenian Grad Smlednik. Raziskave 2011-2012 published in 2013. The translation differs from the original in two ways. First, it omits the appendices. Secondly, a chapter on 3D scanning of the Smlednik Castle in 2007 including interactive 3D model is added.

This multi-touch book presents 3D models of selected early medieval earrings from the Župna cerke... more This multi-touch book presents 3D models of selected early medieval earrings from the Župna cerkev (Parish church) in Kranj (Slovenia) archaeological site. The book came about as part of an extensive research project analysing the site. In the process of documenting artefacts in a classic archaeological manner, that is with photography, archaeological drawings and textual descriptions, we also experimented with 3D documentation techniques that were available at the time. Due to restricted time that was available for 3D documentation, we focused on earrings as a predominant type of expressive artefacts on the site.
1 Introduction
2 Methodology of 3D digitisation in archaeology
2.1 3D digitisation in archaeology
2.2 3D digitisation in Slovenian archaeology
2.3 State of the art and a look into the future
2.4 A silhouette method and 3D documentation of early medieval earrings
3 The Site
4 The Artefacts
4.1Crescent-Shaped Earrings
4.2 Other Earrings
5 3D Catalogue
6 Bibliography

This in-depth archaeological research of a High Medieval castle is a unique case in Slovenia and ... more This in-depth archaeological research of a High Medieval castle is a unique case in Slovenia and also one of only a few in this part of Central Europe. The book is based on the analysis of the archaeological data gathered during more than a decade of archaeological excavations in the 1980s and 1990s.

In the introductory chapters the written sources and interpretative models are presented, followed by the analysis of pictorial representations. The focus of the research is on the archaeological sources, above all on the analysis of the small finds, stratigraphy, the spatial analysis of the castle itself and its position within the landscape.

The interactive Book On the Fringes of Empire is an incarnation of the printed book titled Mali g... more The interactive Book On the Fringes of Empire is an incarnation of the printed book titled Mali grad. Visokosrednjeveški grad v Kamniku / High Medieval Castle in Kamnik published in 2009.
The aim of the interactive book is twofold. The first is to ensure that the book is available to the readers in years to come. Although the printed copies of this book are available in more than 250 specialised libraries across the Europe in this day of age that statistic can be hardly cited as “widely available".
The second, perhaps more important reason for this edition is the desire to reach new audience. It is especially aimed at university level students of all things Medieval across the world. Although this is a scientific archaeological book, it is written in accessible language, that does not necessitate any prior archaeological knowledge.
In order to improve the quality this edition has had 28 black & white figures replaced with colour versions. To the same end 13 completely new figures and 1 interactive image have been added.

Zgodovinska, arheološka, geoarheološka, arheozoološka in GIS analiza srednjeveškega gradu. His... more Zgodovinska, arheološka, geoarheološka, arheozoološka in GIS analiza srednjeveškega gradu.

Historical, archaeological, geoarchaeological, archaeozoological and GIS analysis of a Medieval castle.

ŠTULAR, B., A. Ornik Turk in A. Pleterski 2013, Dotik dediščine. Trirazsežni prikaz zgodnjesrednjeveškega naglavnega nakita iz najdišča župna cerkev v Kranju. - Založba ZRC, Ljubljana., Dec 28, 2013

Namen pričujoče iKnjige je predstaviti trirazsežne modele izbranih zgodnjesrednjeveških uhanov iz... more Namen pričujoče iKnjige je predstaviti trirazsežne modele izbranih zgodnjesrednjeveških uhanov iz najdišča Župna cerkev v Kranju. Razloga za to sta dva.
Prvi je metodološki. Uporaba trirazsežnih modelov v arheologiji je namreč na točki, ko je na voljo vse več dobrih in odličnih izdelkov, katerih potenciala arheologi ne izkoristimo v celoti. Največkrat se kakovosten trirazsežni model predmeta močno zmanjša in predstavi na spletu ali v obliki datoteke PDF. Še slabše se godi trirazsežnim modelom arheoloških kontekstov ali celih najdišč. Večina arheologov vidi samo v naprej posnete animacije, trirazsežni model pa nikoli ne zapusti delovne postaje strokovnjaka, ki je model izdelal. Iščemo torej načine, kako trirazsežne modele bolj tvorno uporabiti v arheoloških raziskavah. Več je o tej problematiki zapisano v poglavju Trirazsežno skeniranje v arheologiji.
Drugi razlog za predstavitev trirazsežnih modelov uhanov v pričujoči iKnjigi (imenovana tudi knjiga na dotik - ang. multi-touch book - ali interaktivna knjiga) sledi iz zgoraj povedanega: iskali smo medij, ki bi združeval prednosti klasičnih monografskih publikacij in možnosti vključevanja trirazsežnih modelov. iKnjige predstavljajo trenutno edino možnost, ki zadostuje našim kriterijem: enostavna cenovno dostopna izdelava in distribucija na eni ter prepoznavnost oz. klasifikacija “znanstvena monografija” na drugi strani.
Glavna značilnost dela Dotik dediščine so trirazsežni modeli zgodnjesrednjeveških uhanov v dveh kataloških poglavjih (Trirazsežni katalog polmesečastih uhanov in Trirazsežni katalog ostalih uhanov). V vsem ostalem se iKnjiga, ki jo prebirate, ne razlikuje od klasičnih objav.
Tako uvodu in metodološkemu poglavju sledi poglavje Grobišče župna cerkev v Kranju, v katerem je na kratko predstavljena zgodovina raziskav in pomen najdišča, iz katerega izvirajo predstavljeni uhani.
Sledita poglavji, ki predstavljene predmete postavita v kontekst. V poglavju Nekatere redke oblike kranjskih uhanov je najprej na kratko predstavljen nad-regionalni pomen teh predmetov v zgodnjem srednjem veku. V nadaljevanju je predstavljen vsak tip posebej. Najpogostejši tip uhanov na najdišču Župna cerkev v Kranju so polmesečasti uhani. Ti so zato predstavljeni nekoliko obširneje v poglavju Polmesečasti uhani, najprej zgodovina raziskav in izvor, nato pa še tehnika izdelave ter motivika. Pri tem je potrebno poudariti, da ni namen teh dveh poglavij podrobna analiza, temveč zgolj povzeti stanje raziskav z namenom, da bralec lažje “bere” trirazsežne modele. Ker pa je zadnje tovrstno delo staro že več kot tri desetletja, sta ti poglavji za slovensko zgodnjesrednjeveško arheologijo dobrodošli.

Poznavanje srednjeveške Ljubljane temelji predvsem na podatkih iz zgodovinskih virov; v zadnjih m... more Poznavanje srednjeveške Ljubljane temelji predvsem na podatkih iz zgodovinskih virov; v zadnjih mesecih leta 2009 pa je prišlo do zanimivih arheoloških odkritij in čas je, da si ponovno ogledamo srednjeveško Ljubljano in že znano oplemenitimo z novimi spoznanji.
V tej strokovni knjigi je srednjeveška Ljubljana predstavljena kronološko v štirih poglavjih:
Ribiči, splavarji ter kmetovalci v 10. in 11. stoletju
Trg v 12. stoletju
Ljubljana postane mesto
Tri mesta v enem

Sledi predstavitev srednjeveške preteklosti na lokaciji današnje Mačkove ulice in na koncu še predstavitev arheoloških izkopavanj z bogatim slikovnim gradivom.

V okviru temeljnega raziskovalnega projekta Grobišče Župna cerkev v Kranju, ki je namenjen objavi... more V okviru temeljnega raziskovalnega projekta Grobišče Župna cerkev v Kranju, ki je namenjen objavi in raziskavam gradiva iz arheoloških izkopavanj istoimenskega grobišča, v digitalni obliki predstavljamo primarne arhivske vire. Gre za tisto dokumentacijo, ki je nastala bodisi ob izkopavanjih in se je ohranila, bodisi pozneje na podlagi terenske dokumentacije in najdb, ki se niso ohranile. Grobišče Župna cerkev v Kranju ima preko 2500 arheološko raziskanih grobov iz časa od 7. st. do 18. st., zato se po velikosti in času trajanja neprekinjenega pokopavanja uvršča med največja srednjeveška grobišča v Evropi. Skoraj polovica teh grobov pripada zgodnjesrednjeveškemu obdobju. Gradivo obsega preko 1100 predmetov, za antropološko analizo je na voljo preko 700 okostij, ki jih hrani Gorenjski muzej v Kranju.
V prvem zvezku predstavljamo grobišče, terenske dnevnike, katalog grobov in dnevnik meritev z izkopavanj leta 1953.
Grobišče nudi enkratno možnost za kakovosten preskok v arheološkem poznavanju srednjeevropskega zgodnjega srednjega veka kot tudi mlajših stoletij, saj omogoča s pomočjo naravoslovnih metod vzpostaviti reprezentanačno absolutno kronologijo v jugovzhodnem alpskem prostoru, ki bo uporabna tudi za širši sosednji prostor, kjer obstaja sorodno arheološko gradivo.
Izjemen pomen tega gradiva tako za arheologijo kot vedo, kot tudi za srednjeveško zgodovino jugovzhodnoalpskega prostora, pa nam narekuje nekoliko drugačen pristop. V evropski arheologiji namreč še vedno prevladujejo t. i. “zaprte" raziskave. Za te je značilno, da skupina strokovnjakov zbere podatke, jih analizira in interpretira ter v obliki tiskanih znanstvenih monografij in člankov objavi prvenstveno rezultate, mnogo manj in v bolj skromni obliki pa gradivo, ki so ga zbrali. V primeru grobišča Župna cerkev v Kranju pa smo se odločili, da bomo sledili načelom odprte znanosti. To še vedno pomeni, da bomo rezultate svojih analiz in svoje interpretacije posredovali preko običajnih znanstvenih objav. Vendar smo si zadali še dodatno nalogo, da omogočimo nadaljnje ali ponovne raziskave na isti osnovi čim širšemu krogu ljudi in jim hkrati prihranimo mukotrpno zbiranje in urejanje arhivskega gradiva. Nekateri veliki projekti so v zadnjih letih pokazali, da je najučinkovitejše sredstvo za skokovito povečanje količine in kakovosti raziskav prav brezplačna in neomejena dostopnost raziskovalnega gradiva na svetovnem spletu.

V okviru temeljnega raziskovalnega projekta Grobišče Župna cerkev v Kranju, ki je namenjen objav... more V okviru temeljnega raziskovalnega projekta Grobišče Župna cerkev v Kranju, ki je namenjen objavi in raziskavam gradiva iz arheoloških izkopavanj istoimenskega grobišča, v digitalni obliki predstavljamo primarne arhivske vire. V prvem zvezku predstavljamo grobišče, terenske dnevnike, katalog grobov in dnevnik meritev z izkopavanj leta 1953. V drugem zvezku pa smo objavili drugi del arhivskega gradiva iz leta 1953. Predmet objave je neke vrste digitalni faksimile kartotečnih kartic, saj je vsaka kartica prikazana v formatu izvirnika. V obeh knjigah skupaj je torej predstavljena vsa doslej znana pisna in risarska dokumentacija teh izkopavanj. V pričujoči knjigi objavljamo arhivsko gradivo iz arheoloških izkopavanj na najdišču Župna cerkev v Kranju iz let 1964 in 1965 ter iz Mestne hiše leta 1966, ki ga hrani Gorenjski muzej v Kranju.

Papers by Benjamin Štular

Settlement of the Eastern Alps in the Early Middle Ages, 2024

This book chapter unpacks the transformative journey of the Alpine Slavs during the Early Middle ... more This book chapter unpacks the transformative journey of the Alpine Slavs during the Early Middle Ages, shedding light on the agricultural shifts that catalyzed cultural assimilation. This study reveals how Slavic migrants revolutionized the Eastern Alpine agrarian landscape by replacing the Roman market-driven wheat economy with a self-sustaining, barley-based system. This transition fostered acculturation and resulted in a bicultural society resilient enough to navigate the decline of Romanitas embedded in the market-based economy. If you are interested in the interplay of agriculture, migration, and cultural integration, this article offers a compelling case study that redefines the concept of ‘becoming’ through adaptation and mutual influence.

Archaeological Prospection, 2024

The case study area is a small but typical prehistoric landscape in the Kras Plateau on the north... more The case study area is a small but typical prehistoric landscape in the Kras Plateau on the north coast of the central Mediterranean. The Late Bronze and Iron Age Kras Plateau was an emblematic Mediterranean archaeological landscape dotted with numerous hillforts. Since the mid-20th century, the landscape had been overgrown with some of the most archaeology-hostile vegetation, severely impeding landscape archaeology until archaeological LiDAR revealed thousands of archaeological features that attest to a carefully constructed and managed agro-pastoral landscape. However, these discoveries were hampered by insecure chronology typical of any LiDAR guided analysis. This case study meticulously documented two prehistoric hillforts and a previously unknown agro-pastoral landscape with hundreds of archaeological features. The focus of the article, however, was on establishing a more precise and objective dating method. We proposed a multiproxy method to date the archaeological landscape. It combines relative dating using remote sensing data and historical maps; dating based on historical context; relative stratigraphic dating; indirect dating based on associated archaeological finds; and dating by association. Particularly, we focused on the association-based dating of archaeological features. We proposed a method based on the concept of taskscapes that relies on kernel density estimation. Using these methods, we objectively demonstrated that agro-pastoral landscape features documented with archaeological LiDAR were contemporaneous with Late Bronze Age and Iron Age hillforts and have no connection to the post-medieval landscape. The latter has important methodological implications for the prehistoric archaeology of Mediterranean karst landscapes, where backdating post-Medieval landscapes is a common practise.

The Oxford Handbook of Mountain Archaeology, 2024

E-Monographiae Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 14, 2022

OPERA INSTITUTI ARCHAEOLOGICI SLOVENIAE 42, 2020

GCH 2017 Eurographics Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage, 2017

OPERA INSTITUTI ARCHAEOLOGICI SLOVENIAE 35, 2016

OPERA INSTITUTI ARCHAEOLOGICI SLOVENIAE 37, 2017

OPERA INSTITUTI ARCHAEOLOGICI SLOVENIAE 38, 2019

Vestnik XXVII, 2018, 2018

Historical, archaeological, geoarchaeological, archaeozoological and GIS analysis of a Medieval castle.

Sledi predstavitev srednjeveške preteklosti na lokaciji današnje Mačkove ulice in na koncu še predstavitev arheoloških izkopavanj z bogatim slikovnim gradivom.

Settlement of the Eastern Alps in the Early Middle Ages, 2024

Archaeological Prospection, 2024

Research Data Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences, 2024

This data paper presents Arkas 2.0, a national research database and research infrastructure cont... more This data paper presents Arkas 2.0, a national research database and research infrastructure containing data on all archaeological sites and monuments in Slovenia. The new database is a hybrid cloud microservice built on low-code platforms (Caspio and ArcGIS Experience builder) and augmented by generative ai (ChatGPT-3.5). The data paper describes the Arkas 2.0 dataset and how it fits into the research context by discussing the challenges archaeologists face in setting up and curating datasets and the associated digital infrastructure. In response to these challenges, the data paper highlights the benefits of low-code platforms and ai-augmented code for archaeological research. It also describes the Arkas 2.0 development workflow, its new data structure, and its archiving process. The data paper concludes by suggesting that the use of low-code platforms combined with generative ai can democratise access to cutting-edge digital research infrastructure, bringing positive disruption to archaeology and the humanities.

Keywords: sites and monuments database; digital archaeology; digital humanities; low-code; ai-augmented code; ChatGPT; Caspio; ArcGIS Experience builder

Future Internet, 2023

Historically, mastery of writing was deemed essential to human progress. However, recent ad-vance... more Historically, mastery of writing was deemed essential to human progress. However, recent ad-vances in generative AI have marked an inflection point in this narrative, including for scientific writing. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the capabilities and limitations of six AI chatbots in scholarly writing in the humanities and archaeology. The methodology was based on tagging AI-generated content for quantitative accuracy and qualitative precision by human ex-perts. Quantitative accuracy assessed the factual correctness in a manner similar to grading stu-dents, while qualitative precision gauged the scientific contribution similar to reviewing a scien-tific article. In the quantitative test, ChatGPT-4 scored near the passing grade (−5) whereas ChatGPT-3.5 (−18), Bing (−21) and Bard (−31) were not far behind. Claude 2 (−75) and Aria (−80) scored much lower. In the qualitative test, all AI chatbots, but especially ChatGPT-4, demonstrated proficiency in recombining existing knowledge, but all failed to generate original scientific content. As a side note, our results suggest that with ChatGPT-4, the size of large language models has reached a plateau. Furthermore, this paper underscores the intricate and recursive nature of human research. This process of transforming raw data into refined knowledge is computationally irre-ducible, highlighting the challenges AI chatbots face in emulating human originality in scientific writing. Our results apply to the state of affairs in the third quarter of 2023. In conclusion, while large language models have revolutionised content generation, their ability to produce original scientific contributions in the humanities remains limited. We expect this to change in the near fu-ture as current large language model-based AI chatbots evolve into large language model-powered software.

Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 2023

Archaeological LiDAR has evolved into an indispensable component of archaeological prospection an... more Archaeological LiDAR has evolved into an indispensable component of archaeological prospection and landscape archaeology. However, it is frequently employed as a black-box digital method, which confines it to the realm of a specialized field. Making scientific publications more accessible, transparent, and reproducible is one of the steps required to turn LiDAR into a background method for all archaeologists. This is possible, according to our proposal, through the Executable Map Paper concept. This concept can be understood as a type of executable paper that pursues Open Science's goals. The proposed technical solution consists of a PDF frontend, a persistence layer, and a hyperlinked interactive map. Executable Map Paper is applicable to all mapdependent sciences, including geography, geology, and any geoscience. In this paper, we outline the theoretical context, propose technical solutions, and provide a practical illustration.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jasrep https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103840 Received 23 April 2021; Received in revised form 20 December 2021; Accepted 12 January 2023, 2023

The use of topographic airborne LiDAR data has become an essential part of archaeological prospec... more The use of topographic airborne LiDAR data has become an essential part of archaeological prospection, and the need for an archaeology-specific data processing workflow is well established. However, interpolation, an important step in which the digital elevation model is derived from the classified point cloud, has received little attention from archaeologists. This processing step has a direct impact on the accuracy and visual performance of the digital elevation model, but remains a challenge despite numerous studies. Most studies have compared the accuracy of different interpolators (with conflicting results), but very few compare the visual performance. Also, there are no archaeology-specific studies. This article addresses this problem by providing an archaeologyspecific visual performance assessment of six of the most commonly used interpolators. The data was tested at four European test sites with innovative use of the triangular assessment method. Kriging was the best interpolator in undersampled areas, and inverse distance weighting was a distant second. In other areas, triangulation with linear interpolation was marginally better than kriging. However, when availability and computational costs are also taken into account, inverse distance weighting is currently the most suitable archaeology-specific interpolator. In addition, we propose a hybrid interpolator that combines the strengths of triangulation with linear interpolation and inverse distance weighting (QGIS plug-in). All results are to be considered Europeandata specific.

Research Data Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences, 2022

Zbiva is an open access online research data base for the archaeology of the Eastern Alps in the ... more Zbiva is an open access online research data base for the archaeology of the Eastern Alps in the Early Middle Ages. The data base is the product of four decades of thoughtful digital curation and is continually evolving at the data record level. As such, it is best described by the concept of Deep Data. The authors deposited a subset of the Zbiva data base in a persistent open access repository, Zenodo. This was necessary to ensure stable reference, facilitate the reproducibility of the results, and promote data reuse in their ongoing publication efforts. The deposited data cover the period from 500 to 1000 ce and are spatially restricted to present-day Slovenia, southern Austria, and a small part of north-eastern Italy. The data set is particularly suitable for archaeological gis analyses.

PLOS ONE, 2022

The rapid expansion of the Slavic speakers in the second half of the first millennium CE remains ... more The rapid expansion of the Slavic speakers in the second half of the first millennium CE remains a controversial topic in archaeology, and academic passions on the issue have long run high. Currently, there are three main hypotheses for this expansion. The aim of this paper was to test the so-called "hybrid hypothesis," which states that the movement of people, cultural diffusion and language diffusion all occurred simultaneously. For this purpose, we examined an archaeological Deep Data set with a machine learning method termed time series clustering and with emerging hot spot analysis. The latter required two archaeologyspecific modifications: The archaeological trend map and the multiscale emerging hot spot analysis. As a result, we were able to detect two migrations in the Eastern Alps between c. 500 and c. 700 CE. Based on the convergence of evidence from archaeology, linguistics, and population genetics, we have identified the migrants as Alpine Slavs, i.e., people who spoke Slavic and shared specific common ancestry.

it - Information Technology, 2022

The use of airborne LiDAR data has become an essential component of landscape archaeology. This r... more The use of airborne LiDAR data has become an essential component of landscape archaeology. This review article provides an understandable introduction to airborne LiDAR data processing specific to archaeology with a holistic view from a technical perspective. It is aimed primarily at researchers, students, and experts whose primary field of study is not archaeology. The article first outlines what the archaeological interest in airborne LiDAR data is and how the data processing workflow is archaeology-specific. The article emphasises that the processing workflow is riddled with archaeology-specific details and presents the key processing steps. These are, in order of their impact on the final result, enhanced visualisation, manual reclassification, filtering of ground points, and interpolation. If a single most important characteristic of airborne LiDAR data processing for archaeology is to be emphasised, it is that archaeologists need an archaeology-specific DEM for their work.
landscape archaeology; airborne LiDAR; airborne laser scanning; data processing

Critical Archaeology in the Digital Age. 12th IEMA Visiting Scholar Conference, 2022

After several years of preliminary reports in scientific journals of "revolutionary" discoveries,... more After several years of preliminary reports in scientific journals of "revolutionary" discoveries, the truly profound paradigm-changing impact of airborne LiDAR data on archaeology has yet to be seen. For a while, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the projects were fully published. However, after discussions with many of Europe's leading specialists, a common theme emerged: the sheer volume of the data prevents timely publication in the format that would meet current standards for scientific publication in archaeology. Meanwhile, the resources already invested in data processing and mapping by teams working on airborne LiDAR require scientific (i.e., professional) recognition, precluding publication of "raw" data. These circumstances lead to data hoarding in the hope that the funding for the ﬁnal publication is just around the corner. Corners don't turn, years pass. Such a predicament is not unique to airborne LiDAR, but a recurring theme in various areas of digital archaeology. Solutions therefore cannot and must not emerge in isolation, but only in the context of digital archaeology as a whole, to which this volume is dedicated.

Der Ostalpenraum im Frühmittelalter. Herschaftsstrukturen, Raumorganisation und archäologisch-historischer Vergleich, 2020

As this volume demonstrates, hilltop settlements with early medieval military finds are a phenome... more As this volume demonstrates, hilltop settlements with early medieval military finds are a phenomena detected over a large area. A majority of the known sites is located in the Eastern Alps and these are further analysed in this text.
At a first glance all of the sites exhibit not only very similar types of finds but are also set in a very similar hilltop environment. However, on a closer inspection significant variations are observed: some locations are more remote than others, some are more prominent in the landscape, some are better posi- tioned for subsistence agriculture, and so on.
These differences are addressed in a systematic and quantifiable manner employing a GIS toolset often termed a predictive modelling kit. The aim of this article is to provide a landscape context to the interpretation of the hilltops with Early Medieval military finds in the eastern Alpine area.

The book: From Late Antiquity and in the Early Middle Ages, the Eastern Alpine region was a contact zone of various dominions. In the 7th and 8th century, the former part of the Roman Empire was known primarily as a border region between the Frankish Empire and the Avar Khaganate, where the Carantanians established themselves in the 8th century. Despite its importance, however, only a few and mostly late sources are preserved, which makes it difficult to describe this region in an accurate way. The contributions gathered in this volume edited by Maximilian Diesenberger, Stefan Eichert and Katharina Winckler apply comparative and interdisciplinary studies to present new perspectives on the history of the Eastern Alpine region.

Der Ostalpenraum im Frühmittelalter. Herschaftsstrukturen, Raumorganisation und archäologisch-historischer Vergleich, 2020

The GIS analysis presented in this volume1 resulted in four groups of sites according to the natu... more The GIS analysis presented in this volume1 resulted in four groups of sites according to the natural affordance. However, it also cautioned that the interpretations suggested can only be used as a starting point for a discussion on the individual sites. What follows is such a discussion on three selected sites in Slovenia: Na Bleku, Mali grad, and Gradišče above Bašelj.
Gradišče above Bašelj is a site best known for numerous finds of military equipment and equestrian gear dated between the late 8 and early 10 centuries. Altogether, more than 1700 metal artefacts. However, this is a three-phase site: Late Antique, Early Medieval and High Medieval are known from this site. The distinction baffled early researchers but was clarified by modern excavation. The Late Antique phase is characterised by a stone-built fortified settlement. The end of this phase is radiocarbon-dated to between the end of the 4 and mid-6 centuries AD. This date is corroborated by LRA 1B and LRA 2 amphorae found on the pavement dated in the second half of the 5th and the 6th c.
Here we are focusing on the Early Medieval phase.

About the book: From Late Antiquity and in the Early Middle Ages, the Eastern Alpine region was a contact zone of various dominions. In the 7th and 8th century, the former part of the Roman Empire was known primarily as a border region between the Frankish Empire and the Avar Khaganate, where the Carantanians established themselves in the 8th century. Despite its importance, however, only a few and mostly late sources are preserved, which makes it difficult to describe this region in an accurate way. The contributions gathered in this volume edited by Maximilian Diesenberger, Stefan Eichert and Katharina Winckler apply comparative and interdisciplinary studies to present new perspectives on the history of the Eastern Alpine region.

Internet Archaeology: Issue 58, 2021

The advent of ubiquitous computing has created a golden age for archaeological researchers and pa... more The advent of ubiquitous computing has created a golden age for archaeological researchers and participating publics, but the price is a digital resource that is now in jeopardy. The archaeological record, in digital form, is at risk not simply from obsolescence and media failure, but the domain is also unable to fully participate in Open Data. Without swift and informed consensus and intervention, archaeology will lose the majority of its research data legacy and capacity to a digital Dark Age. It faces a number of challenges, distinct from those encountered in other domains:

Many forms of archaeological research (including excavation) destroy the cultural resource, and the recorded observations become the primary record, derived from non-repeatable documentation;
Archaeological data is often born-digital, and there are no paper surrogates for the primary record derived, for example, from the use of mobile devices on site, geophysical surveys or logging of experimental data by analytical laboratory equipment;
Archaeological researchers are particularly creative and innovative in their methodologies; adopting, adapting and developing novel techniques and approaches, and requiring stewardship of a wide range of data formats, and more complex understandings of data reuse, but often lacking the proper workflow and data policy found in other sciences.

Remote Sensing, 2021

The use of topographic airborne LiDAR data has become an essential part of archaeological prospec... more The use of topographic airborne LiDAR data has become an essential part of archaeological prospection. However, as a step towards theoretically aware, impactful, and reproducible research, a more rigorous and transparent method of data processing is required. To this end, we set out to create a processing pipeline for archaeology-specific point cloud processing and derivation of products that are optimized for general-purpose data. The proposed pipeline improves on ground and building point cloud classification. The main area of innovation in the proposed pipeline is raster grid interpolation. We have improved the state-of-the-art by introducing a hybrid interpolation technique that combines inverse distance weighting with a triangulated irregular network with linear interpolation. State-of-the-art solutions for enhanced visualizations are included and essential metadata and paradata are also generated. In addition, we have introduced a QGIS plug-in that implements the pipeline as a one-step process. It reduces the manual workload by 75 to 90 percent and requires no special skills other than a general familiarity with the QGIS environment. It is intended that the pipeline and tool will contribute to the white-boxing of archaeology-specific airborne LiDAR data processing. In discussion, the role of data processing in the knowledge production process is explored.

Internet Archaeology, 2021

This article presents the archiving of archaeological digital datasets in Slovenia in its histori... more This article presents the archiving of archaeological digital datasets in Slovenia in its historic context. The datasets discussed have been separated into three categories: non-reproducible datasets, reproducible datasets, and registries. Several reproducible datasets created by ZRC SAZU have been freely available online since the early 2000s, but the number of users is small and those benefiting often do not adhere to clearly stated copyright limitations. There is a large discrepancy between the stated interest and the actual usage of reproducible, let alone non-reproducible, online datasets disseminated as open access. In addition, adherence to fair use cannot be expected unless enforced. The key outcome of this study is that it has exposed a total absence of systemic archiving practice for non-reproducible digital datasets. The article concludes with recommendations and next steps that could be taken to address these issues in future. First and foremost, a systemic approach to digital archiving is urgently needed if the irreversible damage to the decades worth of born-digital non-reproducible digital data is to be averted.

Remote Sensing, 2021

The use of topographic airborne LiDAR data has become an essential part of archaeological prospec... more The use of topographic airborne LiDAR data has become an essential part of archaeological prospection, and the need for an archaeology-specific data processing workflow is well known. It is therefore surprising that little attention has been paid to the key element of processing: an archaeology-specific DEM. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to describe an archaeology-specific DEM in detail, provide a tool for its automatic precision assessment, and determine the appropriate grid resolution. We define an archaeology-specific DEM as a subtype of DEM, which is interpolated from ground points, buildings, and four morphological types of archaeological features. We introduce a confidence map (QGIS plug-in) that assigns a confidence level to each grid cell. This is primarily used to attach a confidence level to each archaeological feature, which is useful for detecting data bias in archaeological interpretation. Confidence mapping is also an effective tool for identifying the optimal grid resolution for specific datasets. Beyond archaeological applications, the confidence map provides clear criteria for segmentation, which is one of the unsolved problems of DEM interpolation. All of these are important steps towards the general methodological maturity of airborne LiDAR in archaeology, which is our ultimate goal.

Geoscience, 2021

Airborne LiDAR is a widely accepted tool for archaeological prospection. Over the last decade an ... more Airborne LiDAR is a widely accepted tool for archaeological prospection. Over the last decade an archaeology-specific data processing workflow has been evolving, ranging from raw data acquisition and processing, point cloud processing and product derivation to archaeological interpretation, dissemination and archiving. Currently, though, there is no agreement on the specific steps or terminology. This workflow is an interpretative knowledge production process that must be documented as such to ensure the intellectual transparency and accountability required for evidence- based archaeological interpretation. However, this is rarely the case, and there are no accepted schemas, let alone standards, to do so. As a result, there is a risk that the data processing steps of the workflow will be accepted as a black box process and its results as “hard data”. The first step in documenting a scientific process is to define it. Therefore, this paper provides a critical review of existing archaeology-specific workflows for airborne LiDAR-derived topographic data processing, resulting in an 18-step workflow with consistent terminology. Its novelty and significance lies in the fact that the existing comprehensive studies are outdated and the newer ones focus on selected aspects of the workflow. Based on the updated workflow, a good practice example for its documentation is presented.
Keywords: archaeological prospection; airborne LiDAR; method; workflow; documentation

Remote Sensing, 2020

Identifying bare-earth or ground returns within point cloud data is a crucially important process... more Identifying bare-earth or ground returns within point cloud data is a crucially important process for archaeologists who use airborne LiDAR data, yet there has thus far been very little comparative assessment of the available archaeology-specific methods and their usefulness for archaeological applications. This article aims to provide an archaeology-specific comparison of filters for ground extraction from airborne LiDAR point clouds. The qualitative and quantitative comparison of the data from four archaeological sites from Austria, Slovenia, and Spain should also be relevant to other disciplines that use visualized airborne LiDAR data. We have compared nine filters implemented in free or low-cost off-the-shelf software, six of which are evaluated in this way for the first time. The results of the qualitative and quantitative comparison are not directly analogous, and no filter is outstanding compared to the others. However, the results are directly transferable to real-world problem-solving: Which filter works best for a given combination of data density, landscape type, and type of archaeological features? In general, progressive TIN (software: lasground_new) and a hybrid (software: Global Mapper) commercial filter are consistently among the best, followed by an open source slope-based one (software: Whitebox GAT). The ability of the free multiscale curvature classification filter (software: MCC-LIDAR) to remove vegetation is also commendable. Notably, our findings show that filters based on an older generation of algorithms consistently outperform newer filtering techniques. This is a reminder of the indirect path from publishing an algorithm to filter implementation in software.

RURAL SETTLEMENT RELATING BUILDINGS, LANDSCAPE, AND PEOPLE IN THE EUROPEAN IRON AGE edited by, 2019

The Iron Age of Knežak and its neighbouring regions (Figure 1) is defined on the basis of a set o... more The Iron Age of Knežak and its neighbouring regions (Figure 1) is defined on the basis of a set of common characteristics as gleaned from the cemeteries, settlements, hoards and stray finds recovered across an area extending from the north-eastern coast of the Adriatic to the foothills of Snežnik mountain (1796 m a.s.l.) (Guštin 1979; Gabrovec 1999, 154-5). The characteristic features of the pre-Roman landscape are the fortified hilltop settlements or hillforts, which are often identified today with gradišče or kaštelir place names. Investigation of the hillforts in the regions of Kras and Istria (Figure 1) shows that they were first inhabited in the Early Bronze Age (Maggi et al. 2017, 59; Hänsel et al. 2015). None of the hillforts around Knežak has witnessed large-scale systematic investigations and it is therefore not possible to make the same observation.

Videolecture at: https://vimeo.com/54514704

Historični značaj krajine Bistvena razlika med tradicionalnim in sodobnim varstvom dediščine je ... more Historični značaj krajine

Bistvena razlika med tradicionalnim in sodobnim varstvom dediščine je v razumevanju, komu varstvo služi. Tradicionalno varstvo temelji predvsem na prepričanju, da je njegov cilj fizična zaščita posamičnih kulturnih spomenikov pred propadanjem in pred spremembami, ki jih prinašata čas in sodobni način življenja. V primerjavi s tradicionalnim se v sodobnem varstvu širi predvsem obseg sodelujočih, poleg stroke tudi na lokalne skupnosti, civilno družbo… Toda prenos teh načel v prakso ni enostaven, še najmanj ko ga želimo uporabiti za celotno kulturno krajino.
Kulturna krajina je eden draguljev kulturne dediščine Slovenije. Vendar pokrajino vse prepogosto podcenjujemo, ko pozornost usmerjamo na posamezne spomenike dediščine. Še posebej pogosto spregledamo historično vrednost pokrajine ali jo celo zamenjujemo za naravne lepote. Tako Slovenci na primer pogosto zamenjujemo obširne gozdove, katerih današnja razprostranjenost je plod več stoletnega intenzivnega gospodarjenja s pokrajino, za naravne lepote.
Historični značaj krajine (ang. Historical landscape characterization) so razvili v Angliji v 1990-tih v tesni povezavi z evropsko konvencijo o krajini, ki jo je leta 2003 ratificirala tudi Slovenija. Evropska konvencija o krajini daje vsebinski okvir opredeljevanju historičnega značaja krajine. Opredeljevanje historičnega značaja lahko razumemo kot učinkovito in v Evropi še nepreseženo metodologijo za implementacijo omenjene konvencije, ki v Sloveniji še nima lastnega pravnega dokumenta. Namen te metodologije je pripraviti objektivno in preverljivo osnovo za usmerjanje posegov v prostor, predvsem na podeželju .

Opredeljevanje historičnega značaja krajine je močno orodje, ki omogoča razumevanje pokrajine kot celote in nam pomaga pri usmerjanju bodočih posegov. Pri tej metodi pokrajino obravnavamo kot artefakt in jo, podobno kot to počno krajinski arhitekti, v celoti razdelimo na površine glede na historični značaj. Na primer:
• pravilno razdeljena polja (pred - srednjeveška starost);
• polja razdeljena na proge (srednjeveška starost);
• postopno izkrčena polja (posrednjeveška starost)...
Rezultat je na GIS-ih temelječ interaktiven opis historične dimenzije - časovne globine - ki okarakterizira obstoječo pokrajino.

Namenu in ciljem so prilagojene tudi osnovne značilnosti historičnega značaja krajine:
• gre za metodologijo "velikega merila", s katero lahko majhna skupina strokovnjakov opredeli historični značaj ozemlje celotne Republike Slovenije v 3-eh do 4-ih letih;
• rezultat so poligoni, ki določajo historični značaj - časovno globino - obstoječe pokrajine (npr. poljske površine srednjeveške starosti) in kontinuirano pokrivajo celotno ozemlje in ne le posamezne "spomenike";
• osnovni viri za kabinetno delo so sodobna pokrajina, historični zemljevidi in obstoječe podatkovne zbirke o preteklih in sodobnih pokrajinah;
• končni dokument (v obliki spletnih GIS-ov ali tiskanih zemljevidov) je namenjen širokemu spektru strokovnjakov, ki načrtujejo posege v prostor;
• končni dokument tako vsebinsko kot po namembnosti ne zamenjuje temveč dopolnjuje obstoječi register kulturne dediščine.

Ištitut za arheologijo ZRC SAZU in Zavod za varstvo kulturne dediščine Slovenije v sodelovanju z Birmingham Archaeology, University of Birmingham vas vabijo na predstavitev Historični značaj krajine. Skupaj z gosti iz Anglije vam bomo predstavili razvoja in uporabo te metodologije v Angliji, uspešno "presaditev" metodologije v povsem drugačno okolje pokrajine v Texasu ter pilotski primer uporabe v Sloveniji.

9.00 - 9.30
Uvodi pozdrav, dr. Damjana Pečnik, v.d. generalne direktorice ZVKDS

1.del, Historični značaj krajine v Angliji in ZDA

9.35 - 10.20
Dr. Henry Chapman
Birmingham Archaeology, University of Birmingham, Director of IBM Visual and Spatial Technology Centre (VISTA)
Historical Landscape Characterization in Englad: History, Practical Use, Further Development.

10.20 - 10.50
Professor Vince Gaffney (via Skype)
Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer, College of Arts and Law, University of Birmingham
One Land - Many Landscapes: the Fort Hood (Texas) Landscape Characterisation (HLC) Project .

10.50 - 11.10
Shane Kelleher (via Skype)
Assistant Project Manager Built Heritage and Conservation
Urban HLC: the Church Square Case Study.

11.10 - 11.30 Premor

2. del, Možnosti implementacije HKK v Sloveniji

11.30 - 11.45
Sneža Tecco Hvala,
Inštitut za arheologijo ZRC SAZU
Arheološki informacijski sistem

11.45 - 12.00

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Register nepremične kulturne dediščine

12.00 - 12.15
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Evropska konvencija o krajini in z njo povezana zakonodaja

12.15 - 13.00
Dr. Benjamin Štular
Inštitut za arheologijo ZRC SAZU
Historični značaj krajine v Sloveniji (Kobarid z okolico); metodologija, neodvisno preverjanje rezultatov, uporabnost.

13.00 - 14.30
Vodena diskusija, moderatorka
Barbara Nadbath
Vodja centra za preventivno arheologijo

Lidar data and landscape archaeology. A Kobarid (Slovenia) in 4th to 6th c. AD case study. Benja... more Lidar data and landscape archaeology. A Kobarid (Slovenia) in 4th to 6th c. AD case study.

Benjamin Štular, MSHE UFC Besancon

Lidar derived data in archaeology has been so far exploited predominantly for recording new features, either previously unknown or not well known. To be more exact, currently most of archaeological applications are concerned with recognition of man made anomalies in lidar derived high-resolution digital elevation models of ground surface. This indeed is the most powerful addition of lidar-derived data to the arsenal of archaeological tools. However, lidar derived data can – and in this authors opinion should – be used alongside with other tools commonly employed in landscape archaeology, foremost archaeological topography and DEM based GIS analysis.
This approach will be demonstrated on the dataset (© ZRC SAZU = SRC SASA) from Kobarid region in Slovenia, situated on the border between Mediterranean and Alpine Europe. In this micro-region, S. Ciglenečki and colleagues has been intensively studying the late antiquity period (4th to 6th c. AD) for two decades. Still, the first analyses of lidar derived data – by K. Oštir, Ž. Kokalj and colleagues - brought forth new data even within a settlement that has been excavated for more than a decade.
Starting from this we was able to gain new insight into the late antiquity landscape by employing the above-mentioned tools. Combining the optimal path analysis with network analysis of the lidar derived path network we were able to precisely map the ancient route, the backbone of this landscape. Using DEM manipulation and soil moisture analysis the meadows and fields have been mapped. Soil moisture analysis proved useful in estimating the settlement potential for some suspected settlements. Modeling the exposure to predominant winds enabled better understanding of internal division of space in settlements. And above all, precise mapping of buildings within settlement enabled an insight into the settlement plan template and its adaptations to specific environment.

Neobjavljeno poročilo / Unpublished report, 2011

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