Most na Soči

Abstract

Most na Soci is an archaeological site of key importance in the Posocje region and also one that witnessed most extensive investigations. Remains of its rich distant past have been coming to light over the last century and a half, either as chance finds or through archaeological excavations of the settlement from the Bronze, Iron and Roman Ages, as well as the associated cemeteries. This book presents the recent investigations on the left bank of the Idrijca, where a vast Iron Age cemetery has been known since the end of the 19th century. At its northern edge, a total of 88 graves were excavated by the Tolminski muzej in 2000–2016, when three locations were investigated: Pucarjev rob, Repelc and Lipicarjev vrt. Most of the graves date to the Iron Age, a dozen to the Roman period and one to the Early Middle Ages. In their immediate vicinity, a contemporary cremation pit and a stone drywall were discovered, under the graves also habitation remains from the Late Bronze Age. The content of the book is divided into several sections. The most extensive is the first one, which presents the topographic and stratigraphic evidence, descriptions of graves with their goods and other structures. This is followed by typological, chronological and cultural analyses of the finds. The time span of burial at individual locations and the interpretation of other remains are also given. The conclusion evaluates the differences and changes in the mortuary rituals, the imports from other cultural provinces and the associated connections, as well as the significance of recent discoveries that complement the archaeological knowledge of the area. The next section of the book comprises treatises on the recovered organic remains. The anthropological analysis of the human bone remains identifies the age and sex of the buried individuals and complements the archaeological considerations. The animal remains and possible interpretations of their symbolic role in the mortuary rituals and cult practices are discussed in detail. The macrobotanic remains are also presented and, similarly as the faunal evidence, are compared with those from select sites of the Posocje Iron Age community, offering an insight into the exploitation of the natural environment of the day. In the last part of the book, the graves and finds are graphically presented on 72 plates.