Pre-Romanesque Sculpture: Evidence for the Cultural Evolution of the People of the Dalmatian Coast

Abstract

The purpose of the essay is methodological--to develop new information through the application of models formed of art historical material. A model was developed of low relief sculptures dating from the sixth through the ninth century in the Latin parts of the Roman Empire, primarily in Italy. Another was developed with material from the Greek East. Each model was organized chronologically on the basis of style. These two models were used to construct a sequence of low-relief sculptures found along the eastern shores of the Adriatic and on the Dalmatian islands. The analysis shows the close and interdependent cultural evolution of the people of the Dalmatian Coast with the people to the north and west of the Adriatic Sea rather than with those of the Byzantine East.