Dalmatian Hinterland Research Articles

The Vlachs in Ottoman Borderlands: The Sanjak of Klis in the Middle of the 16th Century

The paper proposes the study of the Vlach population of the Ottoman Dalmatian hinterland in the middle of the 16th century, as described in the tax register (defter) of the sanjak of Klis from 1550, a document that allows for a better understanding of the social and economic history of southwestern Bosnia and the Herzegovina and parts of Lika, Krbava and Dalmatia, which all formed this administrational unit since 1537. The analysis outlined in the case study includes the problem of cross-border migrations, the specificity of transhumant economy, and the functioning of the “Vlach law” as well as the general status of the Vlach community in the Ottoman Empire, which can be also traced thanks to the abovementioned register. This document testifies that Vlachs were used to populate borderland areas, as it mentions that they settled in some deserted territories. Their migrations, which were sometimes caused by the colonization initiated by the authorities of the states (Venice, Habsburg Monarchy and Ottoman Empire) were partially facilitated by the internal social connections that characterized the Vlach community. The register clearly indicates that transhumance pastoralism practiced since the Early Middle Ages remained the main activity of the Vlachs in 16th century. Some of them also cultivated the land, although agriculture never became their main economic activity.

Between Barbarism and Civilization: The Image of the Inhabitants of Dalmatia under Napoleon (1806–1813) from the French Perspective in the Mediterranean Context

The article analyzes the image of the population of Dalmatia in the Napoleonic era. The analysis is mainly based on documents produced by the French administration of Dalmatia between 1806 and 1813, when the province was first part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and from 1809 belonged to a separate entity of the French Empire, the Illyrian Provinces. The study analyzes the picture of Dalmatian society that the French drew for practical administrative purposes and places it in the broader context of the concepts of the Balkans and Eastern Europe and, in particular, the environmental and historical peculiarities of the Mediterranean region. The article shows that the tensions between the settled population on the coast and the semi-nomadic pastoral communities in the Dalmatian hinterland, which was a characteristic phenomenon of the Mediterranean world, had a great influence, at least in the Dalmatian context, on the formation of ideas that later became part of the image of Balkan backwardness and other ideas about the Balkan region that took shape in the Age of Enlightenment.

Croatian white grape variety Maraština: First taste of its indigenous mycobiota

The indigenous vineyard mycobiota contribute both to wine quality and vineyard sanitary status. Wines made from same grape variety but from different geographical locations are appreciated for their diversity. Because no information on indigenous mycobiota of Croatian grapevines is available, the aim of the present study was to start filling this knowledge gap by characterizing the indigenous mycobiota of Maraština variety. The use of metataxonomic approach has enabled the identification of 25 different fungal genera present on Maraština grape berries collected from 11 vineyards located within the Croatian coastal winegrowing region of Dalmatia (Northern Dalmatia, Dalmatian hinterland, Central and Southern Dalmatia). The substantial regional and local scale differences in their distribution were observed. Overall, Aureobasidium was the dominant genus followed by Cladosporium and Metschnikowia. Botrytis and Plenodomus were associated with the vineyards located in Central and Southern Dalmatia, whereas Pichia was associated with Northern Dalmatia vineyards. The largest abundance of Buckleyzyma, Cladosporium, Eremothecium, Fusarium, Papiliotrema, and Rhodotorula was observed in Dalmatian hinterland. Moreover, data suggested that climate conditions and soil type partially influenced the distribution of fungal communities. The local-scale differences emerged also for the physicochemical characteristics of fresh musts. The high malic acid content supported the development of Metschnikowia, and inhibited Fusarium growth, whereas a positive correlation between Erysiphe and pH values was observed. Sporobolomyces and Cystobasidium were negatively associated with high glucose concentration. The revealing of Maraština indigenous mycobiota provided information on the members of fungal community negatively influencing the grapevine sanitary status as well as those which could be employed in disease biocontrol.

Ottoman religious architecture in Croatia

Objective: To provide a description and analysis of built, surviving, and lost Ottoman religious monuments in Croatia within the historical and sociopolitical context. Methods: Based on the analysis of relevant published sources, historical maps, online sources, as well as site analysis, we provide a description of Ottoman architectural, religious, and cultural heritage in the contemporary Croatian regions of the Dalmatian hinterland and Slavonia. This includes the art historical interpretation of the remains of the three surviving 16th-century domed mosques in three Croatian towns: Klis (today, the Catholic Church of St. Vitus in the Fortress), Drniš (now incorporated into the Catholic Church of St. Anthony held by the Franciscans), and Đakovo (today, the Catholic Church of All Saints). Results: The period of Ottoman rule saw the construction of a great number of Ottoman religious buildings in what is now the territory of the Republic of Croatia. There were two methods of mosque establishment: from the ground up, or by repurposing an older building, generally of Christian origin. With cessation of Ottoman rule these objects decayed and became less interesting for reutilization for Christian religious purposes. Many such converted objects perished in spite of their new utilization. The site analysis revealed the continuity of these sacred places in spite of religious conversion of the sacral site. Conclusion: The introduction of Ottoman architectural and urbanistic features was the defining feature of urban development in Croatia during the Ottoman era. In the settlements, the Ottomans built both sacral and utilitarian profane buildings, but Ottoman religious buildings were the most prominent. In the territory of present day Croatia, only three such Ottoman places of worship remain in existence as structures, albeit reconverted into Catholic churches. Today, due to the conversion and renovation works, they represent a fusion of several stylistic periods.

Ottoman cartography of the Dalmatian hinterland from the beginning of the Candian War

The paper presents an Ottoman map, which in one part shows in more detail the area of the Bosnian eyalet with its surroundings, i.e. parts of the area of early modern Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its author is Haji Khalifa or Katib Çelebi, an Ottoman historian and bibliographer from the mid-17th century. The map is in the autograph of the first version of his work Cosmography (Cihânnümâ) from 1648, preserved in the Austrian National Library in Vienna. The aim of the paper was to establish how the mentioned geographical area was observed by the Ottoman cartographer, what is the possible reason for the creation of the map and what were the sources of information contained in it. As the map was made during the Candian War, after the fall of Klis into Venetian hands in 1648, it is possible that the author himself made the map with the aim of visualizing the Ottoman border in the Dalmatian hinterland and explaining its significance in the Ottoman centre. Solid precision in positioning and listing local toponyms, the direction of providing road communications as well as the content of marginal notes on the map, indicate that the author probably consulted someone familiar with local circumstances.

Marking the Resting Place with the Deceased

In this paper I tried, on the basis of available literature and newly discovered data, to indicate possible links among the practices of mirila, karsikko, and cross-tree. Using these comparisons I endeavor to show that the custom of marking the place of resting with the deceased is not specific to a narrow strip of Croatian hinterland and that, if we want to get to importantinsights about the custom of mirila, it will be necessary to expand the geographical context and focus of research. The term mirila in the literature involves the stone construction marking the resting place with the deceased. It’s usually on the way from the home of the deceased to the cemetery. The funeral procession would stop, carriers would lay down the deceased onthe ground for the first and last time before the cemetery. In Finland there was a custom known as karsikko which roughly means “pruning of the tree”, but also denotes memorial inscriptions features on board, on building walls or on rocks (Vilkuna 1993:136). The funeral procession from the house of the deceased to the cemetery stoped at a certain place which is alreadyused for the same purpose, and people would select a tree and carve a cross, the initials of the deceased, year of death, etc., or write the same data on the board which would then be attached on the tree. Karsikko as a memorial to the place of resting with the deceased has the same function as a cross-tree (Vilkuna 1993: 136). Over time, karsikko became the term for markingson the stone, the walls of buildings and for the inscription on the wooden board that they nailed to the cross-tree. At sixteen sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina there are also records of the custom of incising the cross on trees at the road crossings were they rested with the deceased. At two locations in Bosnia, geographically close to the Dalmatian hinterland andthe rockier area, there was another form of marking such a place. In Brežnja near Srebrenica they would stop three times and each time they would place a stone under the head of the deceased. In Pale, near Sarajevo, the procession also stopped three times. The deceased is laid on the ground and a stone is placed above his head and under his feet. In Serbia the funeralprocession would also stop three times at intersections. Stopping places were called počivališta (resting place) and there they carved a cross on a tree. In Montenegro, at the site of the Trepča near Nikšić, they were resting three times on the road to the cemetery. In Macedonia, there are also records of stopping at crossings but without defining a locality. At all recorded sites, there is a repeated pattern of constant change of performance and meaning of the ritual practice. Starting with Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and coming to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. The significance of the place also changes, because ofchange in everyday life. In Karelia in the 19th century it was no longer important to carve in the three, or to rest on a half way to the cemetery, it was enough to make a mark on the stone in the yard or on the wall of the farm building. In the hinterland of Zadar today (2012.), it is not important to lay down the deceased on the ground (they don`t even carry him out of thecar), but it is important to stop and mark the resting place. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that there could be a possible link between customs of building of mirila, karsikko and cross-tree relying on almost identical custom that was recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia and its geographical change as one approaches tothe Dalmatian hinterland.

Daily Nutrition in the Dalmatian Hinterland in the 1950s

Against the backdrop of describing the traditional diet in different parts of Croatia, this paper presents the diet of the inhabitants of the Dalmatian Hinterland in the 1950s. The frequency of consumption of specific food groups and eating habits of the population at the time will be analysed. The paper emphasises the nutritional value of unprocessed foods and their health benefits and points to the importance of their share in modern human diet as often as possible.

Vascular flora of the geomorphological nature monument Crveno jezero (Dalmatia, Croatia)

The vascular flora of the geomorphological natural monument Crveno jezero, located in the Dalmatian hinterland, was studied during 2017 for the first time. A total of 149 plant taxa belonging to 52 families were recorded, with Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, and Poaceae being the most abundant families. The dominance of Mediterranean, South-European, and Eurasian floral elements indicates that the study area is under the influence of both oceanic and continental climates, which is in accordance with the specific location of the study area. We noted a diversity of life form strategies, with the five main strategies having a share of at least 10% of the total number of species. Most species in the study area had competitive or stress-tolerant strategies, as well as the capacity for vegetative propagation, which was to be expected in this fairly unfavorable environment. No fewer than 15 recorded species are protected by law, including 11 endemic species, which represent 7.4% of the total flora. Most of the endemic species are Illyrian-Adriatic and Illyrian-Balkanic endemics. The results of the present study greatly contribute to the knowledge of the flora of Crveno jezero and the Imotski region, and they can be used as a basis for the future conservation of the area.

A Few Letters of the Bosnian Beglerbegs to the Venetian Doges From the First Few Decades of the 17th Century

The letters of the Bosnian Beglerbegs to the Venetian Doges from the first few decades of the 17th century, preserved in State Archive of Venice, provide important testimony not only to the diplomatic practice and its forms of the time, but also to the major events and actors that marked the first few decades of this century in the Ottoman-Venetian border in the Dalmatian hinterland. Unfortunately, the aforementioned letters contain only information that testi­fies to the various forms of violence at the Ottoman-Venetian border, which members of both sides have complained about, blaming each other. Although it would be necessary to place these letters in a somewhat broader context, this time we sought to draw attention to this type of sources and the information they provide, which in their own way sheds light on the historical stage of early modern Bosnia and the region.

Economic performance of production of Croatian cheese ripened in a lamb skin sack (Sir iz mišine)

Cheeses matured in skin sack is traditionally produced in several Mediterranean countries, which in Croatia has been retained in the territory of Dalmatian hinterland. The characteristic of this cheese is its piquant flavour and aroma, as a consequence of ripening in anaerobic conditions in lamb skin. This type of cheese has been recognized and has its customers in the wider area of the Croatia, and it is an interesting touristic product. The major constraint is that the production of this type of cheese in Croatia has been reduced to sporadic production in several families that preserve the tradition of their ancestors and the produced quantities are insufficient to meet customers needs. In 2009, Dalmatian hinterland had 11 registered producers of this type of cheese, while there are currently only 2. A production and economic analysis was performed of the remaining producers in order to determine the production performance. Both family farms produce cheese from sheep milk, while the first farm owns 300 sheep and the second 500. The selling price of cheese reaches HRK 150 per kilo, which ensures the achievement of cost-effectiveness of production. The producers point out that all the produced quantity is sold to known customers through on-farm sales and the demand exceeds the supply. Such a product would arise extreme interest among tourists, while the basic prerequisite for that is increase of the annual production of cheese by increase of the number of producers, as well as their clustering and protection of the product by one of the quality marks at the EU level.

The research that resulted in the book about the Collection of Traditional Children’s Toys of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb the author provides a biref overview of the origins and the preservation of the Collection of Traditional Children’s Toys from 1919 to date. Based on long-term research and processing of the collections, as well as the recently released publication about traditional children’s toys, the text presents the development of the Collection with a special reference to several centuries of toy making in some Croatian villages. The paper focuses on the regions of Prigorje, Zagorje and the Dalmatian Hinterland, localities in Croatia in which this activity has developed as home-based businesses that brought economic gains through manufacturing and sale of children’s toys from the 19th century to this day. The text has been supported by documents and data collected during field research while co-operating with narrators, children’s toys makers and through the study of archival and library collections, in order to preserve the heritage for future generations

Tombe a camera con volta a botte della Dalmatia tardoantica. La tomba a camera con volta come base della futura chiesa

Two Early Christian rural sites of the Dalmatian hinterland have been subject to recent archaeological excavations: Rivine-Crkvina near Stolac and Doci-bazilika near Ljubuski. Doci-bazilika i...

Effectiveness of treatment of newly diagnosed hypertension in family medicine practices in South Croatia

BackgroundUncontrolled blood pressure remains an urgent issue in clinical practice worldwide. This study aimed to compare the characteristics and effectiveness of hypertension control in family medicine pratice in the first treatment year, in relation to the geographical position, socio-economic standard, and access to medical services and public pharmacies in urban, rural and island environments (city of Split vs. Dalmatian Hinterland vs. islands in Southern Croatia).MethodsA historical cohort study included 213 patients diagnosed from 2008 to 2014 with essential arterial hypertension (AH) and without related complications or diabetes mellitus. Each patient was followed up for 365 days from the visit when the diagnosis of hypertension was ascertained. Normotension was defined as arterial pressure < 140/90 mmHg. The annual cost of drugs prescribed for treating newly diagnosed hypertensive patient and the total price for defined daily dose per patient were also evaluated.ResultsMore than half patients achieved normotension within a year from the initial diagnosis in all family medicine practices (57.3%), without significant differences among the three geographic regions (P = 0.981). Higher initial systolic blood pressure was a positive predictive prognostic factor on achieveing normotension (odds ratio (OR) 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.95–0.98). ACE inhibitors were the most commonly prescribed antihypertensive agents in monotherapy (35.1%), as well as considering overall prescriptions (25.2%). Calcium channel blockers were the most commonly prescribed initial BP-lowering single agents in urban areas (28.6%), whereas angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors were more common in rural (28.0%) and island areas (22.7%) (P = 0.037). The median annual antihypertensive drug cost was 169.4 (95% CI 151.5–201.8) Croatian kunas and was similar across the study sites.ConclusionMultiple antihypertensive drugs, prescribed in accordance with the guidelines, lead to similar pharmacological effects. Primary care physicians seem to be able to overcome potential interfering socio-economic factors and successfully achieve normotension in newly diagnosed patients with uncomplicated AH after 1 year of treatment.

Living history? Reenacting the past and promoting “tradition” in the Dalmatian hinterland

In August 2015 the municipality of Sinj, located in the Dalmatian hinterland, celebrated the 300-year anniversary of a historic victory against the troops of the Ottoman Empire, one that is legendarily attributed to the divine intervention of the Virgin Mary. The Sinj Tourist Board launched an unprecedented campaign in organizing and advertising the various events - ranging from historical re-enactments, film and music productions, folkloristic performances, sports events, exhibitions, and fashion shows, to religious processions and conferences. Using a variety of media formats, these efforts were aimed at creating a new national epic, expanding the meaning of the miraculous battle of 1715 from a local narrative to a nation-wide symbol, representing Croatia in a European and global context. This article focuses on various theatrical re-enactments of the historic battle and the alleged Marian apparition, assessing the role of nostalgia and authenticity in contemporary living history performances. While one of the underlying motifs in the case of Sinj is to enhance the region’s attraction as a tourist destination, the article also theorizes the re-enactment’s epistemological and political claims by proposing that these interactive engagements with history take an active stance in promoting and/or re-inventing heroic olden times to advance socio-political conditions in the present (Gegenwartsbewaltigung).

Compositional analysis of Late Medieval glass from the western Balkan and eastern Adriatic hinterland

In this work, we investigate on the origin of Late Medieval glass from 12 previously and recently excavated archaeological sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Croatia (Dalmatia). The present work aims to contribute to filling the data gap on the glass distribution in the Balkan region, as well as to provide new insights on glass trade and its impact in the region. Up to now, the knowledge of Medieval glass from the western Balkan (Bosnia up to Bobovac) and eastern Adriatic hinterland (Dalmatian hinterland between Zadar and Dubrovnik, and Herzegovina) remained limited. The lack of archaeometrical data caused limited comparisons with similar materials from other regions in which Venetian glass was used. A representative sample set of 129 glass fragments from the second half of the fourteenth century to the beginning of the fifteenth century was analysed by combined particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) measurements. The studied glass vessels are mostly different from the characteristic Venetian shapes, but they are made with Venetian raw glass, demonstrating the Venetian vitrum blanchum was already widespread in the Adriatic in the second half of the fourteenth-beginning of the fifteenth c. An open question remains whether the origin of the glass vessel production was specifically Venetian or local by adopting the Venetian technology and importing the raw materials.

Razine anksioznosti kod prognanika i povratnika

This study aimed to examine the impact of war stress on some aspects of anxiety in refugees and returnees.The subjects were refugees from Eastern Slavonia (N=80) and returnees from the Dalmatian hinterland (N=80), whereas the citizens of the city of Split (N=81), who have been indirectly exposed to the war events, served as the control group.The subjects were given Endler's Multidimensional Anxiety Scales (EMAS-S and EMAS-T) that are designed to measure the state anxiety and the trait anxiety in usual, everyday situations and in situations of social evaluation. In addition, two scales were administered that were constructed for assessment of the perception of threatening aspects of war and of the exposure to war related stress (Gregov et al., 1995).The results showed that the anxiety level was higher in the returnees than the refugees, while the control group had the lowest degree of both state and the trait anxiety. This finding is in accordance with the hypothesis that the stress experienced during the refugee period and in the new situation of the return would have cumulative effects which could be manifested in short-term consequences (increased level of state anxiety and perceived threat of some war aspects) and in longterm consequences (increased level of trait anxiety).

Some causes of the distribution of the population of dalmatia between 1971 and 1991

The author considers the processes that took place within the system of settlements in Dalmatia in the period between 1971. and 1991. The stratification of the system of settlements occured along two lines: the growth of population along the coast accompanied by the relative or absolute reduction in the hinterland and on the islands, and the expansion of the population in towns with over 3000 inhabitants and the dying away of settlements with a smaller number of inhabitants. Such a concentraction of the population on the one hand and the reduction of the density of the population on the other opens a host of questions pertaining to the economic, spatial and social development as well as to the exploitation of natural and man-made resources in Dalmatia. The author's special concern is with the process of depopulation in the Dalmatian hinterland between 1991-1993 as a consequence of the war. His position is that the process of returning these people to their abandoned homes is not only a technical or an organisational question but a complex issue implicating the reasonable regional development of Dalmatia which would make possible the optimal use of its existing natural resources.

Assemblages from Marginal Spaces

Špilja Mala (Nova) pećina smještena je u planinskome području dalmatinskoga zaleđu koje predstavlja dodirnu zonu između istočne jadranske obale i unutrašnjosti. U arheološkim iskopavanjima u Maloj pećini istražen je rano- i kasnoneolitički špiljski lokalitet koji bi mogao biti ključan za bolje razumijevanje odnosa između obalnih zajednica te onih smještenih u zapadnobalkanskoj unutrašnjosti. U članku će biti predstavljeni nalazi i kontekstualni podaci prikupljeni u istraživanju iz 2016. godine, kao i rezultati njihove obrade provedene 2017. godine, koji uključuju keramičke i litičke nalaze te zooarheološke i arheobotaničke analize. Preliminarni dokazi ukazuju da špilja nije korištena kao nastamba duži vremenski period, već kao privremeno sklonište od strane zajednica koje su se kretale kroz okolne planine ili onih koje su posjećivale špilju u sklopu kratkotrajnih aktivnosti. Iskopavanja su također ukazala na moguću razliku u korištenju špilje u ranome neolitiku s tragovima naseobinskih, ali i potencijalnih ritualnih aktivnosti, u odnosu na kasni neolitik s isključivo pastoralnom funkcijom. Mala pećina je stoga iznimno važna za bolje razumijevanje odnosa između obale i zaleđa u razdoblju neolitika.

Suvremena dinamika i strukture stanovništva bivše općine Obrovac

This paper deals with demographic characteristics of former Obrovac Municipality that existed as such until 1993. Like most of the municipalities in Dalmatian hinterland, this municipality was also affected by depopulation processes. The purpose of this paper is to determine the intensity of these processes by analyzing the various aspects of population structures. The analysis includes population trends, age-sex structure, educational structure, economic and ethnic composition. This mostly rural area has always been underdeveloped with depopulation processes dating from 1970s that particularly intensified during and after the Croatian War of Independence.

The Sustainability of Tradition in the Dalmatian Hinterland through Green Entrepreneurship

The Sustainability of Tradition in the Dalmatian Hinterland through Green Entrepreneurship