Investigations of medieval finds in Korlat near Benkovac

Izvješćuje se o rezultatima arheoloških istraživanja srednjovjekovnih nalazišta koja je Arheološki muzej u Zadru proveo od 1997. do 2003. godine na području sela Korlata kod Benkovca. Istraživano je ranohrvatsko groblje koje se nalazi sjeveroistočno od crkve Uznesenja Blažene Djevice Marije, kao i recentno groblje uz stariji prilazni put toj crkvi smještenoj na glavici brdašca. Izvodila su se revizijska istraživanja ostataka crkve sv. Nediljice, te istraživanja groblja oko nje. Pokusna istraživanja provedena su na Bašića zemlji, gdje se nalazi srednjovjekovno groblje, te oko crkve sv. Jeronima (sv. Jere), porušene u Domovinskom ratu. U ruševinama oko crkve sv. Jeronima pronađen je veći broj ulomaka srednjovjekovnoga crkvenog namještaja, što indicira postojanje ranijega, srednjovjekovnog sakralnog objekta (na istome mjestu ili u neposrednoj blizini). Sadašnja crkva sv. Jeronima nastala je, kako je ovim istraživanjima ustanovljeno, na mjestu jednoga rimskoga gospodarskog sklopa, čiji se ostaci još pružaju južno i jugoistočno od crkve.This is a brief report on the results of the archaeological investigations of the medieval sites in the area of the village of Korlat near Benkovac which were carried out from 1997 to 2003 by the Archaeological Museum in Zadar. In 1997 during works on an approach road to the parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is situated at the top of a hillock, two early Croatian graves were discovered on the north-east side, almost at the base of the hillock. Exploratory and protective investigations were carried out in 1998 and 1999 at this location and alongside an older road. Next to the road to the church we opened a few probes of differing sizes and investigated around ten recent graves. In the area between the old and new roads (more towards the foot of the hillock) are older graves (end of the 8\u27h and beginning of the 9\u27h century). As well as the two already mentioned a further five graves were investigated. In 1999 and 2000 some probe investigations were carried out on Bašić\u27s land. This site is situated some fifty metres north of the Benkovac-Smilčić road, below the hamlet of Pavlocići. Altogether 17 graves were investigated with very modest finds from the Middle Ages. Around fifty metres south-east of Bašić\u27s land is the Glavica site. At the end of 2000 while going around that location following the profile of the land, a grave was found right next to the road towards Benkovac from the direction of Smilčić (destroyed by the widening of this road). We gathered the fragments of a baked earthenware pot and a ceramic disc. The finds belong to the end of the 8t1l and beginning of the 9\u27h century. Shown are the results of the revision investigations (end of 2000) of the church of St Nedeljica which is located in a field, some two hundred metres south of the Benkovac-Smilčić road. At the end of 1924 and beginning of 1925, Don Mate Klarić excavated here. E. Dyggve, who later drew the ftoor plan of the investigated sacral object and asserted that it was a medieval building, also stayed here. However, Lj. Karaman and N. Cambi believe that it is an early Christian church. The ftoor plan of a church with a single apse as drawn by E. Dyggve is reproduced. However, our revisory investigations have shown something different. We succeeded in excavating the church\u27s walls as drawn by E. Dyggve but it was shown that the church had not one but three apses. In our future investigations we will try to establish whether this is an early Christian building which continued to be used during the early Middle Ages and then acquired its church furniture or whether it is just a medieval sacral building which stay ed in function until the Turkish conquest of this area. We opened one probe next to the church\u27s north-east wall. Four graves from the late Middle Ages were investigated. The church of St Domenica was built on the remains of a Roman commercial complex and in the Middle Ages belonged to the village of Praskvić. At the end of 2002 and beginning of 2003 investigatory excavations were conducted next to the church of St Jerome (St Jere) which was destroyed in the Homeland War. The church is located some two hundred metres north of the Benkovac-Smilčić road. Six trenches were opened in all and 13 graves were investigated in them (all graves with architecture). According to the modest finds, these were burials from the Middle Ages to modem times. Several fragments of church furniture were found in the ruins which indicate the existence of a medieval building (here or in the immediate vicinity). Walls and stone fragments belonging to the Roman period were found as well as some examples of minor material culture. The conclusion is that the church of St Jere was built onthe remains of a Roman commercial building whose remains, still, extend to the south and south-east of the church. This church belonged to the village of Makle in the late Middle Ages. Translation: Nicholas Philip Saywel