Research at Stancija Blek (Tar – Vabriga/Torre – Abrega): new insights in the Medieval phase of the site

Istraživanja tijekom 2018. godine na lokalitetu Stancija Blek, nedaleko Tara (Općina Tar – Vabriga/Torre – Abrega, Istarska županija), provedena su u tri sektora: zapadno od antičke cisterne, između kule i bedema te na području južno od crkve. Na potonjem su području, preciznije u oba identificirana aneksa, pronađeni grobovi koje je na temelju lokacije i sporadičnih nalaza iz zapuna moguće datirati u razdoblje nakon 9. st. Identificirano je pet grobova, no za sada su istražena tri: u dva je slučaja riječ o obiteljskim grobnicama, dok je treći grob ustvari kosturnica s mahom dječjim ukopima. U jugozapadnome dijelu lokaliteta dovršeni su radovi u sektoru zapadno od cisterne, dok je zapadnije započeto uklanjanje sloja šute i urušenja debljine više metara koji zapunjava prostor između zapadnoga aneksa kule i bedema. Iako će se radovi uz crkvu i u zapadnome dijelu lokaliteta nastaviti i tijekom idućih kampanja, prikupljeni preliminarni podaci vrijedni su za identificiranje funkcije crkvenoga aneksa te definicije stratigrafije očuvanih slojeva između bedema i kula.The 2018 excavations on the Stancija Blek site near Tar (Tar – Vabriga / Torre – Abrega municipality, Istrian County) were undertaken in three sectors: west of the ancient cistern, between the tower and the rampart, and in the area south of the church. The graves found in the latter area, or more precisely, in both identified annexes, can be dated to the period after the 9th century on the basis of the location and the sporadic finds from the fills. Five graves have been identified, but only three have been explored: two are family graves, and one is actually an ossuary dominated by child burials. In the southwestern part of the site, excavations were finished in the sector west of the cistern; more to the west, works began on removing the layer of rubble and collapsed material several meters thick, filling the space between the western annex of the tower and the rampart. Even though the works next to the church and in the western part of the site will continue during the next campaigns, the collected preliminary data is valuable for identifying the function of the church annex and defining the stratigraphy of the preserved layers between the ramparts and the towers