Archaeological, Anthropological and Historical Indicators of Life of the Mediaeval Population in Northwest Croatia

Studija kao multidisciplinarna analiza holistički pokušava rekonstruirati uvjete i način života na reprezentativnim srednjovjekovnim arheološkim lokalitetima sjeverozapadne Hrvatske. Povij esni pokazatelji govore da je život prvotno bio organiziran u društveno- političkim okvirima centralne vlasti u liku kralja i teritorij alnom ustroju Ugarskoga Kraljevstva. Proces osamostaljenja od kraljevske vlasti privilegiranih staleža dovodi u 13. stoljeću do toga da ta nova društveno-ekonomsko-politička elita preuzima na sebe javne funkcij e uprave i sudbenosti, odnosno da se stare županij ske organizacij e opće kraljevske uprave raspadaju i prerastaju u autonomne. U novom sustavu gradovi imaju sve veću ulogu, a njihova važnost ogleda se i u razvoju drugog čimbenika relevantnog za kvalitetu života tadašnjeg stanovništva – ekonomij e. To je nužno dovodilo do procesa dovođenja novca na selo, koji postaje glavno sredstvo za plaćanje raznih do tada naturalnih daća novčanim ekvivalentima. Paleopatološka slika tadašnje populacij e kroz evidentiranje hipoplazij e zubne cakline i cribrae orbitaliae načelno govori o njihovoj lošoj prehrani, pojavama određenih bolesti i sl., ali u okolnostima koje se ne mogu povezivati s drugim lokalitetima istog razdoblja. Razvojem društveno-političkih i ekonomskih odnosa od 14. do 16. st. čimbenici koji utječu na kvalitetu života populacij e postaju sve više univerzalni i ne postoji bitna razlika u životu ljudi na prostorima sjeverne Hrvatske od onih na drugim prostorima. Paleopatološka slika obrađivanih lokaliteta ocrtava sve više individualne probleme pojedinaca, a sve manje zajednice, osim u ekstremnim slučajevima globalnih stresnih situacij a kao što je npr. glad na širem području uzrokovana elementarnim nepogodama ili ratnim zbivanjima. Razdoblje 14. i 15. st. donosi razvoj društveno-političkih odnosa, centralizacij u upravne piramide na čij em je vrhu vladar, ekonomske odnose koji su prij e svega podređeni akumuliranju kapitala u kraljevski fi sk, a poljoprivreda kao ekonomski čimbenik također je u službi takvog ustroja. Analizirani arheološki materij al svjedoči o tome da se kulturološki procesi ne mogu povezivati s trenutnim društveno-političkim prilikama već da se oni sublimiraju kao produkt raznih utjecaja bez obzira na njihovo teritorij alno i vremensko ishodište (istok ili zapad Europe, razdoblja prij e ili poslij e seobe naroda i sl.) te su ponajprij e u službi funkcionalnosti i, možda, ekonomskog statusa pojedinca koji ih je upotrebljavao. Iz tog zaključka jedino treba izdvojiti novac kao ekvivalent političkih i ekonomskih čimbenika usko vezanih za državnost odnosno personalizacij u vladara.As a multidisciplinary analysis, the study endeavours to holistically reconstruct life conditions on representative mediaeval archaeological localities in northwest Croatia. Historical indicators speak in favour of the fact that life had initially been organised within the social and political frame of the central power impersonated in the king and the territorial organisation of the Hungarian Kingdom. The process during which the privileged classes had gained independence from the royal power created in the 13th century resulted in such a situation in which this new social, economic and political elite took over public administrative and judicial functions, which further led to falling apart of the old county units of the royal administration and their becoming autonomous. In the new system, towns started playing an increasingly major role, and their importance was additionally refl ected in the development of economy as a further factor relevant for the quality of life of the then contemporary population. This inevitably led to the process of introducing into the country money, which became the principal means of payment regarding taxes that had until then been paid in nature. The paleopathological picture of the population of that time, observed through registered dental hypoplasia and cribra orbitalia, generally speaks of malnutrition, presence of certain diseases, etc., yet due to circumstances that may not be connected to the ones present on other localities in the same period. As a result of the development of socio-political and economic relationships in the period between the 14th and the 16th centuries, the factors infl uencing the quality of life of the population became increasingly universal, and essential diff erences between the life of people in northwest Croatia and other parts of Croatia ceased to exist. The paleopathological picture of the researched localities began increasingly refl ecting individual problems of individuals, whilst the importance of the problems of communities decreased, except in extreme cases of global stress situations, such as famine in broader areas caused by either natural or war disasters. The 14th and the 15th centuries were marked by the development of socio-political relationships, the centralisation of the administrative pyramid on the top of which stood the ruler, and economic relationships primarily subordinated to the accumulation of capital into the royal treasury; agriculture as an economic factor also stood in the service of such organisation. The analysed archaeological material witnesses to the fact that culturological processes may not be connected with the socio-political circumstances of a certain moment; they should rather be regarded as a product of diverse infl uences, regardless of their territorial and temporal origin (east or west of Europe, periods preceding or following the movement of peoples, etc.), which primarily served the functionality and additionally perhaps also the economic status of an individual user. This conclusion excludes only money as an equivalent of political and economic factors closely linked to statehood, or rather the personalisation of the ruler