Keywords

Croatia, Dental Calculus, Paleoethnobotany, Phytoliths, Starch Grains

Abstract

The Piplica hillfort is located near the village of Lovinac within the Lika region of Croatia. The Bronze Age is a pivotal period in Europe that encompasses changes in landscapes, social structures, and famously includes vast production of metals. The Bronze Age in Lika is characterized by changes in social, political, and economic lifeways; denser populations; expanded trade networks; and advancements in agriculture, husbandry, and metal-working. However, little is known about the Iapodes people, who inhabited the Lika region during the Late Bronze Age, and how they interacted with their environment.

The Iapodes were only known from classical Greek written sources until excavations beginning in the 19th century. The Iapodes left material culture including ceramics, amber, metalwork, and glass but also animal bones and plant remains. However, poor preservation of paleobotanical remains does not allow us to know much about Iapodian agricultural practices. This project intends to contribute to the paleoethnobotanical knowledge of Croatia and provide insight into Iapodian lifeways. Paleoethnobotanical and zooarchaeological methods were utilized to analyze 20 animal teeth and eight human teeth provided by Dr. Emily Zavodny. Dental calculus from the teeth was scraped off and processed in Dr. Neil Duncan’s Paleoethnobotany and Environmental Archaeology Laboratory (PEAL) for phytolith and starch grain analysis. A single unidentifiable starch grain was found after processing. Further testing of phytolith and starch grain extraction from animal and human dental calculus is suggested to continue building on paleoethnobotanical knowledge of the region. Complementary methods such as microwear analysis, residue analysis, and sediment analysis are recommended to provide additional means of gathering context and data in future studies.

Completion Date

2025

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Duncan, Neil and Zavodny, Emily

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Identifier

DP0029356

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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