The project analyses and interprets symbolic communication in Croatian territories and the neighbouring regions in medieval times. Symbolic communication manifests through material and immaterial signs and symbols – important even today in everyday life – as well as verbal and nonverbal signals and rituals, key factors for determining and defending one’s social status and the hierarchy. Medieval and early modern elites used symbolic communication: seals, coats of arms, representative architecture, art, chivalry and so on, in order to legitimise their power and status. Moreover, they used a complex system of rituals to declare war, alliances, peace or social mobility. It is a key dimension to understand the behaviour of social elites in medieval and early modern times. The project will look at symbolic communication from several aspects. We will study the way Croatian elites used symbols, ceremonies and rituals in their social and political lives, whether they were “imported” conventions and patterns from culturally dominant neighbours, locally made or mixed. Since symbols tend to contain a strong visual component, their understanding naturally includes an artistic viewpoint. It is, therefore, important to have an interdisciplinary approach. In this case history of art will be used to help traditional history in understanding the complex web of interdependencies between medieval and early modern elites and their dynastic networks. To understand Croatian history it is vital to consider the neighbouring regions such as Bosnia, Italy, Hungary, the southeast of the Holy Roman Empire and other realms whose elites nurtured familial and political ties with Croatian lands.

Cilj znanstveno-istraživačkog usavršavanja jest istraživanje bioraznolikosti Jadranskog mora, s posebnim naglaskom na beskralježnjacima. Kroz pažljivo strukturirane faze usavršavanja, istraživanje će se usredotočiti na provođenje taksonomskih analiza faune unutar naselja crvene alge Corallina officinalis, analize bioloških značajki organizama u raznim vrstama sedimenata, analizu utjecaja invazivnih vrsta, poput plavog raka Callinectes sapidus te korištenje raznih tehnika uzorkovanja podmorja. Očekivani rezultati ovog multidisciplinarnog pristupa uključuju povećanje stručnosti u taksonomskim analizama, produbljeno razumijevanje prilagodbi infaune sedimentnih dna na okolišne promjene, detaljnu analizu utjecaja invazivnih vrsta na priobalnu faunu te stvaranje temelja za buduće istraživačke projekte. Kroz planiranu suradnju između dviju institucija, Sveučilišta Jurja Dobrile u Puli i Morske biološke postaje Piran, projekt se integrira u šire znanstvene projekte i strategije održivog gospodarenja morskim ekosustavima. Ova suradnja također aktivno podržava partnerstva s međunarodnim znanstvenim zajednicama, potiče razmjenu znanja te nastoji integrirati rezultate istraživanja u održive prakse upravljanja morskim okolišem. Kroz ovu suradnju, projekt ima za cilj pridonijeti očuvanju Jadranskog mora, ne samo kroz stručno napredovanje, već i kroz podizanje svijesti o važnosti zaštite morskog okoliša među širom javnošću.

Prehistoric hillforts are characterised by their position on heights with excellent strategic and defensive traits. An impressive number of settlements of this type can be found in Istria, representing an interesting scientific and important cultural phenomenon. Most of the hillforts were established during the Bronze Age, and due to population increase and social stratification they were transformed from simple settlements into pre- and proto-urban centres. While the ethnic identity of the Bronze Age population is still unknown, the ethnically uniform population of the Histri inhabited these settlements during the Iron Age. After the Roman conquest of Istria most hillforts were abandoned; some of them remained in use, but under different circumstances and conditions which led to their substantial modification. Despite the large number of these sites (240 confirmed, 200 hypothetical), few of them were systematically excavated. Previous research was limited to intra-site interpretation and to targeted field survey. The main goals of this project are to identify anthropogenic landscape change at the time of the conversion of site function, and to obtain new insights on the spatial organisation of settlements and their relationships with the surrounding environment. Landscape studies, geoarchaeology, topography and archaeology will be integrated under interdisciplinary GIS environment, providing a new holistic interpretation of past landscape dynamics. This research will fill the gap in the understanding of human-landscape interaction and of anthropic transformation of land from Late Prehistory to Roman times. A case study on human impact on landscape will be conducted in the micro-region of Poreč, and will be explained within its broader regional context. The project will also provide training for young researchers involved in PhD programmes, giving them the chance to develop interdisciplinary skills and encouraging them to become successful independent scientists.