Redefinirana kasnoantička i ranosrednjovjekovna "rimskost" u spomeničkoj ba&scaron;tini i pisanim izvorima na istočnoj obali Jadrana (4.-9. st.) (financiranje: Sveučili&scaron;te u Zagrebu, voditelj projekta: Nikolina Maraković) / Re-defined Late Antique and Early Medieval "Romanness" in Monumental Heritage and Written Sources on the Eastern Adriatic (4th-9th c.) (funding: University of Zagreb, project leader: Nikolina Maraković)
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Researchers:
Brodej Paola, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb (MA student)
Buranji Ma&scaron;a, Independent researcher
Maraković Nikolina, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Department of History of Art
Moreau Dominic, Facult&eacute; des Humanit&eacute;s, Universit&eacute; de Lille, D&eacute;partement d&rsquo;Histoire
Mustač Sunčica, Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria, Pula
Turković Tin, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Department of History of Art
Vedri&scaron; Trpimir, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Department of History
Vučić Mihaela, Independent researcher
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Objective:
The main objective is to identify and contextualize both general and specific elements of new late antique and early medieval &ldquo;romanness&rdquo; (romanitas) at the territory of Dalmatia and Istria, and to systematize and structuralise all the relevant data.
The first step would be to provide an insight into the development of &ldquo;romanness&rdquo; during Late Antiquity, and the mechanisms of transformation of the classical pagan concept of romanitas (as noted by Cicero, Apuleius, Tertullian, Marcus Aurelius &ndash; DENCH, 2005; MULHERN, 2014; HOLLIDAY, 2005; etc.) into &ldquo;Christian romanitas&rdquo;, defined by the heritage and oecumenical worldview of Emperor Constantine the Great and early Church Fathers (DONELLY, 1973; BETTINI, 2011; BURLIGA, 2012; ROBERTS, 2014; RODDY, 2018; etc.). The transformative processes were manifested across the Mediterranean, although not at the same time, in the same way, or with the same intensity. The initial centre of transformation was Constantinople; however, especially from the end of the sixth century and pope Gregory the Great, papal Rome also became a stronghold of the mentioned processes.
General fragmentation of the idea of &ldquo;romanness&rdquo;, which pervaded late antique and early medieval East and West, was reflected also in the eastern Adriatic culture, so it proliferated its own concept of romanitas. In that respect, the project aims at defining the mentioned ideas in the regional context, through the study of monumental heritage and written sources, in order to establish a firm foundation for further research in the field.

2022 - Re-defined Late Antique and Early Medieval Romanitas in Monumental Heritage and Written Sources on the Eastern Adriatic (4th to 9th c.)

Identitetski elementi romajske kulture na tlu Dalmacije i Istre (7.-11. s.t.) (financiranje: Sveučili&scaron;te u Zagrebu, voditelj projekta: Nikolina Maraković) / Elements of Identity of the Culture of Romaioi at the Territory of Dalmatia and Istria (7th to 11th c.) (funding: University of Zagreb, project leader: Nikolina Maraković)
Researchers:
Maraković Nikolina, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Department of History of Art
Mustač Sunčica, Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria, Pula
Nikolić-Jakus Zrinka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Department of History
Turković Tin, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Department of History of Art
Vedri&scaron; Trpimir, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Department of History
Objective:
&ldquo;Byzantine heritage&rdquo;, as a constituent element of early medieval culture at the territory of modern Croatia (Dalmatia and Istria), has been researched and analysed from different aspects, but following, more or less, one and the same paradigm. Consequently, when used in Croatian historiography and culturology, the term &ldquo;Byzantine&rdquo; still connotes something that is not intrinsic to our (Croatian) culture. The term even became a common denominator for what is &ldquo;other&rdquo; and &ldquo;strange&rdquo;, what does not belong to our tradition, despite the long Byzantine presence on medieval Adriatic and its indisputable formative role for our cultural formation. Some of the recent studies tended to acknowledge Byzantium as a cultural factor in the region, however, still underestimating its actual importance.
Only a small number of Croatian researchers acknowledged the fact that the term &ldquo;Byzantine&rdquo; is neither the most adequate to be used in the context of Croatian medieval cultural heritage (for the term in general see: W. Treadgold, The Formation of s Byzantine Identity, 2009), nor it would have been used at the time when Eastern Romanitas was acquiring its full meaning, as well as its Western, Frankish counterpart (see: D. Whalin, Roman Identity from the Arab Conquests to the Triumph of Orthodoxy, 2021). So, methodologically speaking, this project aims at explaining and specifying the term Romanitas in medieval Dalmatia and Istria, in relation and in the context of other perceptions of &ldquo;Romanness&rdquo;, detecting all of its cultural aspects, in order to build a new vision of a multi-layered culture, not necessarily determined by political-military dominance. It is more than certain that the Eastern idea of Romanitas had to be modified to a certain extent on the borders/periphery of the Roman Empire; however, it must have initiated certain cultural transformations, in accordance with the Eastern policy of dominance through cultural superiority. In that respect, the aim of the project is to introduce a new paradigm for the interpretation of the culture of Romaioi in the region, and identify its strongholds in Adriatic and pan-Mediterranean context.

Projects

**2022 - Re-defined Late Antique and Early Medieval Romanitas in Monumental Heritage and Written Sources on the Eastern Adriatic (4^th to 9^th c.)**
(funding: University of Zagreb, project leader: Nikolina Maraković)

**2021 - Elements of Identity of the Culture of Romaioi at the Territory of Dalmatia and Istria (7^th to 11^th c.)**
(funding: University of Zagreb, project leader: Nikolina Maraković)

Projects

2022 - Re-defined Late Antique and Early Medieval Romanitas in Monumental Heritage and Written Sources on the Eastern Adriatic (4th to 9th c.)(funding: University of Zagreb, project leader: Nikolina Maraković)

2021 - Elements of Identity of the Culture of Romaioi at the Territory of Dalmatia and Istria (7th to 11th c.)(funding: University of Zagreb, project leader: Nikolina Maraković)

**2022 - Re-defined Late Antique and Early Medieval Romanitas in Monumental Heritage and Written Sources on the Eastern Adriatic (4^th to 9^th c.)**
(funding: University of Zagreb, project leader: Nikolina Maraković)

**2021 - Elements of Identity of the Culture of Romaioi at the Territory of Dalmatia and Istria (7^th to 11^th c.)**
(funding: University of Zagreb, project leader: Nikolina Maraković)