Ljubljansko barje (Ljubljana marshes, Ljubljana moor) is a large wetland in the southern part of the Ljubljana basin in the central Slovenia. It is a tectonic depression located at the interface of the Alps and Karstic Dinarides filled in with alluvial and lacustrine sediments.
Prior to major regulation works, Ljubljansko barje was a very dynamic landscape, structured by rhythms of lake level change, floods and changes of watercourses. People in the floodplain responded to this rhythm by movement; shifting occupation loci in and around the wetlands, seasonal migration and use of complementary resources in the hinterland of the marshes.
We want to tackle a series of topics, often standing in the back row of the research interest. One is the definition of ‘sites’ in complex environments like Ljubljansko barje, where we often encounter ‘places of activities’, which, however, play a crucial role for the creation of the landscape as well its understanding and interpretation. Furthermore we want to explore the role of movement in creation of the specific landscape of Ljubljansko barje during the late prehistory by focusing on the corporeal travel of people and animals on Ljubljansko barje and into its hinterland by studying the settlement patterns and physical traces of movement.
Besides that, it is the movement of objects on, from and to Ljubljansko barje which created specific material assemblages. This includes long and short distance exchange of prestige goods and artefacts, as well as travel of foodstuffs and raw materials (wood, etc.). This issue will be studied mainly through the comparison of material assemblages from Ljubljansko barje and the wider hinterland and by approaching the biographies of both objects and places on the Ljubljansko barje.

Location

Norcroft Centre, University of Bradford