Joana Hila
Pronouns: She/her
Research Mentor(s): Erina Baci
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Anthropology / LSA
Program: UROPF
Session: Session 2 (10:00am – 10:50am)
Authors: Erina Baci, Leela Anderson, Joana Hila
Abstract
Despite being a small country, Kosova has a rich history, one which can be traced beyond the Neolithic, and through to the modern day. This research project, however, aims to analyze the movement, mobility and settlement patterns of the prehistoric and historic peoples, who practiced a pastoral lifestyle, and who inhabited modern day Kosova –between the Neolithic and Medieval periods– and how their interactions with various other groups altered the way of life of the people living in Kosova during different time periods. Though there has been extensive research of Europe’s ancient period, there is less formal research covering movement and settlement of ancient peoples in this part of the world. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and regional studies of archaeological sites in the country have been the two main methods, from which data has been collected. The data was collected from the first three volumes of the archaeological map of Kosova (2006-2017). Then, this data was recorded in an excel sheet, which included attributes, such as the site size and location, occupation, start and end periods, together with descriptions of each site, among others. After that, in GIS, we analyzed the data using various spatial patterning tools to gain a better and more thorough understanding of settlement in Kosova and how this changed over time. We created several visual representations of movement patterns throughout Kosova, and these patterns reflect the environment, economic, and social factors of the region at the time. The results of this study are hard to extrapolate to modern-day events, but what this study does is add nuance to our understanding of the region’s history and peoples. Nonetheless, Kosova remains an excellent model for studying further the implications of colonization, empire, cultural contact and the societal changes that followed as a result.
