The eleventh international symposium ‘Villae, rustici, agricolae…: on villages and peasants in history in the Adriatic area’.
Welcoming speeches were sent on behalf of the organizers by the director of the Poreč Museum, Dr. Sc. Elena Uljančić, Vice-Dean for Science at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Pula, assoc. prof. dr. sc. Marko Ljubešić, director of the State Archives in Pazin Mirela Mrak Kliman, who conveyed the greetings of the Minister of Culture and Media dr. sc. Nine Obuljen Koržinek, and Deputy Mayor of the City of Poreč-Parenzo Ugo Musizza. This was followed by a presentation of the proceedings of the previous conference entitled ‘Corpus, carnalitas…: on body and physicality in history in the Adriatic area’. The proceedings were presented on behalf of the editorial board by prof. dr. sc. Marija Mogorović Crljenko, while the content and contribution of the proceedings to Croatian historiography were discussed by doc. dr. sc. Maja Ćutić Gorup and Gaetano Benčić, prof.
The Istrian Historical Biennale has been held since 2003, each time dealing with one of the topics from the history of everyday life. By its orientation (history of everyday life), as well as by selected topics, it represents a unique gathering in Croatia, and beyond, in the Adriatic area. This year it was dedicated to the village and peasantry in history in the Adriatic area. The results of their research on this year's theme were presented by 23 scientists from Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and Austria. In their presentations, the participants presented the different possibilities of exploring villages and peasants through several types of historical sources for different historical periods – from prehistory and antiquity to the Middle and Early Modern Ages to the modern era. The presentations were divided into several sections, i.e. thematic sections, and were held in four languages: Croatian, Italian, Slovenian and English.
On the first day, the village and peasantry were observed through the connection between the town and the village, that is, the town and its surroundings, and through the agrarian policy visible from documents, notarial records, statutory provisions and other written documents (Zdenka Janeković Roemer (Dubrovnik): Environment as a common good, bonum commune – village and peasants within the Dubrovnik city municipality in the 13th and 14th centuries; Darja Mihelič (Ljubljana): Kmet in his agrarian dejavnost v the economy of the Middle-November place (Piran, 13th and 14th century); Despina Vlassi (Venice): La politica agraria di Venezia nello stato da mar dello Ionio (XVIII sec.). Il caso di Cefalonia). The first session of the following day was dedicated to the village from an archaeological and cultural perspective (Klara Buršić-Matijašić (Pula): Gradina – cashmere, village or city; Robert Matijašić (Pula): A town and village in the antiquity of the eastern Adriatic colonies; Sara Hajdinac (Koper): Written in cultural dediščina glagoljašev v zaledju severozahodne Istra; Lena Sadovski (Vienna): And contadini di Spalato tra Venezia, Poglizza e gli Ottomani). The second session of the second day was dedicated to the topics of the position and everyday life of peasants (Ivan Majnarić (Zagreb): Coprana interpretations: peasants of the Croatian Middle Ages; Neven Budak (Rijeka): Who were the servi in the area of medieval Slavonia?; Danijela Doblanović Šuran (Pula): Boundary differentiations: clashes of the long duration of the Vodnjan commune with its neighbors (14. 16th para.); Marija Mogorović Crljenko (Pula): Village in the city – the example of Rovinj and Novigrad in the 16th century; Zrinka Novak (Zagreb): The life of the inhabitants of the Rab district at the beginning of the early modern age). The last part of the second day was dedicated to the village through the observation of symbols and rituals, through medieval and early modern urbare, statutes, writings (Robert Kurelić (Pula): Symbols and rituals at the bottom of the pyramid; Denis Visintin (Porec): Organizzazione produttiva e paesaggio agrario nei villaggi dell’Urbario del contado di Pisino del 1578; Maja Ćutić Gorup (Rijeka): From a Habsburg perspective: higher levies, higher value of the Pazin principality; Kosana Jovanović (Rijeka): ‘Therefore, for the sake of peace, live serfs z mrodum and gents z kmeti vaveki’ – peasantism through the prism of the coastal statutes; Katarina Marić (Pula): Histerreicheri, inhabitants of Istria towards Valvasor). The completed section presents research related to church and secular written and oral sources that provide a detailed picture of the economic, social and demographic situation in the village from the 16th to the 20th century (Zdenko Dundović (Zadar): Villages of Zadar and Nin surroundings in the cleft between the church tithe and excommunication in the early modern period (16th century). 18th para.); Marino Martinčević (Poreč): Dozens of the Poreč Capitol at the beginning of the 17th century; Dragica Čeč (Koper): ‘Slan kot Čič’. Čiči and their modes of survival v poročili v 18. stoletje; Matija Nežić (Buzet): Villages and country houses in the Istrian north in the Franciscan cadastre fund; Ivica Pletikosić (Piran): Vpliv Parencane to the Istrian sub-desires; Tajana Ujčić (Pula): Mystery of long duration and sudden depopulation. Everyday life of the peasants of Momjanština according to the testimonies of the speakers).
Istrian historical biennials also followed lively discussions on specific topics. On the second day of the conference, a tour of the Euphrasiana was organized under the expert guidance of dr. sc. Ivan Matejčić, prof. in peace. On the last day after the final discussion, according to the established custom, the theme of the next Istrian historical biennale was announced, which is violence in history in the Adriatic area. After the discussion, a tour was organised for the participants of the event – a tour of Višnjan and its monuments under the guidance of the Poreč curators and Peter-Pier Poletti, an excellent connoisseur of the history of Višnjan.
The conference and proceedings are financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Education and the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the County of Istria – Administrative Department for Culture and Heritage, the City of Poreč-Parenzo and other Istrian cities and municipalities.
(taken from: https://www.muzejporec.hr/hr/novosti-i-press/novosti/novosti/finalised-11-Istrian-historical-biennale/, 4.7.2023)
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