Properties
| ID | 132436 |
|---|---|
| System Class | Bibliography |
| Bibliography | Inbook |
| Case Study | Byzantino-Serbian Border Zones in Transition (1282–1355) , Historical Region of Macedonia TIB 16 |
Description
Mihailo St. Popović, The Dynamics of Borders, Transportation Networks and Migration in the Historical Region of Macedonia (14th-16th Centuries), in: Europa im Geflecht der Welt. Mittelalterliche Migrationen in globalen Bezügen (Europa im Mittelalter 20, Berlin 2012) 155-172.
Relations
Places (3)
| Name | Class | Begin | End | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Least Cost Path Štip Petrič | Place | The military expansion of the Serbian medieval state in the valley of the river Strumica (Strumešnica) followed the transit route between the cities of Skopje and of Serres via the towns of Štip and of Strumica. The existence of this route is attested in descriptions of demarcations of landed property belonging to the monasteries of the Holy Mount Athos, which can be found in medieval Byzantine and Serbian charters. The particular scientific challenge lies in the fact that the route cannot be localised on the basis of archaeological findings, in part because no excavations have taken place until now and in part because modern tarmac roads overlap significant parts of the medieval route. It is precisely at this point that the calculation of ‘least-cost paths’ based on applications from Geographic Information System (GIS) is a very useful aid for both historians and archaeologists. Based on the preparatory scientific work by Mihailo St. Popović and on Global Positioning System (GPS) waypoints, which he recorded during two surveys in the area of research in 2007 and 2010, the geographer and GIS-technician Markus Breier calculated a model, which predicts the course of the medieval route in the border zone between the towns of Štip and of Petrič. The result obtained shows clearly that our lack of sources can be compensated to a certain extent by computer-based models, which have the potential to enhance the scientific work of archaeologists and to familiarise the wider public with complex historical interrelations through visual representations. | ||
| Road Konče Radoviš | Place | Gavro Škrivanić outlines in his study on the roads in medieval Serbia that a road connected Konče and Radoviš via Dedino. | ||
| Road Valley of the River Lakavica | Place | This road through the valley of the river Kriva Lakavica is part of the road between Štip and Petrič and led via Dědino into the valley of the river Strumica. It is attested indirectly in the so-called ‘Praktikon of Konče’ , which is dated to the time after 1366. The ‘Praktikon’ mentions the existence of a watchtower (na stražišti and u stražišti) near the village of Trěskavac. Most probably the watchtower was located on the elevation Treskavačka čuka, 602 m above sea level and about 9 km north-north-west of the village of Konče, thus overlooking the whole valley in both directions. We can find certain proof for the existence of this sideway in the Ottoman tax registers dating to 1570/73. Therein a “route of the Gazis” (“na Patot na gaziite”) is attested, which ran along the right (north-eastern) side of the river Kriva Lakavica and originally surrounded the elevation Treskavačka čuka from the south-west following the river. Its course was definitely altered in 1978, when the dam lake of Mantovo was accumulated. That is why the modern tarmac road surrounds today the above-mentioned elevation from the north-east. This situation on the ground is reflected by the GPS track in our database, which Mihailo St. Popović recorded during a survey in September 2010. The Ottoman tax registers confirm clearly that the Ottoman troops used this route in the wake of their advance into the historical region of Macedonia. What is more, we even have archaeological evidence for this advance in the shape of an Ottoman funerary monument (“Türbe”) in addition to the written sources. This monument is called “Gazi Evrenos” and lies directly on the right (northern) side of the river Kriva Lakavica, respectively 5,5 km north-north-east of Konče. It was erected before the year 1417 by the famous Ottoman general Ewrenos Bey Gazi for his father ‛Isā Bey Prangi on the spot where the latter had fallen in combat. His death had most probably occurred around 1385, when the Ottomans gained control over the valley of the river Kriva Lakavica. The free-standing monument is of rectangular shape and approximately 5 m high. Its western and eastern front are about 7 m long, whereas its northern and southern front have a length of about 5 m. The entrance to the building lay in the north. Although a space for an inscription can be discerned above the entrance, no traces of it survive today. The walls of the monument are built of gravel, brick and mortar. All four walls have arches and the whole structure is surmounted by a cupola made of brick. The outer walls of the edifice show traces of reddish plasterwork and have worked cornerstones. |