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Title:Rethinking Ethnic Identity in the Archaeology of the Ancient Slavs
Authors:ID Štular, Benjamin (Author)
Files:URL URL - Source URL, visit https://ojs.zrc-sazu.si/av/article/view/14328
 
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MD5: D0FB501CBEC1E1910EE99B550CCBEBDC
 
Language:English
Typology:1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:Logo ZRC SAZU - The Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Abstract:The archaeology of the ancient Slavs has advanced methodologically but remains divided between scholars who deny the Slavs’ migrations, and those linking material culture directly to ethnic identities. This paper seeks to bridge this divide by reassessing the theoretical framework for studying the ancient Slavs. It critiques the historical development of research on ethnic identity in archaeology, highlighting limitations in both primordialist and instrumentalist models. Instead, we propose redefining archaeological culture as a polythetic commonality of practice rooted in learned social behaviours. This framework permits identifying ethnic identities in the archaeological record without relying on texts. Applying this approach to the Prague-culture-assemblage archaeological culture, we demonstrate shared practices in language, housing, dress, sustenance, social relations, and genetic relatedness. Our findings confirm that the ancient Slavs existed as both an archaeological culture and a distinct identity group with strong collective self-awareness.
Keywords:Ancient Slavs, archaeology, theory, Late Antiquity, Early Middle Ages, ethnic identity, archaeological culture, habitus
Publication status:Published
Publication version:Version of Record
Publication date:10.02.2025
Year of publishing:2025
Number of pages:str. 261-288
Numbering:letn. 76
PID:20.500.12556/DiRROS-25310 New window
UDC:902:323.1(=16)"653"
ISSN on article:0570-8966
DOI:10.3986/AV.76.02 New window
COBISS.SI-ID:226631427 New window
Publication date in DiRROS:15.01.2026
Views:185
Downloads:89
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Record is a part of a journal

Title:Arheološki vestnik = Acta archaeologica
Shortened title:Arheol. vestn.
Publisher:Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, Znanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU
ISSN:0570-8966
COBISS.SI-ID:6431490 New window

Document is financed by a project

Funder:ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
Project number:N6-0317
Name:Religiopolitika - Imperium Christianum in njegovi prebivalci (REPLICO)

Funder:ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
Project number:J6-50193
Name:Karnij in Karneola. Centralno naselje in njegova okolica med antiko in srednjim vekom

Licences

License:CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Link:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Description:This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

Language:Slovenian
Title:Razmislek o etnični identiteti v arheologiji Slovanov
Abstract:Arheologija Slovanov v zgodnjem srednjem veku ostaja razdeljena med raziskovalce, ki zanikajo migracije Slovanov, in tiste, ki materialno kulturo neposredno povezujejo z etničnimi identitetami. Ta članek premošča to delitev s prevrednotenjem teoretskega okvira. V kritični obravnavi razvoja raziskav etničnih identitet v arheologiji izpostavi omejitve tako primordialističnih kot instrumentalističnih modelov. Namesto teh predlaga redefinicijo arheološke kulture kot politetično skupnost praks, ki so utemeljene v priučenih družbenih vedenjih. Ta okvir omogoča prepoznavanje etničnih identitet v arheoloških zapisih. Z uporabo tega pristopa na arheološki kulturi praškega kulturnega kompleksa pokažemo skupnost praks, ki so jo združevali jezik, bivanje, noša, gospodarstvo, družbeni odnosi in genetska povezanost. Članek torej potrdi, da so Slovani v zgodnjem srednjem veku obstajali tako kot arheološka kultura kot tudi kot prepoznavna identitetna skupina z močnim kolektivnim samozavedanjem.
Keywords:Slovani, arheologija, arheološka teorija, pozna antika, zgodnji srednji vek, etnična identiteta, arheološka kultura, habitus


Collection

This document is a part of these collections:
  1. Arheološki vestnik = Acta archaeologica

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