A changing landscape. Archaeological remote sensing of Medulin Bay, Istria, Croatia

Landscapes reflect societies and as such are highly dynamic. Social change can therefore not only be read in the emergence and decline of settlement patterns, finds or monuments, but also in everyday landscapes.
This paper presents the interpretation of remote sensing data (aerial photographs and airborne laser scanning) of the Premantura peninsula in the bay of Medulin at the southern tip of Istria (Croatia). Our diachronic analysis revealed numerous archaeological structures that do not fit into the typical archaeological concept of a ›site‹, such as a variety of agricultural remains from the Roman period and more recent times. The interventions of various military forces in the 19th and 20th centuries are also part of the regional landscape and have left their mark. In the case of Premantura, there is a clear link between the agricultural remains and the historical events, economic developments and armed conflicts. In this sense, the landscapes of Premantura reflect the eventful history of Istria on a small scale.