Archaeobotanical analysis of a medieval “pantry” in the courtyard of Banski dvori Palace (Zagreb, Croatia)

• Published in: Prilozi Instituta za arheologiju u Zagrebu Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 129 - 146
• Main Authors: Sekulić, Petar, Essert, Sara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• ISSN: 1330-0644; 1848-6371
• DOI: 10.33254/piaz.40.2.4

In 2021, the Croatian Conservation Institute conducted multidisciplinary conservation-restauration and archaeological research in the northern courtyard of Banski dvori Palace to determine the layers of historical development. The results confirmed the continuity of settlement of the Zagreb upper town plateau from prehistoric times to the present day, and served as a basis for the development of project-technical documentation required for the complete restoration of the Government of the Republic of Croatia building damaged by the 2020 earthquake. During the excavations, remains of a subterranean timber-framed structure were documented. Based on the archaeological finds and context it can be interpreted as the underground storage room of a medieval urban house dated to the period of 13th and 14th century. A total of 1464 plant macrofossils were isolated by archaeobotanical analysis, of which six were carbonized and some of remains were just partially mineralized. The majority of the finds (95%) represent woody edible species with the highest number of finds being grapevine (Vitis vinifera), sweet/sour cherry (Prunus avium/cerasus), and blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). Some woody species such as grapevine and peach (Prunus persica) were certainly cultivated, while others like Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) and blackthorn are evidence that the population collected fruits from nature. Edible herbaceous species accounted for 2.12% of the finds, included cucumber (Cucumis sativus), spice fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), cereals millet (Panicum miliaceum) and common wheat (Triticum aestivum/durum). More than 40% of the remains were found in five vessels, while the rest were from the surrounding sediment. All vessels contained grapevine and wild apples/pears, and fruits such as sweet/sour cherry, blackberry and plum were also found, leading to the assumption that the vessels contained the commonly used medieval beverage made from unripe fruit, known as verjuice. S ciljem utvrđivanja slojeva povijesnog razvoja, Hrvatski restauratorski zavod proveo je 2021. godine multidisciplinarna konzervatorsko-restauratorska i arheološka istraživanja sjevernog dvorišta Banskih dvora. Rezultati su potvrdili kontinuitet naseljavanja zagrebačkoga gornjogradskog platoa od prapovijesti do danas, a poslužili su kao osnova za izradu projektno-tehničke dokumentacije potrebne za cjelovitu obnovu potresom iz 2020. godine oštećene zgrade Vlade Republike Hrvatske. Tijekom istraživanja dokumentirani su ostaci objekta kojeg je na temelju nalaza i konteksta moguće interpretirati kao podzemnu ostavu srednjovjekovne gradske kuće iz 13. i 14. stoljeća. Arheobotaničkom analizom izolirano je 1464 biljnih makrofosila, od kojih ih je šest bilo karbonizirano, a nekolicina uglavnom djelomično mineralizirana. Većina nalaza (95 %) predstavlja drvenaste jestive vrste s najvećim brojem nalaza vinove loze (Vitis vinifera), trešnje/višnje (Prunus avium/cerasus) i trnjine (Prunus spinosa). Neke drvenaste vrste poput vinove loze i breskve (Prunus persica) zasigurno su bile uzgajane, a neke poput crvenog drijena (Cornus mas) i trnjine dokaz su da je stanovništvo sakupljalo plodove iz prirode. Jestivih zeljastih vrsta je 2,12 %, a radi se o nalazima povrtne vrste krastavac (Cucumis sativus), začinske biljke obični komorač (Foeniculum vulgare) te žitarica divlji proso (Panicum miliaceum) i obična pšenica (Triticum aestivum/durum). Više od 40 % ostataka pronađeno je u pet posuda, a ostali su ostaci iz okolnog sedimenta. U svim je posudama pronađena vinova loza i divlja jabuka/krušaka, a pronađeno je i voće poput trešanja/višanja, kupina i šljiva, što nas navodi na pretpostavku da se u posudama nalazio često korišteni srednjovjekovni sok od nezrelog voća tzv. verjuice.