O SOCIJALNOJ ARHEOLOGIJI BRONČANODOBNOG UTVRĐENOG NASELJA I GROBOVA NA MONKODONJI

The topic of this article is the social differentiation in Istria from the Early to Late Bronze Age. Three relevant areas from the research of the fortified settlement of Monkodonja are addressed. Firstly, the differences in structure and architecture within the settlement are described. Secondly, districts of power in Rovinj are elaborated as a system of central Istrian settlements, equal in stature, with auxiliary and satellite areas. The small units, barely larger than 10 km, are separated from one another by unsettled, yet probably economically exploited spaces. Thirdly, the few elite graves, which are characterized more by their distinguished position in the main gate of the settlement than by their grave goods, are discussed. The complicated, multiphase burial ritual is described and the cists integrated in the structure are considered in relation to ancestral worship.