Breakout Session 4 A: Human Odor
This paper presents the results of utilizing human remains detection (HRD) dogs in detecting burials dated to the European Middle Ages (10th-15th c.) at the Ljubljana archaeological site near Zadar, Croatia. Ljubljana in Ljubač near Zadar is a medieval fortified settlement with a first time mention in 1205. as "castrum Jubae". According to historical sources, the settlement was intensely active until the 17th century, when the Venetian General Providur Foscolo ordered its demolition to avoid it falling into Ottoman hands.
In 2021, the Department of Archaeology of the University of Zadar began systematic archaeological excavations as part of a student traineeship at the Ljubljana site. However, before starting excavation within the settlement, it was necessary to check where the possible burial sites were located. In addition, historical sources mentioned the existence of two churches at the Ljubljana site - St. Marcela and St. Mary. While the position of the church of St. Marcela is known, the location of the church of St. Mary was not. Since it was customary to bury people inside and around churches in the Middle Ages, we used dogs to find the burials, indicating the church's position.
In this research, HRD dogs were primarily used in double-blind and, in one case, blind searches. After that, the locations the dogs indicated were excavated and validated in two campaigns. The research has resulted in the successful discovery of many 10-15th-century burials.