Medieval and Ottoman market-places in the Raška Basin

Abstract

During the medieval period, the Raška Valley represented the central area in which the Serbian state of the Nemanjić Dynasty was founded. Despite the modest number of written sources and archaeological excavations, the existence of few major market-places in the Raška Basin has been either assumed or uncovered in previous decades. Unfortunately, the reasons for their establishment remain incompletely examined and solely occasionally mentioned in the previously conducted research. In surviving medieval charters, a few types of markets are mentioned within the Serbian medieval state. A distinction can be made in regard to the way of their occurrence and development in rural areas, within monastery properties, mining cantres, etc. This paper seeks to explore the reasons behind the appearance of these market-places in chosen locations, bearing in mind that the Raška River Basin was the central place of medieval Serbia, with a significant number of existing rural settlements, monasteries, and mines established by rulers of the Nemanjić Dynasty. It looks at their mutual economic relations, with the aim to perceive the reason of their rise and fall during the medieval and Ottoman period. The research is based on data from written sources, remains of material culture, and spatial analysis of the Raška Basin.