Identity, material culture and ethnogeographic interpretation in the Bitola region during the Early Middle AgesHristovski, Nikola (Avtor) Milavec, Tina (Mentor) Bitola regionLate AntiquityEarly Middle AgesHeraclea Lyncestisidentitymaterial cultureethnogeographyChristianityThis thesis examines processes of social and cultural transformation in the Bitola region between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, with particular attention to the relationship between material culture, identity and ethnogeographic interpretations. The study focuses on the period from the end of the 5th to the beginning of the 10th century and considers archaeological evidence from settlements, fortifications, religious structures, cemeteries and movable finds in the region of Bitola. The analysis combines archaeological and historical data with approaches from the archaeology of identity and a constructivist understanding of ethnicity and social affiliation. The study examines the changes in settlement organization, political structures, economic practices and material culture following the decline of the Late Roman urban system. Material culture traditionally classified under ethnic labels is analysed critically, with attention to chronology, archaeological context, provenance and patterns of reuse. The thesis argues that the transformation of the Bitola region was a process of social entanglement involving population mobility, political and military reorganization, cultural and linguistic interaction, and the selective adoption and adaptation of new practices. Identity is approached as situational and relational, while material culture is understood as one of the means through which affiliations were expressed and negotiated. The evidence does not allow the ethnic composition of the region to be reconstructed with certainty, but it reveals the complexity of the social processes through which communities and individuals negotiated a changing landscape between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.20262026-10-01 07:20:43Magistrsko delo/naloga189035VisID: 635312sl