Slavs, what Slavs? Welcomed
newcomers? Robbers and intruders in the role of foreign masters? Seekers of new
homes?
What
prompted the migration of people at the fall of the Roman Empire? The internal
crisis of the Empire, moral depravity, poorly protected borders? The prospect of rich spoils in Rome? Perhaps
weather changes could be to blame, or the loss of fertile land and great hunger
in the East? Or perhaps it was only a case of seeking a better life?
A reliable answer is
not known, however, there are a many pieces of historical and archaeological
evidence about the wave of migration in the second half of the first millennium,
when the Slavs settled on our soil. One of the most important archaeological
finds of that area is Kranj with its thousands of graves, discovered around the
parish church and in the immediate vicinity of the town.
The earliest group of
Slavic people arrived on our soil around 1400 years ago, together with the
Avars. They united in joint military campaigns. They had similar clothing and
weapons. Their simple dwellings, dug into the earth, were also the same. But
they differed in their religion, traditions and language. Whilst the Avars
disappeared into history without a trace, the Slavic people spread from the
East to the heart of Europe. Today Slavic languages are spoken in modern Europe
by more than 260 million people.
Archaeological finds
from Kranj show the mix of populations and the fusion of cultures between
Slavic immigrants and Romanised natives. From the 9th century onwards, the
differences between Kranj and the surrounding villages disappeared. This set in
motion what is today called Slovenian culture and language, our most precious
heritage.
More information:
Maritime museum “Sergej Mašera” Piran
Mrs. Snježana Karinja: snjezana.karinja@guest.arnes.si, Telefon: 05 671 00 47