THE SOUTHEASTERN STRETCH OF THE TOWN WALLS IN ZADAR (HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE LATE MIDDLE AGES)

The paper gives an overview of archeological research in the wider area of the southeast section of the historic town walls in Zadar. Based on the available results, an attempt is made to present the course of their development from antiquity to the Middle Ages, from the first materially confirmed walls to the late Middle Ages, comprising partly the project of modernization of the defence system which followed during the 16(th) century. The southeast stretch of the town walls attracts special attention for several reasons. It is the only lans section of the walls that both separates and connects the town with its surrounding territory. For this reason its construction was approached with special care. The material evidence discovered so far in this area covers a wide historical period: antiquity, late antiquity, early Middle Ages and Middle Ages, which is not true for the other sections of the town fortification. A series of new data obtained by recent research may be added to Mate Suic's reconstructions of the appearance and direction of the extension of the southeastern stretch of the walls. Moreover, some generally accepted interpretations require a new elaboration. This particularly applies to the question of the direction of the early-Empire walls in the far southeastern part of the town, whose straightline course is only presumed.