Coll. Antropol. 32 (2008) 3: 945–958 Original scientific paper Ethnohistorical Processes and Demographic Structure of the Island of Rab, Croatia Ana Perini} Lewis Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia ABSTRACT The present paper aims at describing the most relevant background data on geomorphological, economic, ethno- historic and demographic features of the island of Rab. They show the most important population movements to the is- land that affected its population structure. This work, as a part of the holistic anthropological research of morphological, physiological, genetic and socio-cultural variables which have been carried out on the island of Rab, seeks to identify both internal and external impulses of change and/or continuity of the island population structure within a wider socio- -cultural and historical context. Key words: island of Rab, population history, demography, migration Introduction The autochthonous population of the Adriatic islands tions has now been extended to the investigation of the is considered to be one of the most suitable models for in- population structure of the island of Rab. This study is a vestigating the process of human microevolution due to part of the holistic anthropological investigations of mor- its geographical and reproductive isolation. Holistic an- phological, physiological, genetic and socio-cultural vari- thropological research on the Eastern Adriatic islands ables which have been carried out in this northern Adri- has been conducted since 1971. During the past 37 years, atic island. In the connection with this extensive detailed characterizations of migration, demography, iso- anthropological study of the population of the island of nymy, linguistic differences, anthropometric traits, phys- Rab the present work aims at describing main geograph- iological properties, quantitative and qualitative derma- ical, historical, economic, demographic and migrational toglyphic traits, radiogrammetric metacarpal bone dime- factors that have directly or indirectly influenced the for- nsions and genetic traits were performed. As some of the mation of the island population structure. few persisting isolates among contemporary European human groups, rural populations of the islands of the eastern Adriatic in Croatia reveal some of the peculiari- The Island of Rab ties that make them very suitable for such analyses. Some of those characteristics include reconstructable The island of Rab belongs to the Kvarner archipelago, population history, known migrations that have occurred or the group of islands of the northern Adriatic. Geo- during a very long time period, their continuing repro- graphically, it is placed between 44° 40’ and 44° 51’ of ductive isolation and well-documented effects of various northern geographical latitude and 14° 40’ and 14° 53’ of extrinsic events that, through generations, directly influ- east geographical longitude from Greenwich23. Its size of enced their biological formation1. The first anthropologi- 90.84 km2 makes it the fourth largest island in Kvarner cal field investigation of the Eastern Adriatic islands was archipelago and ninth in size among all of the islands in carried out on the island of Hvar1-4,13, than on the islands the Adriatic sea. Together with the surrounding small is- of Silba5,7,11, Olib6,9,11,Pag8,20, Kor~ula10,12,18, on the pen- lands and reefs Sveti Grgur (St. Gregory Island), Goli insula Pelje{ac10,12,15, on the islands of Bra~14,16, Krk17,21 otok (Barren Island), Maman, [ailovac and Sridnjak, Veli and Vis20. A long term anthropological research of the and Mali Laganj (Large and Small Laganj), Dolfin, Trste- population structure of the East Adriatic rural popula- nik, Sveti Juraj (St. George Island), Dolin, Mi{njak and Received for publication August 1, 2008 945 A. Perini} Lewis: Ethnohistorical Processes and Demographic Structure of Rab, Coll. Antropol. 32 (2008) 3: 945–958 Lukovac make up the Rab archipelago24. It is surrounded by the mainland in the east, the island Sveti Grgur (St. GRGUR V Gregory) and the Goli otok (Barren Island) in the north- e GOLI -east, the island of Krk in the north, the island of Cres in Lopar l the west and the island of Pag in the south. The island of e Rab stretches in the northwest-southeast direction in a b } length of 22 km, parallel to the mainland of the sub- i i Supetarska t -Velebit coastal region from Cape Sorinj in the northwest Draga s to Cape Glavinj in the southeast. The width of the island Kampor is very inconsistent, ranging from only 3 km in its south- k ern part up to the widest 10 km in its northern part from Mundanije i k Cape [ilo in Lopar upto Cape Kristofor in the northwest varner 23 a of the island . The Velebit channel divides the island K Banjol from the mainland (the smallest distance from the main- RAB n land on the farthest southeastern part of the island is 1.8 Barbat a l km), the Rab channel divides it from the islands Sveti Laganj Grgur (St. Gregory Island) and Goli otok (Barren Is- DOLIN Mi{njak land), the Senj gate divides the island of Rab and the is- Jablanac land of Krk, whereas the Kvarneri} (the body of sea lo- Dolfin PAG cated between Cres, Krk, Rab and Pag – the little Kvarner) divides it from the islands of Cres and Lo{inj in Lun the west and the Pag channel from the Island of Pag in Fig. 1. The island of Rab and disposition of it's settlements. the southeast25. (Figure 1) The relief of the island of Rab is of zonal structure. It is built of limestone, flysch and sandstone. It is characterized by a reef-valley relief struc- 28 ture. Two main limestone zones are Kamenjak and Kali- ally , while the mean relative humidity lies around 68%. front. The limestone reef Kamenjak (called Tinjaro{a, Average annual precipitation is around 1.100 mm. Rab from the Italian word Tignarossa) is the highest and the has always been known as an island with the largest largest reef unit which represents the anticline. It stret- number of wells of drinking water. Kamenjak and the ches from the most southern point of the reef Gavrani} lower Kalifront are dry, with no springs or flows, while upto the most northern point of the reef Sorinj with the the mid-flysch zone, and particularly the Lopar penin- highest peak Stra`a ([tander, Kamenjak) of 408 meters. sula have an abundance of sweet water springs which are Kamenjak is a natural barrier which, stretching from the being used for water supply. On the Lopar peninsula it- most northern to the most southern point of the island self there are around 30 of those springs and in the 25,26 protects Rab from negative climatic influences pouring mid-flysch zone over 200 . from the mainland, particularly from the cold and stor- my winds. Kalifront is the slope at the southwest part of Vegetation the island, it is significantly lower than the Kamenjak The island of Rab is one of the greenest islands in the (92 m), and it stretches from the reef Frkanj where it de- Adriatic, forests covering around 40% of its surface. scends into the sea and emerges again as the island of When compared to the size, only the island of Mljet is Dolin. On the Kalifront limestone plateau there is a res- better forested than Rab. The entire island was once cov- ervation of forest vegetation named Dundo, with a well ered with forests, except form the steep northeastern 26 preserved forest of holm oak . The main flysch area is slope of Kamenjak, which was exposed to the bora wind the most important agricultural area with the most valu- and sea salt. Clearing of the watertight flysch zone the able agricultural fields on the entire island (Supetarska natural forest vegetation was replaced by agricultured draga, Kamporsko polje, Banjolsko polje). It consists of a surfaces, bush and smaller forests. The hill of Kalifront mid-flysch hillside that divides the two longitudinally has the richest vegetation, which also represents the placed valleys. Along with these two zones, on the north- largest forest complex of the island and the main area for east part of the island the Lopar peninsula stretches, also pasture of smaller livestock. Its most beautiful part, the built of flysch marl and sandstone with a fertile Lopar forest Dundovo is placed under special protection as a 26,27 field . natural reservation. It contains, for the time being, the largest area planted with holm oak also known as »holly oak« in the Adriatic23. Climate and Waters A favorable Mediterranean climate reigns the island Economy with mild winters and pleasant, moderately warm sum- Until the end of the 19th century, policultural agricul- mers. Average air temperature during January is about ture was predominant on Rab. Aside from the cultivation 6.7°C and in July 23.2°C. Mean annual temperature is of cereals, the most important money flow came from 14.5°C, insolation amounts to 2417 sunny hours annu- cattle breeding (small livestock) through pasture on the 946 A. Perini} Lewis: Ethnohistorical Processes and Demographic Structure of Rab, Coll. Antropol. 32 (2008) 3: 945–958 Kamenjak, using the free pastures neighboring islands matician, geographer and astronomer in his work from (Sveti Grgur and Goli otok) during the summer. The the second century entitled »Geographia« mentions the sheep tending of the island of Rab found its response in island Scardona on which two towns are situated: Arba the maritime terminology of the western civilizations. A and Collentum, but his claim has later been proven in- sort of cloth from simple wool and of brown color, which correct. The Greek writers Heccateus of Miletus and in the old days served not only as footwear to seafarers Pseudo Scimno from the second century BC, Pliny the but also the material out of which tents were made, the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus), the roman naturalist French seafarers from 15th to 17th century call herbage, and writer (23–29) in his work »Historia Naturalis« men- the Spanish erbase, the Venetians arbascio and in the tions the island of Rab under the name of Arba.