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Osor in the Scientific Spotlight international scientific symposium in Koper (Slovenia)

The scientific symposium "Osor in the Scientific Spotlight" was held from 4 to 5 November 2025 at the University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities in Koper, Slovenia. The symposium aimed to bring together scientists who have studied the archaeological heritage of Osor, spanning from prehistory to the Middle Ages, through a variety of research approaches – including geology, archaeology, history, epigraphy, antropology, biology and chemistry. Located on the Adriatic coast, Osor was one of the most important regional centers during the late prehistoric and Roman periods. At the symposium, results from the bilateral scientific research project "Osor Beyond the Myth" (2023-2026) were presented. The project, led by Dr. Nives Doneus and Prof. Martina Blečić Kavur is funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) within the framework of the Weave initiative. Researchers from the Department of Mineral Resources and Marine Geology participate in the project through research on submerged Quaternary landscapes of Osor Bay and the Lošinj Channel. In his lecture, Dr. Slobodan Miko presented the initial findings of the conducted research in a lecture entitled "Five Millennia of Human Influence Recorded in the Geochemical Composition of Marine Sediments from Osor Bay", while Dr. Dea Brunović described the Quaternary development of submerged paleo-environments of the Lošinj Channel in her lecture "Submerged Landscapes of the Lošinj Channel". All invited lectures offered excellent insights into the city's long and dynamic history and the evolution of its surrounding area. During the final discussion, participants explored perspectives for future research in the Osor area, as well as plans for publishing the results of an interdisciplinary scientific study.

Dr. Nikolina Ilijanić and Dr. Slobodan Miko, together with Dr. Nives Doneus and Prof. Martin Blečić Kavur, leaders of the project Osor Beyond the Myth, in front of the University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, in Koper.

Dr. Dea Brunović presented the results of geological research in the Lošinj Channel