As part of the project activities aimed at researching the materiality of early medieval stone fragments from the Kvarner islands, project collaborator Dr. Zrinko Baričević carried out a series of analyses on stone fragment samples from the island of Krk. The stone fragments were photographed using an Olympus SZX12 microscope at magnifications between 15x and 180x, depending on the size of the sample. A comparative qualitative visual analysis was conducted on them, focusing on the morphology of the stone’s microstructure, the size and orientation of the crystal lattice, the homogeneity and quality of the stone, and potential intrusions of heavy and colored metals. This analysis enables the comparison of selected fragments and their grouping with regard to historical-geological excavations. By further comparing them with existing databases from historical quarries, it becomes possible to determine the locality from which the stone used to create these works originated, and thereby situate their production within historical geopolitical and socioeconomic contexts.
