The Journal "Agriculture and Forestry"
Časopis "Poljoprivreda i šumarstvo"
- Since 1955 -
Volume 69, Issue 2 (30.06.2023)
| Volume : | 69 |
| Issue : | 2 (30.06.2023) |
| Authors : | Miljan GOGIĆ |
| Title : | AN OVERVIEW OF LIVESTOCK BREEDING IN THE MEDIEVAL ZETA THROUGH THE LEGAL NORMS OF THE STATUTES OF KOTOR, BUDVA AND SKADAR |
| Abstract : | The statutes of the medieval Zeta communes (Kotor, Budva, Skadar) also contain norms that, in whole or in part, also refer to animal husbandry. In the area of city districts, livestock could be kept on private properties, but also on municipal properties. One of the measures adopted to ensure the best possible conditions for cattle breeding was the ban on the surrounding population grazing their cattle in the area of the district. In the same way, the communal authorities adopted measures concerning the regulation of the use of certain lands as pasture areas in the area of the district. Apart from own management, the livestock could be raised by giving it to graze to other persons who took care of the livestock. Cattle were raised primarily for the household’s needs, food, the sale of surplus agricultural products and their use for cultivating the land and transporting goods. Apart from this benefit from raising cattle, its owners could have certain incomes and benefits, as can be seen from the statutory provisions, from renting out draft and cargo cattle. In addition to rent, livestock was also used as a means of pledge, as stated in the statutes in Budva and Kotor. Livestock raised in Zeta communes caused damage to agricultural crops, and the communal authorities prescribed norms that provided for sanctions for the damage caused. Analyzing those sanctions from the norms of the Kotor legal system, it can be noted that cargo and draft animals, that is, their owners, were sometimes more leniently, or differently, sanctioned for the same damage than other livestock, while their killing was not allowed. |
| For citation : | Gogić, M.. (2023). An overview of livestock breeding in the medieval Zeta through the legal norms of the statutes of Kotor, Budva and Skadar. Agriculture and Forestry, 69 (2): 203-215. doi:10.17707/AgricultForest.69.2.16 |
| Keywords : | statutes, animal husbandry, the Middle Ages |
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