Category Archives: CROATIA

Unexpected Discovery Of Roman Baths Under Split City Museum In Croatia

Unexpected Discovery Of Roman Baths Under Split City Museum In Croatia

Archaeologists assisting with the restoration works of the Split City Museum in Croatia have made a surprising discovery. Beneath the building, they found large Roman baths and mosaics.

Researchers did expect to make some minor archaeological discoveries, but not large Roman thermal baths!

One of the goals of the European project called “Palace of Life, City of Change” is to reconstruct the ground floor and the installation of a lift in the Split City Museum.

Located inside the old Papalic Palace, the museum is visited by many, featuring various fascinating exhibitions telling the story of the rich history of Split and its citizens.

The ongoing restoration works have been carried out according to the plans, and archaeologists enjoyed the minor discoveries they made at the site. It was a huge surprise and sensation when they suddenly unearthed massive Roman structures.

Total Croatia News reports that “in the former museum reception, the structure of the ancient floor, underfloor heating, an opening for warm air connected to the stove, a praetorium, an opening inside the underfloor heating, and a furnace construction were all discovered.

Unexpected Discovery Of Roman Baths Under Split City Museum In Croatia

A deeper continuation of digging revealed an ancient mosaic in the southern room, then a continuation of the ancient wall in the central room with a pool and an oil and grape press.

In the northern room, next to the staircase, a pool with a white mosaic floor was also found – the head of archaeological research from the Neir company, Nebojša Cingeli, revealed.

Cingeli explained that the discoveries underneath the Papalic Palace are related to water because they are pools and cisterns, so it is easy to conclude “that there were once thermal baths in the northern part of Diocletian’s Palace as well”.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise for both historians and archaeologists, because for years it was assumed that the northern part of Diocletian’s palace housed barracks and training grounds for Diocletian’s personal guard and staff.”

The plan is to holed the excavated rooms open to the public. Before visitors can come it is important to strengthen the walls and secure the structure. Above the open archaeology site, architects will design a design a system of walkways that will allow movement above the site.

“The selection of exhibits, expanded legends/descriptions and other museological items created a narrative thread of the exhibition that starts from before Diocletian’s time, the connection with Salona, ancient Split, all the way through to the early Middle Ages to the period of the autonomous commune.

“Showing our visitors the “living past” that speaks to us through the original layers of centuries long gone by adds insurmountable value and legacy to future generations. It is up to us to carry this out in the best and most professional way,” concluded the director of the Split City Museum.”

Ancient Greek helmet found buried next to ‘elite warrior’ who died 2,400 years ago

Ancient Greek helmet found buried next to ‘elite warrior’ who died 2,400 years ago

A very rare bronze Greek-Illyrian war helmet, used in Greece during the time of the Greco-Persian Wars, has just been discovered in a rock-cut tomb in Dalmatia, Croatia.

The form of the iconic open-faced helmet, which archaeologists consider an especially rare find, originated in the Peloponnese during the 8th and 7th centuries BC.

Ancient Greek helmet found buried next to ‘elite warrior’ who died 2,400 years ago
The Greek-Illyrian war helmet was found in southern Dalmatia, Croatia in December of 2020.

The spectacular find was made recently during the exploration of the cave tomb in Zakotarac, located on the Pelješac peninsula, in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The tomb was for a warrior buried approximately three centuries later, however, in the 4th century BC.

The rare find, accompanied by many other valuable objects from the era, was discovered within a previously-unknown rock-cut tomb along a hillside near Gradina.

This particular style of helmet, which became the iconic head covering of Greek warriors over the centuries, was first used by the ancient Greek Etruscans and Scythians. It later became known as the Illyrian helmet.

An alternate form of this helmet was also developed in Italy, according to archaeologists who gleaned this information from depictions on ivory relief sculptures. However, this style of helmet became obsolete in most areas of Greece in the early 5th century BC and its common use in Illyria ended by the 4th century BC.

Part of the warrior’s skull appears to be visible from the openings of the helmet, although earth has over the millennia made its way into where the rest of his head would be.

Archaeologists working at the grave site in Croatia.

Adding to the importance of the find, archaeologists also discovered a treasure trove of ancient weapons, including spears and knives, in the same Croatian grave.

At least two other people had been buried along with the warrior, including a woman, who was found wearing a bronze bracelet.

According to a report in Archaeology News Network, additional treasures at the gravesite included “fifteen bronze and silver fibulae (clasps), twelve needles, several spiral bronze ornaments and tweezers and several hundred glass paste and amber beads belonging to necklaces.”

The spectacular find was made when archaeologists were working on restoring a damaged burial mound. The rectangular space of the mound measured approximately 3 x 2 meters (9.84 x 6.56 feet).

The body of the warrior had been laid to rest in a west-east direction in the tomb, but unfortunately, his bones were found in a “rather poor condition,” according to the archaeologists.

The site of the 4th-century BC grave site in Croatia. In the distance is a hilltop settlement of Gradina that Archaeologists believe may hold further important discoveries.

The tomb dates back to earlier than the nearby colony on Korčula, which is known to have been founded in the late 4th or early 3rd century BC, according to the project coordinator, Dr. Hrvoje Potrebica, from the Department of Archaeology of Zagreb University.

The discovery was made possible after last year’s visit to western Peljesac by a team from Croatia’s Center for Prehistoric Research. In the process of exploring this area, they were able to identify potential archaeological dig sites at the Illyrian Cave Sanctuary at Nakovana, dating back to the 4th to 1st centuries BC.

Priceless objects to accompany the dead in the afterlife

During this reconnaissance, they found grave goods deposited around a stalagmite. Professor Potrebica holds that the fourth century BC Greek-Illyrian helmet “is exceptionally rare” and is one of  only about forty such helmets that have ever been found in all of Europe.

Another treasure found in the grave were thirty vases of predominantly Greek origin — although the researchers believe that they had been made by both Attic and Italian workshops.

According to the archeologists, these types of vessels were among the most expensive vases made during that period. Along with these rare discoveries, the researchers were able to pinpoint many other previously unknown sites in Nakovana, Professor Potrebica stated.

The researchers additionally were able to examine another group of prehistoric mounds around the Croatian village of Zakotorac. Following a road that is believed to have been trodden in prehistoric times, they came upon yet another site known as “the Vidohovo spring.”

The archaeologists state that they believe this site will yield yet more treasures, possibly including a shrine, with Dr. Potrebica adding that it holds “enormous potential.”

An ancient Greek vase was found at the Croatian burial site.

In 2021, after all the pandemic-related restrictions will be lifted, the archeological team hopes that they will once again be able to return to this site, which will enable them to lace these finds into their proper historical context.

Dr. Potrebica told interviewers that the discovery of the bronze war helmet, along with the other “exceptional finds” on Korcula, are presenting archaeologists with a new understanding of the “importance of the southern Adriatic in the historical dynamics of this part of Europe.”

A 3,000-Year-Old Olive Tree on the Greek Island of Crete Still Produces Olives Today

A 3,000-Year-Old Olive Tree on the Greek Island of Crete Still Produces Olives Today

The most ancient olive tree in the world, is in Crete.

The oldest olive tree in the world is located in the village of Ano Vouves of Kissamos in Chania, Crete. The ancient tree is 3000 years old, as determined by the international scientific community.

The ancient olive tree in Vouves has a trunk with a circumference of 12.5 meters (41 feet), and a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet). It belongs to the local tree variety of tsounati and was grafted at a height of three meters onto a wild olive tree.

Because of the grafting, its trunk has been so beautifully shaped by nature that it resembles a sculpture. In 1990, after a unanimous decision in the prefecture of Chania, the Vouves Olive Tree was declared a Natural Monument of great importance due to its status as the world’s oldest tree of its kind.

The oldest olive tree still produces high-quality olives

The fruits of the ancient olive tree produce the best olive oil in the world, making the area the cradle of olive cultivation on the island of Crete. The trunk of the tree is now hollow as there is no heartwood, so the olive is renewed outward and the heartwood gradually rots away.

Since the olive tree is constantly renewing its wood, it has served as a a symbol of immortality since ancient times.

Thousands of tourists visit the stunning tree every summer to marvel at it and learn its history. They are mainly impressed by its enormous shape and the imposing volume of the trunk but also by the fact that it has remained alive and fruitful for 3000 years.

The site of the olive tree, including the entire hill on which several villages are situated, has thousands of olive trees and the villages are widely believed to produce the best olive oil in the world.

Why is the Olive Tree Important in Greece?

The olive tree has been associated with Greece for millennia.

It symbolizes peace and prosperity, as well as the hope of resurrection and prosperous life. The purely Mediterranean Greek landscape is dotted with these trees, and Greeks throughout the centuries have been inextricably linked with this plant.

For Ancient Greeks, the olive tree was one of two of the most respected mythical trees, along with the oak.

This deeply rooted love and respect shown by the Greeks has survived throughout the centuries.

Greek olive oil

Greek olive oil, or “Liquid Gold,” as Homer called it, has been part of Greece’s history since antiquity. It is an irreplaceable nutritional component of the Greek diet.

Ancient Greeks also used olive oil as part of their efforts to enjoy a healthy life and to promote longevity and used it as a cosmetic for the skin and hair. Today, Greek olive oil is considered by most as the best in the world.

The history of humanity’s use of the olive dates back to ancient history. In his work “Origin des plantes cultivees,” botanist Augustin Pyrame de Candole writes that our cultivation of the tree started some time around 4000 BC—and that its origin is from the coasts of Asia Minor.

Today, throughout the world, there are approximately 800 million olive trees—of which approximately 95 percent are cultivated in the Mediterranean basin, which has the best soil and climatic conditions for olive cultivation.

The olive is widely grown all over in Greece. Its cultivation, which is greater than any other type of fructiferous tree, occupies approximately 15 percent of cultivated agricultural land and 75 percent of arboraceous cultivations in the country.

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

A team of underwater archaeologists from the University of Zadar has discovered the sunken ruins of a 7,000-year-old road that once linked an ancient artificial landmass to the Croatian island of Korčula.

The road is located at a depth of 5 meters in sediment deposits at the submerged archaeological site of Soline, an artificial landmass and Neolithic settlement of the island Korčula and along with several other artifacts, belonged to a lost maritime culture known as the Hvar, who occupied this area during the Neolithic Era.

By radiocarbon analysis of preserved wood found in the last campaign, the entire settlement was dated around 4,900 years before Christ.

A four-meter-wide linear road made of stone slabs was discovered during a recent underwater survey of the site. People walked on this road almost 7,000 years ago.

Over the weekend, the University of Zadar released new footage of the underwater passage, which was made of stacked stones and measured some 12 feet across.

“In underwater archaeological research of the submerged neolithic site of Soline on the island of Korčula, archaeologists found remains that surprised them,” said the University of Zadar in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday.

“Namely, beneath the layers of sea mud, they discovered a road that connected the sunken prehistoric settlement of the Hvar culture with the coast of the island of Korčula.”

According to the university, several scientists and organizations are working together on underwater research, which is being directed by archaeologist Mate Parica, who has been studying the location for a while.

The team also found fragments of millstones, flint blades, and stone axes among the underwater ruins.

The artifacts shed light on the enigmatic Hvar peoples, who first appeared on the islands and coasts of the northeast Adriatic Sea around 7,000 years ago.

Korčula is part of an archipelago in the Adriatic that was once a part of the continent.

The coastal valleys of the Dinaric Mountains began to flood as a result of the Earth’s ice cap melting after 12,000 BC, and by 6000 BC the archipelago had roughly reached its current configuration.

Mine-clearance divers discovered an ancient shipwreck dating from the 3rd century BC

Mine-clearance divers discovered an ancient shipwreck dating from the 3rd century BC

Mine-clearance divers discovered an ancient shipwreck dating from the 3rd century BC

As a result of collaborative training exercises between Croatian and Italian naval mine-clearance divers, one of the earliest fully preserved shipwrecks in the eastern Adriatic seabed has been discovered.

A previously undiscovered shipwreck containing a cargo of ancient amphorae from the 3rd century BC has been found in the waters of the Šćedra Island archipelago, just off the southern coast of Hvar island, the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media announced in a statement on Friday.

The discovery was made as part of a long-standing collaboration in which Croatian divers have been operating from Italian minehunter vessels in a NATO mine counter-measures group in recent years.

The first of two weeks’ joint training had covered mine-clearance procedures using ROVs and AUVs near Čiovo Island, before the naval divers turned their attention to the Šćedra Island archipelago off Hvar during the week of 15-21 June. 

Amphora above 3rd-century BC shipwreck.

Using mine clearance procedures and various types of equipment such as underwater autonomous vehicles and remotely operated underwater vehicles, the first week focused on joint conditioning training in the waters near Čiovo Island, while the second week involved diving activities in the waters around Hvar Island.

The success of the cross-border cooperation was viewed as an opportunity to involve bodies other than Croatia’s Ministry of Defence, so the conservation department of the Ministry of Culture and Media provided the military with information about existing and potential archaeological sites.

Despite the adverse weather conditions, a multi-layered seabed scanning operation was completed.

Several potential marks were identified, and these were followed up using a sonar- and camera-equipped ROV before scuba diving was carried out by both Croatian and Italian mine-clearance personnel.

One of these investigations resulted in finding the previously unsuspected wreck.

Underwater archaeologists from the Ministry of Culture and Media, Saša Denegri, and from the University of Split, Tea Katunarić Kirjakov, conducted dives at the specific location and confirmed that the shipwreck is fully preserved and dates back to the 3rd century BC, containing a cargo of ancient amphorae. It rests at a depth of 50 meters.

This is one of the earliest fully preserved shipwrecks on the eastern Adriatic Sea coast, taking into account the dating and preservation of the site.

Plans for the site’s protection, conservation, and presentation will be developed based on the precise context, extent, and characteristics of the site, which will be determined by future archaeological research.

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

A team of underwater archaeologists from the University of Zadar has discovered the sunken ruins of a 7,000-year-old road that once linked an ancient artificial landmass to the Croatian island of Korčula.

The road is located at a depth of 5 meters in sediment deposits at the submerged archaeological site of Soline, an artificial landmass and Neolithic settlement of the island Korčula and along with several other artifacts, belonged to a lost maritime culture known as the Hvar, who occupied this area during the Neolithic Era.

By radiocarbon analysis of preserved wood found in the last campaign, the entire settlement was dated around 4,900 years before Christ.

A four-meter-wide linear road made of stone slabs was discovered during a recent underwater survey of the site. People walked on this road almost 7,000 years ago.

Over the weekend, the University of Zadar released new footage of the underwater passage, which was made of stacked stones and measured some 12 feet across.

“In underwater archaeological research of the submerged neolithic site of Soline on the island of Korčula, archaeologists found remains that surprised them,” said the University of Zadar in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday.

“Namely, beneath the layers of sea mud, they discovered a road that connected the sunken prehistoric settlement of the Hvar culture with the coast of the island of Korčula.”

According to the university, several scientists and organizations are working together on underwater research, which is being directed by archaeologist Mate Parica, who has been studying the location for a while.

The team also found fragments of millstones, flint blades, and stone axes among the underwater ruins.

The artifacts shed light on the enigmatic Hvar peoples, who first appeared on the islands and coasts of the northeast Adriatic Sea around 7,000 years ago.

Korčula is part of an archipelago in the Adriatic that was once a part of the continent.

The coastal valleys of the Dinaric Mountains began to flood as a result of the Earth’s ice cap melting after 12,000 BC, and by 6000 BC the archipelago had roughly reached its current configuration.

A Polish-Croatian team discovered an Ancient Roman Temple under a Croatian 18th Century church

A Polish-Croatian team discovered an Ancient Roman Temple under a Croatian 18th Century church

A Polish-Croatian team discovered an Ancient Roman Temple under a Croatian 18th Century church

Under an 18th-century church, the Church of St. Daniel in Danilo near Sibenik, Croatia, the foundations of an ancient Roman temple have been found.

Sibenik is the location of the former Roman city of Ridit, though the secret of the ancient temple was previously unknown.

Finding the temple made use of LIDAR aerial scanning technology.  Using LIDAR techniques, the Polish-Croatian team found the frame of the temple’s entrance, which is likely all that remains of an old colonnade.

According to archaeologists, the temple once measured 66 feet by 33 feet and had walls that were significantly larger than they are now.

Discovering team, in addition to the church, the team also found a nearby cemetery, which is said to have been in use between the 9th and 15th Centuries.

Georadar surveyed around the church in Danilo, under which relics of the Roman sacral building were discovered.

Polish research leader, Professor Fabian Welc of the Institute of Archaeology of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw said that the temple was most likely part of a larger forum, which would have once been the location of several important public buildings, including courts and offices. He said, “The data we have collected indicate that under today’s church and the adjacent cemetery, there are relics of a temple, which was part of the forum, the most important part of a Roman city.”

He added that the forum was the centre of the social and economic life of the inhabitants of every Roman municipium (city). This forum was located at the intersection of the main communication arteries and was also the central point in the city.

Reconstruction of a building with a courtyard made by Professor Fabian Welc.

According to scientists, the church was not the only structure built on the ruins of the former temple. The nearby cemetery, which operated from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, was also partially within its original range.

Some medieval graves were dug directly into Roman bath relics, as was the adjacent massive building with a central courtyard and a portico surrounded by numerous rooms.

Professor Welc said: “This means that the extensive medieval cemetery was founded directly on the relics of Roman buildings.”

A fragment of an ornamented monumental beaming of the Roman temple was unearthed in the 1950s in the medieval cemetery near the church in Danilo.

Archaeological research has been undertaken in Danilo for the last 70 years. The joint Polish-Croatian project started in 2019.

It is carried out by researchers from the Institute of Archeology of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, the Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb, and the Šibenik City Museum.

Croatia’s Roman City of Ridit Investigated

Croatia’s Roman City of Ridit Investigated

The ancient building has massive walls and a rectangular outline (approx. 20 x 10 m). Georadar images show the frame of the entrance, according to scientists most likely in the form of relics of a colonnade.

The foundations were discovered under and next to the Church of St. Daniel in the village of Danilo near Šibenik, the former Roman city of Ridit.

Although archaeologists have been finding numerous architectural elements and decorations from the monumental Roman sacral building until now its location was unknown.

View of the valley where the village of Danilo is currently located, in ancient times it was the city of Ridit/Municipium Riditarum.
Georadar surveyed the church in Danilo, under which relics of the Roman sacral building were discovered.

Polish research leader, Professor Fabian Welc from the Institute of Archaeology of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, said: “The data we have collected indicate that under today’s church and the adjacent cemetery there are relics of a temple, which was part of the forum, the most important part of a Roman city.”

Georadar survey in the area around the Danilo cemetery.

He added that the forum was the centre of the social and economic life of the inhabitants of every Roman municipium (city). This forum was located at the intersection of the main communication arteries and was also the central point in the city. In addition to the temple, it was the location of the most important public buildings of cities, such as courts or municipal offices. The forum was additionally decorated with monuments or triumphal arches.

Georadar survey in Danilo.

Next year, scientists plan to conduct archaeological research near the church to verify the findings of geophysical surveys. It is known that the current 18th-century church was built on the foundations of an earlier, small Romanesque Christian temple. Under it – according to the latest research – was the oldest, Roman temple.

The LIDAR aerial scanning technology was also helpful in locating the temple. It enables a very thorough analysis of the terrain and makes it possible to detect the remains of former architecture, very weakly outlined on the surface.

According to the scientists, not only the church was built on the ruins of the former temple. The nearby cemetery, which functioned from the 9th to the 15th century, was also partly located within its original range. Next to it were other buildings surrounding the forum.

Some of the medieval graves were dug directly into the relics of the Roman baths along with the adjacent vast building with a central courtyard and a portico surrounded by numerous rooms.

Professor Welc said: “This means that the extensive medieval cemetery was founded directly on the relics of Roman buildings.”

The Croatian project coordinator, Dr. Ana Konestra added that thanks to large-scale geophysical surveying and analysis of the ALS model, a number of other Roman buildings were identified around the modern-day cemetery in Danilo. According to the archaeologists, they were mainly residential and utility buildings.

Croatia’s Roman City of Ridit Investigated
Reconstruction of a building with a courtyard made by Professor Fabian Welc.

Even before the recent surveys, there were suspicions concerning the location of the forum within the area of the cemetery, because reused fragments of monumental architectural decorations and a large column were discovered in the stone walls surrounding medieval graves.

Professor Welc said: “The very size of these elements indicated that somewhere near the cemetery there had to be a large, monumental building, which had to be part of a complex of buildings surrounding the city forum. However, previous excavations did not allow us to determine its location.”

Archaeologists have been conducting research in Danilo for over 70 years.

The first extensive work was associated with the construction of the water pipeline. It brought finds in the form of hundreds of Roman inscriptions, some of which mentioned Municipium Riditarum, an enigmatic city founded somewhere in Danilo by the local community of the romanised Ridit tribe.

A fragment of an ornamented monumental beaming of the Roman temple was unearthed in the 1950s in the medieval cemetery near the church in Danilo.