PINE WOODS, ARIAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND GIS 2OO1

ARCHAEOLOGICALSITBSONTHE
The appearanceof mass tourism has led to abandonment of fertile
fields, valleys and terracesbuilt and maintained over centuries. This cultural
CENTRATDALMATIANISLANDS.
landscape fras been left to the wild and galloping development of pine
woods whose roots are destroying and whose trunks and branches are DOTHEYHAYEANYFUTURE?
covering archaeologicaland other monuments. Such dense vegetationhas
disabled us to walk on many parts of the islands. However, thanks to arial
photographsof pre-tourist age we.99uld find some sites. For instance,we
have disCoveredthe prehistoric hillfort of Gradi5de above the village of
Vrbanj just on the passagebe-tweenStari Grad_and Jelsa plains (A). It
appeaied to be the largest hillfort on this Plrt ol Hvar. Using GIS it was Split
found that the hillfort controlled the whole Stari Grad and Jelsa plains (B).
If this hillfort was in use during the Iron Age (this can be proven only with
"exceedingly
excavations) Gradi56e could be the well fortified place" -
Brai
mentioned by Diodorus when describing how the Parians, while founding
the colony at Stari Grad in 385148C, allowed the natives to remain unharmed
on the island. Hvar
With the help of arial photography and GIS the hillfort of Gradi5ie is
now added to the already proposed sites of Purkin kuk (above Stari Grad)
"exceedingly well fortified place" on the
and the town of Hvar to be the
island of which Diodorus writes.

Palagruia

The Adriatic Island Project

hvar.split- zadar- ljubljana
- birmingham'toronto
 2O()1
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SITESON
CENTRAL DALMATIAN
ISLANDS:
WHATTODOWITHTHEM?

TheAdriaticIslandPro.ject
hvar- split- zadar- ljubljana- birmingham.
t0r0nt0

Contact,
c0mmerceandcolonisation
6000BC- AD600
summarvofmainresults

Branko
Kirigin
cditor'
Hvar/Split
1998
-.

"The
Publisher: wholelllyrian seaboard
is exceedingly
wellsupplied
withharbours,
Centar zazaititukultumebaltineotokaHvara islands."(5.10)
notonly0n theclntinuluscoastitselfbutalsoin theneighbouring
LjetnikovacHanibala Luciia
"Dalmatian
21450 Hvar,Croatia arerichin olivesandyine"(317.10)
islands
(0038521)741-009
tel./fax (second
Strabo;Geography halfof thelst cent,BC)

"(38514
BC)Whiletheseeyents theElderjoiningw,iththe
weretakingplace(i.e.Dionysius
Molossians
andlllyriansin Epirus),theParians,in accordance
withan oracle,sentouta
Editor: colonyto theAdriatic,founding
it ontheislandofPharos,
asit is called,with
thecllpera-
BrankoKirigin tionof thetyrantDionysius."
XV,13

"This
year(38413
BC)theParians,whohadsettledPharos,allowedthepreviousbarbari-
aninhabitants
to remainunharmed in anexceedingly wellfortifiedplace, v,hiletheythemse-
Printedby: lvesfoundeda city by theseaandhuilt a wall aboutit. Later,however, theold barbarian
- SPLN
DALMACUAPAPIR
inhabitants
of theislandtookoffence at thepresenceof theGreeksandcalledin thelllyri-
ansof theopposite
mainland.These,
to a numberof morethantenthousand,
crossed
over
to Pharosin manysmallboats,wrought
hatoc,andslewmanyof theGreeks.
Butthegove-
rn"orof Lissus
appointed by Dionysius
sailedwitha goodnumberof triremesagainsttheli-
in 500copies
Printed ghtcraftof thelllyrians,sinkingsomeandcapturingothers,andslewmorethanfivethou-
sandof thebarbarians
, w,hiletakingslmetwl thousandcaptive."
XV, 14.
DiodorusSiculus,WorldHistory(1stcentury BC)cfr,:C. H. Oldfather,
TheLoebClassi-
calLibrary,Cambridge -
Mass. London1954.
Illustrations
: archiveAIP
4 "Next
t0 exploring
for oneself,
thebestanexplorercandois topromoteexploration in othe-
O AIP
rs.My highest ambitionfor pages
these is to showhow,muchremains to hedone.A party of
partof themapof theAdriaticSeamadein 14T2byGruiosoBenincasa
Frontcover:central Anconitanus threetofourfriends,forminga committee of discovery,
couldhardlyspendtheirtimebetter
(Museo Coner,Venezia) thanbydevoting of theyear,fromApril to lune included,
thebestseason to a carefulstudy
of theDalmatianArchipelago,
visitingeverysitecalledGradandcollectingthefolk-lore
which everywher
e abounds."
Sir RichardFrancisBurton,TheLongWallsof Salona
andtheRuinedCitiesof Pharos
Thebookletis published
ontheoccasion Congress
of theWorldArchaeological Intercongess
onTheDe-
struction
andConsemation of CulturalProperty,Bra(., May1998.
Croatia, andGelsadi Lesina,Joumalof theAnthropological
Instituteof GreatBritainandIreland6,
Thebookletwasfundedby theMini$ryol cultureof theRepublicof Croatia. London1875,252-296
^-. I.

CONTENTS

T h e A d r i aI tsi lca n d P r o j e c t ........9

TheArchaeology
andHistoryof theCentral
Dalmatian
Islands . . . . . . . . . 12

TheIslandof PalagruZa:
heartof theAdriatic . . . . 16
PalagruZa
in Prehistory;
PalagruZa:
theIsland(s)
of Diomedes;
PalagruZa
in theRoman
andMedieval
periods

T h e l s l a n d o f .V i s .......23
tIIe - a GreekcolonyontheislandofVis; TaleZ- theprecursor
to Issa?;
Ikajicina- a prehistoric
cavesiteonVis

T h eI s l a n dHo vf a r .......28
Pharosandits tenitory;HvartownCastle:
thelargest
IronAge
setilement
ontheisland;Grapdeva cave

T h eI s l a nodfB r a d .......31
Skip: Myceneans
in theAdriatic?

ThelslandofSolta .......42
t From
37to215sites

ComputersandtheAdriaticlslandProject .......44

TheArchaeologicalHeritageof theCentral
Dalmatian
Islands:its condition
and
thecunentstate
of knowledse . . . .46

PrincipalReferences ......48
Acknowlegments;
Participants
of theAdriaticIslandProject
 TheAdriaticIslandsProject

islandof Hvarhasprovided Croatia tic changes thathaveaffected archaeology.

nt/,
I withmanyof itsarchaeological pionee- Theprojectoriginated in a sun,eybegunin
L rs including PetarNisiteo,Sime Ljubi(, I9B2on theGreekfield system 0n theStari
GrgurButit andGrgaNovakamongst many GradplainonHvar,andwascarriedoutin
others.)ver morethana century , theworkof conjunction with an archivalandbibliogra-
theseindividuals providedthebasefor our phic studyof thearea.Thissunteyinvolved
currentknowledge ofHvarandthesurroundi- onlyafewarchaeologists overa short,winter
ngCentral Dalmatian islands. However, mu- season, but the results were suchthat they
ch of thisearlyworkwasneithersystematic attracted thesupport ofotherexperts andspe-
nor scientific.Consequently, valuableas it kindlysupported
cialists, by thestaffof the
was,thereweresevere limitations whenmo- Centre for theProtection of theCulturalHe-
;-.ry.jf
fd.
dernarchaeologists attempted to usethedata. ritageof Hvar.Followingthis,a teamfrom
t
Moreover, archaeological techniques have the University of Bradford(UK)joinedthe
changed dramatically sincethedaysof these projectin 1987, andtheywerethenjoinedby
pioneers.0f particular importance has been the Royal0ntario Museum in Canada andthe
theemergence of newarchaeological suntey University of London. At thisearlystagethe
"Hvar-
methodologies whichbeganto beusedin the projectwasnamed archaeology of a
Mediterranean duringthe70sand80s.These Mediterranean landscape"
methodologies arenlt restricted to informati- Thesurveyof thewholeof theislandof
onprovided t'roma small,0r evenlarge,tra- Hvarfollov,ed from thiscollaboration. This
ditionalarchaeolo gicalexcavations. lnstead, workwasa landmark andresulted in thefirrt
theyseekinformation onthewholelandscape complete archaeological sitesandmonuments
andaim to studyhowthe entirelandscape database of theislandof Hvar,which,it sho-
changed overtime.}ver the last menty yea- uld be emphasised, wasat thattimewithout
rs,archaeological techniques andthequesti- parallelelsewhere in Croatia.The scaleof the
onsarchaeologists askof theirdatahascha- enterprise canbeillustrated simplybynoting
nged. thatattheoutset oftheworktherewerec.200
TheAdriaticIslands Projecthasitselfa recorded siteson theisland,but thatby the
longhistoryandit,in turnreflects thedrama- endtherewerearound800!
t0 TheAdriaticIslandProject TheAdriaticIslandProject t1
Intensivesurveyof theStariGradplain Biievobenveen 1993and1994andduringthe andtherewedid nothaveto go again(Fig. In thisbookletwepresentsomeof the
wasfollowedby studyof thetownof Hvar, course of 1992-6 therewerea seriesofsurvey 1). 0n Palagrula, prior to our visitin 1992,
mostimportant andexcitingresultsof thepro-
thenthevillagesof Brusje,PoljicaandZa- andexcavation campaigns onHvar,Brai and therehadbeennoarchaeological ject,andhopethatin doings0theymayattra-
studyof the
straiiifuandexcavation in thecaveatPokri- Solto. islandfor morethana century, buttheresults
ctfurthercollaboration withotherinstitutions
venik.However, whilstexceptionallyuseful, Duringthefirstphases of theprojectthe of the workwereexceptional. 0n Vis and andexperts.We alsohopethattheresults may
all thisworkdemonstrated thattheprehistoric mostsignificantproblem encountered wasthe Biievo,withtheexception of studyof theanci-
demonstrate theneedfor slmesortof regio-
and antiqueperiodsof Hvar couldnot be extensive archiveandbibliography associa- ent city of Issa,
therehad neverbeenany nal
"Topographic
Centre",wherethis,and
understood withoutsimilarstudies onthene- tedwithearlierarchaeological workonHvar. systematicsurvey.LittIe information was ava-
otherdata,maybe preserved, curatedand
ighbouring islands:
Bra(, Solta.Vis,Biievo. Thiswasnot thecaseon Brat wherethere
ilableonanyaspect of theruralarchaeology expanded. In a similarmannerwehopethat
Svetac andPalagruia.This archipelagoclea- wasalreadyan excellent publication on the
" ofVisanditsoffshore islands. resultsstimulateresearchonthemanyAdria-
rlyformeda bridge"across theAdriaticand archaeology of theislandbyDasenVrsalovit.
Theaimsof thesurteyweretherefore tic islandswhichhaveneverattracted archa-
linkeditswestern andeastern shores.
Asa co- Theremains of theearlyChristian andearly
graduallyachieved, snd thewholechainof eological research.They mayalsotemptother
nsequence ofthis,1992sawthebeginnings of Medieval periodshadalsobeenmuchstudied
islandswasexplored. Havingachieved this, archaeologists backto thoseislandswhich
theAdriaticIslnnilProjectandof suneyon on Brai. Soltawasalsoeasierto survey,if
theresultsof theworkwerethenintegrated havebeenstudied in thepast,butwhichwou-
Palagruia, whichwasfollowedbyexcavation onlybecause, prior to our work,little work
within a geographical informationsystem ld benefitsomuchfrom analysis usingmore
in 1993-4and1996.Archaeological suntey hadbeencarriedoutontheisland.The suney
allowingtheanalysis of archaeological
and modern archaeological methods.
wascarriedout on the islandsof Vis and of theislandof Svetac hasbeenmadein l98I
environmental dataat averylargescale. (B.K. andV. G.)

A perspective
viewonthe
souroundingareaof
Gradachillfortontheeast
sideofBra(.Thegray
colourindicateswhatcan
beseenfrom hillfort,
the
whilethegreendotsrepre-
Fig.1. Viewontheremains
of the6thcent.ADByzantine sentburialmounds.
fortressat Svetac
li:

i:
i TheAdriaticIslandProject t3
!{
:, Thefirstuseof metalsin Dalmatia is in againpossibly
TheArchaeology andHistory theformof simplecopperand,later,bronze sioncaused
theresultof increased
by agriculture.
soilero-
Moresignificant
objects. DuringtheEarlyBronze Ageourevi- hasbeentherecentfindof Mycenean pottery
of theCentralDalmatian
Islands denceis largelyrestricted to isolated findsin at Skripon Brad,whichsuggests thatby the
cavesandburialmounds (tumuli).However. latesecond millennium BC,therewascontact
discovery of EarlyBronzeAge artefacts on between thisregion andGreece. orcommuni-
heCentral Dalmatian Islandsareamo- ncefor howmanusedtheareafromtheearli- theislandof VelaPalagruZa whichseem to be tiesin contact withGreece.
ll !i ngstthemostbeautifulislandsin the estof timesto theanivalof theCroats. The associated withuseof a flint quanyonMala In manywaystheIronAgeisverysimi-
Meditenanean. Fromtheearliest PalagruZa, is veryexciting.0n theislands of larto theLateBronze
lp mestheseislandsweresettled.foughtover
andcolonised by numerous peoples
of ti-

including
earliestcommunities
gatherers
in theareawerehunter-
wholivedheremorethan12-13,000
yearsago,duringtheUpperPalaeolithic (Ko-
VisandSvetac
caves.
these
Asidefromthis,a seriesof tumulion intensive extemal
Age.It is dominated
findshavebeenfoundin hillforts,butthereis increasing
contact.
evidence
Of particular
by
for
impo-
Venetians, Byzantines, Romans,Greeks, Hvarrepresents themostsignificant groupof rtance isthepresence ofpre-colonial Greekfi-
padina caveontheislandof Brad).Unfortuna-
Illyrians.Theimportance of theseislandsmay sitesassociated with theEarlyBronzeAge. ndsata number of localities
in theregion.Si-
tely mostof thesettlements of thesepeople
seemstrange to visitorstoday,However, the However, theconstruction of a tumuliceme- tes whichareparticularly importantduring
mayhavebeenlostwhen,followingtheend
keyto understanding thehistoryof theregion teryat Vira (Hvar)suggests thatthisperiod thisperiodinclude HvarCastle, TaleZ(Vis)
liesin thewaytheislands linktheeastem and of theIceAge,theAdriaticbasinwasinunda-
mayalsohavewitnessed thecreation of thefi- andPalagruZa. Duringtheearliest periodit is
western shores of theAdriatic.To earlymari- tedby theseabetween 8,500- 6000B.C.
rst public ritualmonuments, andthatthese likelythatwe areseeingevidence for trade,
ners,who neededfrequentsafeportsand Afterthistimetheislands weresettled bype-
wereassociated withritualslinkedto landfe- andfor Greekexploration, Thelinksof there-
always triedto sailin sightof land,theislands oplewhowerefarmers. Carbon14dates from
rtility. Soilson theDalmatian limestone are gionwithItalyandto theEtruscan sitesatthe
represented thesafestsearoutefromGreece the settlementsof earlyfarmersshowthat
veryfragile,andearlyfarmers mayhavebeen headof theAdriaticmusthavebeenapprecia-
to ltaly.Traders alsohadto passtheCentral agriculturespreadfiom southto northafter
affected by declining soilfertilityandsoillo- ted as important by the Greeks. Theymust
Dalmatian islands to go northto theheadof the 8thmillennium B.C,WithintheCentral
ssonlya veryshorttimeaftertheintroduction alsohavenotedthattheislands possessed la-
theAdriatic.Theretojoin thegreattraderou- Dalmatian islands
thistime.knownastheNe- of farming. ndwhichcouldbecolonised. Weknowof se-
tesintocentral andnorthern Europe. Theisla- olithicandEneolithicperiod,is almostexclu-
ndswerealsostrategic positions. Evidence for settlement andlandusedu- veralGreekcolonies in thearea,butthereis
Greeks, Ro- sivelyrepresented by cavesites.Key sites
mansandVenetians foughtin turnto control ringtheMiddleBronze Ageis almostunkno- somedebate asto whichis thefirst.Thecolo-
includeGrapdeva, Pokrivenik andMarkova wn withintheislands, andis poorlydocume- nyonVis,named
them.Thedramatic historyof Central Dalma- Issa,a Syracusean settleme-
caves onHvar.An important exceptiont0 this ntedelsewhere in centralDalmatia. It is only nt, foundedunderunknowncircumstances
tiaisreflected in thearchaeological andhisto-
situationwasthediscovery, by theAdriatic in theLateBronzeAgein CentralDalmatia may be laterthenPharoson the islandof
ric monuments whicharescattered across the
landscapes. Ancientburialmounds, prehisto- IslandsProject,of an opensiteassociated thatwe seea conspicuous increase in settle- Hvar.Thefirstcolonythatcanbeconfidently
richillforts,Greekcolonies, Roman villasand withtheveryearliest Neolithic.Theislandof -
mentevidencemainlyassociated withdefe- datedis thatof Pharos on Hvar.whosefou-
Venetiandefences all bearwitnessto the PalagruZa providessomeof thefirstevidence ndedhilltopenclosures (hillfortsor gradine). ndation, by theParianGreeks, at StanGrad
importance of the islandsovermillenniaof for EarlyNeolithic
ventures intothedeep-wa- Workon theislandssuggests a tendency for onHvarin 385-4B.C.is recorded by Diodo-
European history, tersof theAdriatic.Thusdemonstrating that largehilltopenclosures to besitedwithrespe- rusSiculus (XV,13-14). Diodorus provides a
TheAdriaticIslandProjectis studying the chainof islandswasimportant for co- ct tofertileland,andit ispossible thattheyare dramatic accountwhichtellshowthecitywas
howthese islands weresettled. andtheevide- mmunication over8,000yearsago! positioned to controlagricultural resources - founded - andthenattacked bythelocalinha-
 1t
TheAdriaticIslqndProject TheAdriaticlslandProject 15
bitants(atranslation of thetextis onthefro- fourthcenturybutit is likelythatthecentral
nt,insidecover), According to Diodorus only Dalmatian islandswerelargelyunaffected by
Chronological
tablefor thekeyarchaeological
sites
a lastminuterescue by thenavyof Dionysius thecivilwarsof thattime.Duringthemid5th ontheCentralDalmatian islands
of Syracuse savedthecolony, century theargafunctioned asa semi-indepe-
Whichever wasfirst, the fateof these ndentterritory underthecomes reimilitarisof
two citiesvariedconsiderably. Pharosmay Salona. However, afterthis datethe region Date Period Sites
eventually havebeencontrolled by local changed handsbetween theGoths,theByza- 7-800 TheAnivalof theCroats
dynasts, andprobably wentintosteep decline ntineEmpireand,atsometimeduringthefi-
andperhaps abandonment, duringthe2ndce- rsthalfof the7thcentury, theCroats. Thefa- AD
nturyBC.Vis,although besieged by Illyrian te of theCentralAdriaticislandsduringthis Domination
by Rome Salona,
Roman
Issa
forcesduringtheFirstIllyrianWar(228BC), periodis uncertain. Theislandswereundou-
seems t0 havemaintained its independence,btedlyanimportant source of foodwhilstthe BC
andindeedplantedfurthercolonies on other mainland urbancentres functioned, butwhen
islands andthemainland. theurbancentres fell,ordeclined, muchof the 5-300 Greek
colonisation Foundation
ofGreekcolonies
atPharos
andIssa
Elsewhere on the islands,the native evidence wehavefor settlement disappears.
inhabitants livedwithoutsignificant change. TheAdriaticIslandshoject hasreco- HillfortsatHvarCastle
andTalei.
Indeed, it is uncertain whentheislandseve- rdedmorethan 2000archaeological sites, A GreeksanctuaryonPalagruia?
ntuallycameunderdirectRomancontrol, amplyreflecting therichhistoryof theregion.
although it seems likelythatbothPharos and Thesizeof thisbookletdoesnotallowusto 1000 TheIronAge Mycenean contacts onBrad
Issaweredet'aaoRomanpossessions by the provideall this information here.However, Thefirst hillforts.
lalelst century BC.Following incorporationwe canpresent shortsummaries of someof
intoEmpiretheRomancity of Salona(near themostimportant sites.In doingthisthetext 2200 TheBronze
Age Tumulus
burialsandthebeginning
of
Split)emerged asthelocalpoliticalandeco- flowsfromislandto island.WestartwithPa- thecemetery
at Vira
nomiccentre. Theislandslosttheirstrategic lagruZa, thetinyislandgrouprightin thece-
value,but thePaxRomana
flourisheconomically.
allowedthemto ntreof theAdriatic
Theislands
andfinishwithSolta,an
prospered islandjustoff themainland. Thefollowingta-
il 6000 TheNeolithic CavesitesatGrapdeva
Farmingstarts,
SpiljaandKrajicina
firstevidencefor
by feedingthegrowingurbanpopulations of bleprovides a chronology for theislandsand deepseasailing
atPalagruZa.
thecoast. shows howthesitesmentioned in thetextare
Thefateof theislandsunderthelater nlaced in time. 13000 TheUpper
Palaeolithic Hunter-gatherers (Brad)
atKopadina
Empireislesscertain. Dalmatia passed betwe-
en WestemandEastemEmpiresduringthe (V.G.andS.C.)

.l

i::

t

TheIslandof Palagruia:
Heartof theAdriatic
^n f all theplaces exploredby theProje-
t lct, theisland of PalagruZa is certainly
\-/ thesmallest. It alsomaywell be the
mostsurprising.0n littlemorethana splinter
of rock,
archaeologists havefoundthetraces
of themedieval,classical andprehistoricsai-
lorswhooncepliedthewatersof thecentral
Adriatic.Theseremains thatlongago
indicate
PalagruZa wasfar moreimportant thanits di-
minuitive sizemightsuggest.
Merely1300m longand330m wide,
Palagruia is waterlessandrugged. Cliffsand
thelighthouse
Fig.2. Viewonthesouthsideof VelaPalagruiawith
TheAdriaticlslandProjett l7
ar.Yetdespite itsbanenaspect, voyagers vi- makingPalagruia a portof call,for, among
sitedPalagruZa repeatedly overthelasteight otherthings, twomajorcunents -one ealte-
thousand years.Why? rly,theotherwesterly-converge 0nPalagru-
Palagruia
thatspans
is thecentral islandin a chain ia. Wheretheymeet,the waterswirlsand
theAdriatic.FromItalyto Dalma- eddies aroundtheisland,helping to makePa-
tia,theislandsof Tremiti, Pianosa, PalagruZa,lagruiathecenterof theAdriatic'smostpro-
SuiacandVisarestepping stones acrossthe ductivefishery.In retrospect, the island's
steepslopes risefromthewaves, foldingkni-
richesmightperhaps havebe-
sea.Standing ononeof these islandsyoucan archaeological
fe-likealonga central ridgewhichrsindented
seethenextone,sometimes eventhemainla- en expected.
by a pair of smallplateaux. Anchoring one
nd.Offering anchorage, a modicum of shelter, Indeed,PalagruZa hasbeenknownto
endof theisland, point,stands
at its highest
in theAdriatic anda placet0rest,these islands haveattracted archaeologists
since thelate19thcentury. The
theoldestmanned lighthouse
(fig.2).Across ananowchannel liesPalagru- sailorsandfishermen for millennia. Lookat Italianarchaeologist, Carlode Marchesetti,
Za'ssisterisland,MalaPalagruia, onlya fifth anymapof thearea. Thelogicisclear, Byusi- andtheEnglishadventuret, Sir RichardBu-
thesizebutanevenmoreforbidding tenain ngthese islandsasstopping places, co- rton,visitedtheislandin 1875whentheli-
sailors
(Fig.3),Parts0f thescrubvegetation andani- uldtraverse theAdriaticwithoutlosingsight ghthouse wasbeingbuilt.Theyreported findi-
mallife formshereareindigenous to Palagru- of land.AndPalagruZa is rightin themiddle. ng stoneblades, brokenpottery,andarchite-
ia andareunique. They aresustainedby mo- Indeed, ancient mariners couldhardlyhelp cturalfragments bearingLatin inscriptions.
derate amounts of rainfallthroushout theye-
Fig.3. VelaPalagrui,a.
Viewfromthelighthouse plateaucalledSalamandrija
onthecentral
in thebackground.
andonMolaPalagruiain thebackground.
18 TheAdriaticIslandProject TheAdriaticIslandProject t9
Theirlead.however. wasneverfollowedin tingfarinland,in theseventh millennium B.C. gnp0st prehistOry, Nodules of grey-blue
chert pebblebeach(Fig.2).Excavation herefailed
moredetail,sosince1992theProjecthasvi- Withthehgardens andtheirflocksthese peo- speckle exposed rockfacesall overthetiny to find anystructural features
datingto the
sitedPalagruZa fourtimesin orderto canyout pleintroduced foodproduction, changing hu- islet;erodingout of theirlimestone matrix, prehistoric
period.However, a carefulsearch
surfacesurvey.underwater reconnaissance. manlife in theMeditenanean forever. Given brokennodules collectat thebasesof cliffs of theslopesbelowlocated aprofusion of sto-
andlimitedtestexcavations. Thanks tothisre- howdispersed theseearlyfarmers were,it is andledges. In places, gapingholesmarkthe netools,lithicproduction debrisandceramics
searchwe now recognize that Palagruia's remarkable thattheirmaterial worlds,thethi- spotswherechertwasquanied, Theevidence of theCetinaculturescattered over6000sq.
archaeological recordtouches on severalkey ngstheymadefor themselves, aresosimilar. suggests thatlow-intensity chertminingon m.Othersignificant findsincludeddecorated,
periodsof prehistory andhistory.Localities Somehow, despitedistance, timeandtide,pe- MalaPalagruZa began in theNeolithic,
proba- stonearcher's wristguardsandseveral blades
onPalagruZa andMalaPalagruZa includepre- ople maintained contactwith one another. bly asa pastime 0n thepartof disembarkedof central Meditenanean obsidian.
A systema-
histoncremains of theNeolithic,of theCo- AndasPalagruZa soclearlyshows, atleastpa- voyagers. tic transect
of thesitewasdugrevealing that
pperAgeandof theearlyBronzeAge;histo- rt of thatcontact wasseabome, caniedoutby Thenextchapter in PalagruZa's
prehi- theseartifactswereconsistently associated
yielded
ric localities Classical
Greek, Helleni- voyagers sailingfromoneislandto thenext. storytakesplacetowards theendof thethird witheachother,washing downthenorthslo-
stic,Roman, andlatemedieval finds. As theensuing centuries stretched into millennium B.C.,astheCopper Agedrewto a peof theislandin a layerof colluvialsedime-
millennia,sailorscallingonPalagruZa to rest, close.Thestorycanbe readat a siteat the nts.
Palagruia in Prehistory shelter
or fish,leftlittletrace oftheir passage. island'scentrewherea smallplateau (Fig.3) TheCetinaculturespansthetransition
At somepointearlyon,though, visitorsmade overlooks cliffs andthebroadsweenof the fromtheCopper Ageto theBronze Age.It is
Several potsherds andstoneblades mark anotherdiscovery. They found that MolaPa-
thefirstlandfalls onPalagruZa, madesometi- lagntLa wasanabundant source of chert,the
mearound6000B.C.Like callingcardsleft rockprefened by makers of stone tools- the A
behind afteravisit,fragments of potterydisti- chippedknives, blades andanowheads thatsi-
i[fi It $-m-ffi
&
$tr-W-ru
{l
nctively decorated withthezigzag

ul
impressio-
nsof a Cardium seashellwerefoundon the
island's eastemmost extremity.Testtrenching
of thisarearevealed justa low
no structures,
O Scnr
densitydistribution of Neolithicpotteryand :
lithics.Therewas nothingt0 suggest that

# e-il
anything morethanabriefvisit(orvisits)ever
tookplace.Andyet...
Pottery of thekindfoundonPalagruZa is
elsewhere firmlyassociated withthespread of

ffi t &-q
thefirst farmersthroughout thenorthMedite-
E
nanean basin.Knownto archaeologists asthe o
Cardial Impressed Wareculture(Fig.4),sma-
ll communities of agnculturalists
begansettli- Fig.4.EarlyNeolithic
potfragment
frlm the
ng intoplaces alongthecoast,neverpenetra- eastplateau
onVelaPalagruia. Fig.5.Flintarrowheads
andarchers'wristguardfound
at Salamandrija.
20 TheAdriaticlslandProject TheAdriaticIslandProject 2t
bestknownto archaeologists fiom a series of thethirdmillennium B.C,PalagruZa seems to Thissuggestionthattheremayhavebe- this earlyidentification, the locationof the
stonecaims,eliteburials, in central Dalmatia. haveoccupied animportant positionin a ne- en a shrineto Diomedes on theislandis of islandsof Diomedes hasrarelybeena conte-
Theburialstypicallycontainas grave goods wly-created networkof elite-oriented produ- immense importance.Manyancientliterary ntiousissueamongstacademics. However,
intricatelydecorated beakers andotherdrinki- ction andexchange that linkedthe central sources statethattherewerepointson the thediscoveries on PalagruZa prompted a re-
ng gear,finely flaked anowheads, and arche- Adriaticislands to themainland of Dalmatia, AdriaticwheretheTrojanherowasworshi- assessment of theevidence by projectstaff,
rs' wristguards (Fig.5).Liketheclosely rela- to theItalianmainland regions of Pugliaand pped,andsomeof thesesitesareknown.Mo- Furtherreadingof thetextsof Strabo(2, 5,
tedBellBeaker phenomenon, thiskindof eli- Calabria, andevenasfar asthecentral Medi- st significantly,
theancientsources mention 201123-124: 5, 1,81214; 5, l, 9l2l5and6, 3,
te. male.sumptuary behavior is a common tenanean Aeolian islands. It wasonthebasis (or
anisland twoislands) of Diomedessitua- 91283-284) suggested thatthedescription of
expression of thecompetition for prestige in of maritime networks likethisonethattheea- tedin theAdriatic.Unfortunately,
nonegivea theislandof Diomedes betterconesponds to
thirdmillennium B.C.Europe. Its appearancerly civilizations of theMeditenanean werela- preciselocation.Italianmedievalcartogra- VelaandMalaPalagruia, ratherthantheTre-
in Dalmatia is significant because it marksthe terto emerge. phersandhistoricalgeographers connected miti.Theevidence of Greekactivityfounddu-
firstserious socialdifferentiation to cleave lo- (T.K. andS.F.) theseislandswith theTremitiislandsto the nngprojectworkseemed to support thisco-
calcommunities thereashighstatus individu- westof MountGargano, possiblybecause it nclusion,
particularlyin comparison to thela-
alsbeganto actoutroleson a broader stage. Palagruia: wasthoughtthatthecult of Diomedes was ck of Greekevidence ontheTremiti.
theIsland(s)
Findsof Cetina potteryamong rock-cut tombs alsopresent 0ntheItalianAdriaticcoast,and Noneof thiswouldhavebeenconclusi-
in Pugliain Italydemonstrate theextentof the
of Diomedes alsobecause theTremitiaretheonlyItalian vebutfor furtherevidence provided bypotte-
networkin whichAdriaticelitesnownartici- islandson theAdriaticcoast.As a resultof ry collectedonthecentral plateau of VelaPa-
pated. Followingtheveryimportant evidence
FindingCetina material in themiddleof for prehistoricactivity on PalagruZa , oneof
theAdriaticnowmakes sense, andallthemo- themostintriguing was
discoveries copious
re sowhenthenature of thematerial is consi- amounts of Greek Black- andRed-figure po-
dered.Chipped stoneartifacts, in astonishing tteryandHellenistic fine wares.Morethan
numbers, makeupthelargest partof thePala- 2000 fragments have nowbeenrecovered at
gruiaassemblage. (Fig.
Theyshowthathighlyski- Salamandrija 3) theisland's centre pla-
lledflint knappers usedMalaPalagruZa chert teau, (mostly representing kylixes and
to produce blades, bladesegments, anowhea- skyphoi, aswellasbowls, plates andhyddae).
ds,andlunateanowarmatures. Extrapolating The presence of such a variety of finewares
fromthecontrolled excavated sample, thousa- (alongwiththespecific shapes of thevessels)
ndsof anowheads andtensof thousands of suggested that there must have beena Greek
blades -
musthavebeenmadeonPalagruZa shrineor sanctuary asearlyaslate6thcentu-
far morethananyone thereeverneeded. It is ry BC.Theposition of theislands onimporta-
reasonable t0 suppose thatspecialized stone nt maritime routesfurthersuggested thatany
tool production at this scalewasaimedat shrinemayhavebeendedicated to theGreek
export,thatthese goodsweredestined for use HeroDiomedes, whosecultwasknownto be
elsewhere. Fora whilein thesecond halfof important for sailorsandtraders. Fig.6.Fragment lqlix (a drinkingcup)withthenameof Diomedes
of a hlackgloss
 TheAdriaticIslandProject

lagruZa by jadrankoOreb,lighthouse keeper Forthemedieval periodwe onlyknow

at PalagruZa. Thispotterywasbrought to the thatPopeAlexander III haslandedon Pala- TheIslandof Vk
attentionofproject staffin1994,andcompri- gruZaon March3rd 1177.He wassailing
sedof over100GreekandHellenistic fine fromViesteonMonteGargano vraPalagruZa,
wares. Mostsignificantly,amongst thiscolle- Vis andZadarto Venicewherehenegotiated
ctionwereseveral fragmentsof potterywith peace withFrederikI Barbarossa. Exceptshi-
graffitiof thesortarchaeologistsoftenfindin pwrecksno othermedieval findshavebeen IXXA-aGreekcolony llowingtheconstruction of newhouses, hote-
Greeksanctuaries. Oneof thesherds withgra- discovered. 0n medieval mapsPalagruZa is ls,entertainmentcomplexes androads. Thesi-
ffiti bearsthe nameof Diomedes (Fig. 6). alwaysshownandalwaysenlarged (seefront
ontheislandof Vis
te of Martvilo(whichmeans theplaceof the
Thisseems to befirmevidence of a sanctuary cover).Theruinsof theSt. Mihovilchurch "Agatharchides claimsthat the winefrom dead)at Vis is particularly important ashere
dedicated to thehero.andthishasbeenfurther dateto the18thcent,It wasbuiltbythefishe- Issa,anislarulontheAdriaticsea,in contra- Onecanstill seetheremains of theonlyanci-
supported by findsof morepotteryduring rmanfromKomiZa onVis. st withotherwines,is thebest" entGreekgraveyard in Croatia.Nearby,on
1996, some of whichalsohavegraffitimenti- Palagruiais anintriguing place.Appa- Athenaeus I,28,d (51)
thehill slopeatGradina, visitorscanalsofo-
onlnsDiomedes. rentlyisolated,
it wasclearly animportant po- llowtherouteof the4th-3rdcenturies BCci-
int for successive
travellersandtraders who is,whichliessome8 milesto thesou- ty wallswhichlie preserved withinlongstone
th-west of Hvar(Fig.17),coversan clearance mounds. In severalplaces theorigi-
havemovedacrossthe Adriaticthroughout
Palagruia in theRomanand areaof90.26km2.Durinsthesumme- nalmasonry canstill beseen. Neartheshore
thepasteightmillennia. connecting commu-
rs of 1993-4and1996-1, theAdriaticIslandaretheruinsof theRoman baths- thelargest
medieval periods nitiesonbothsidesof theAdriatic.Shipwre-
in theAdriatic.
Projectcaniedout suruey,anda seriesof WhilstonthePrirovopeninsu-
cks,unfortunately now all robbed,from all
excavations, acrosstheisland. Thisfieldworkla onecanseetheremains of theRoman the-
PalagruZawasalsoinhabited duringthe periods furtheremphasisetheroleof theisla- atrepreserved withinthewallsof theMedie-
recorded morethen240sites,aswell asma-
Romanperiod.A latin inscriptionrecording nd.These, andtherecentdiscoveriesfiomPa- valmonastery. All around theseafiont areSu-
ppingtheareaof theancient townof Issa.Pri-
of atempleontheislandwasfo- lagruLa
theexistence allowusto imaginewhythese islands bmerged remainsof the sunkenGreekand
0r t0 this,a surveyof classical siteson the
undhereduringthel9th century. Excavation seemed soimportantto peoplein thepast,and Roman ports,buttheseandothermonuments
islandwascaniedoutin 1986by localarcha-
on VelaPalagruLahasalsoprovided mosaic whysucha smallislandgroupwasimportant eologists DinkoRadii andthe Vid Bilidii, stillawaitinvestigation.
tesserae,
roundbricksfiom a hypocaust, fine enough to be mentioned
in theancient texts whorecorded some60sitesin addition t0 the
andcoarsepottery,dolliaandamphorae and andto haveshrines, sanctuariesandtemples, 20sitesfiomotherperiods whichwerealrea-
glass.
LateRoman materialis alsopresentin andmorerecently chapels,builtthere. dy knownontheisland.
abundance,
butnoEarlyChristian objectsha- Theremains of theancient city of Issa,
vebeenrecovered. (J.H.andB.K.) whichwasfounded by Syracuseans in the4th
cent.BC,aresituated at theendof thebayof
Vis andadjacent to themodemtownof Vis.
Theancient towncovered anareaof some12
hectares (Fig.
atitszenith 7).Notmuchof this
settlementhasbeenexcavated and,sadly,mu- Fig.7. ThepositionogGreekkolonyof Issa
ch hasalready beendestroyed, especially fo- in thenorthbayof Vis.
1),1 TheAdriqticIslandProject TheAdriatitlslandProject 25
Theruralsitesontheislandbelong esse- collection of Greekmaterialin Croatiaasa Talei- theprecursor
toIssa? (Fig.g). Geodetic survey of thesitealsoreve-
ntiallyto theHellenistic andearlyRoman pe- whole. aledthelocation of a semicircular structure0n
riods.Duringthistimetheentireislandwas Whatof thelaterhistoryof theisland? Thehillfortsiteof TaleZ the eastem edge of the hillfort- that whichdi-
liesonthesou-
occupied andthelandfully utilised.Thissu- Oneof themoststrikingresultsof thefieldsu- themandcentral sideof Vis.Thesiteconsists rectlyoverlooks thetumulus at VelaGomila.
ggests thatasearlyastheHellenistic period, ruey0nVis wasthediscovery thatwhilstthe- of a series
of massive tenaces andwallsasso- This tumulus is the largest one onVis.0n its
Issacouldhavesupported a considerable po- re wasa proliferation of sitesduringtheHe- ciatedwith a precipitous west-east ridge. surface prehistoric, Greek and Roman pottery
pulation. If so,thismayhelpexplaintheevi- llenisticandEarlyRomanperiods, veryfew Although manywallshaveeithercollapsed or wasfound.Thismayindicate thatthetumulus
was an important "ritual"sitefor
dence wehavefor otherGreekcolonisation in sitesproduced LateRoman finds.Thispattem beendestroyed by latermilitaryactivity,it is a longperi-
theregion.In theearly3rdcenturyB.C.the is in strikingcontrastto theneighboring isla- clearthattheyincorporate aminorpeakat245 odof time.
Isseians founded a settlement somewhere ne- ndsof Hvar,BradandSolta,whereLateRo- m abovesealevel.To thesouththeridgedo- Theresultsof surfacesurveyat TaleZ
ar Lumbarda on the neighbouring islandof mansitespredominate in thearchaeological minates a moregentleplateau coveringabout wereremarkable. Surveyandexcavation pro-
Kordula- KerlqraMelaina- wheresome200 record.Whathappened on Issa?Afternearly 5 hectares.Thelandfallsawaysharply onall vided tens of thousands of prehistoric objects
colonistsweresettled.Followingthis, Issa 500 yearsduringwhichIssawasthe most sidesof thisplateau,Thesiteis alsoseparated (mainlypottery). Whatwassurprising wasthe
"Greek"
alsofounded settlements ontheDalmatian co- important urbancentrein theregion,didit pe- by a steepvalleyfroma nanowridgeto the quantityof imported waresfound
ast:atTragyrion (modem Trogir)andEpetion rhapsdecline in thelaterRoman periodasSa- eastwhichcontains theVelaGomilatumulus which comprisedS.3To of the total,anddated
lonabecame the centralsettlement andthe fromthe6th -4th centuryBC.Equallysurpri-
(modem Stobred).It is alsolikelythattheyla-
ter settledat Salona(modemSolin).All of otherislandscompeted more successfullyto singis thewidespread occunence of ironslag
these settlements areonthecoast, notfarfrom supplytheregional centre? andotherevidence for metalworking(Fig.
Split.In thismanner theoldeststate(dinaste- (8.K.) 10)onthesite,whichsuggests thatthehillfo-
la) withdemocratic institutions ontheAdria- ft atTaleiis associated withahitherto unkno-
-
tic grewandexpandedplayinga vitalrolein wn,exploitable, ironresource.
thesettlement anddevelopment of theregion.
Therichness andthevitalityof thepeo-
pleof Issaisperhaps bestattested byabronze
-
headof Aphroditethegoddess of love,ma-
dein the4thcenturyB.C.,andfoundon the
island(Fig. 8). It is saidthatit wasmade
underthestronginfluence of Praxiteles, the
mostfamousGreeksculptor.This headof Fig.10.IronoreandironslagfromTalei
Aphroditeis a uniquerepresentation of this
Thesignificanceof theresults
fromTa-
goddess in bronze. Althoughthesculpture is,
lei cannot
beunderestimated.Thepresence of
perhaps, themostimportant fromtheisland,
a pre-Greekcolonial
settlementwithaccessto
theArchaeological collection in themodem
anexploitableironresource wastotallyune-
townof Vis contains muchfromthisperiod headofthegoddess
Fig.8.Bronze Fi,q.9. I icrl'ontheI'elu Gonilutunulus
xpected.Theregionis mineral deficientand
and,indeed,is probablythemostimportant Aphrodite
from Issa nt,urTule:hillfortonl'is.
 TheAdriaticIslandProiect TheAdriaticIslandProject 27
thenearest knownresources liein Bosnia. The mestone caverenowned amongspelunkers
as Agedate,whileaneverted-rim formis more micsatKrajicina wereintentionally placed in
importance thatmusthavederivedfromco- thefineston Vis.Almostsixtymeterslong, reminiscent of thelateBronze Age.Thisstra- remote cracksandcrannies andmaytherefore
ntrol of this resource duringthe earlyIron thecaveconsists andthepa-
of fivechambers tumoverlies anolder(butasyetundated) de- indicate some kindofritualbehaviour, thereis
Agemusthavebeenconsiderable. Indeed, the ssages thatstringthemtogether.Travertine positof mixedcharcoal andshell(marineand littleaboutthismaterialt0 suggest thatritual
presence of suchironreserves mayalsogoso- androof-fallrubblecovermostof thecave's tenestrial).Elsewhere in thecave,isolatedfi- practices wereamong themajorpreoccupatio-
mewayto explaining earlyGreekactivitybo- floor.Stalactites
andstalagmites
encrustthe ndsof earlyNeolithic, lateNeolithic,
andIron ns of theprehistoric visitorsto thecave.In
th on the islandof PalagruZa and,perhaps, horizontal
surfaces(Fig.11). Agepotterymakeit clearthatsporadic visits thisKrajicinadiffersfromothercavesin the
eventheposition of thelaterGreekcolonyof to Krajicinahavebeenapartof life onVisfor Adriatic,wherea prehistoric ritualfocusis
Issa.Certainly theextraordinary quantities of a longtime. moreeasilydemonstrated. Whatthenisthesi-
imported pottery0nthesitecanonlybeexpla- Onlya veryrestricted rangeof pottery gnificance of Krajicina?Neithersettlement
inedthrough theactiveexploitation of thisre- appears at thesite,andanimalbonesandsto- norshrine, theimportance of thiscaveis that
sourceandtradewith theGreekworld.The netoolsarequiterare.Fromthiswecanc0- it hintsattheexistenceonVisof a moreexte-
datingevidence fortheabandonment of thesi- ncludethatthecavewasusedonlyfor short nsive,butstillhidden, Bronze Agerecord.
teshould coincide withthebeginnings of Gre- stays.Although someof theBronze Agecera- (T.K.)
ekurbansettlement at Issa. Unfortunately, an
exactdatefor the"foundation" of Issacune-
ntlyescapes us.Despite thistherecanbelittle
doubtthatthesettlement of Talezmusthave
controlleda largepart(if notall)of theisland
of Vis duringthe5thcenturyB. C. It therefo-
rebecomes a keysite for ourunderstanding of
pre-colonial Greekcontacts with thecentral
Adriatic.
ff. G.)

- a prehistoric
Krajicina cavesite Fig.1l.Theinterior
oftheKraicina
caye
onVis,

onVis In 1994small-scale excavations were

conducted atKrajicinato seeif anypartof the
Windingthroughthe densebrambles island'sbasicprehistoric culturalchronology
andthicketsthatblanketthe northcoastof was preserved there, Beneath a surfacelayer
Vis,a minortrailpausesatthelip of anextre- of disturbed depositsat thefrontof thecave,
melysteephillside,a cliff almost,beforetu- careful trowelling
revealed a compact layerof
mblingdowntowards therockyshorebelow. BronzeAge date.Wide,flat-rimmed bowls
Greekcolonies,
emporia(Narona)
andnative
tribes
Thisis thewayto KrajicinaSpilja,a largeli- with tubular handlesindicate an earlyBronze lssean
colonisation
{3-2nd
centBC)
 TheAdriaticIslandProject 29

TheIslandof Hvar foundatStariGradwhichsuggests

rlierGreeksettlement
thatanea-
mayhaveexisted here,
priorto thehistoricdatefor foundation. Intri-
guingly, a settlement named Anchiala is me-
ntionedby Stephen of Byzantium andthis
maybe a precursor to Pharos (Ethnika, s.t,.
heislandof Hvaris distinctively "Da- Pharos). Unfortunately,whatformthisearly
Pharos anditsterritorv
lmatian". Strikingly longandthin,the settlement mayhavetakencannot beproven,
islandstretches for 68kilometres fiom andwe awaitfurtherdiscoveries to clarify
In StariGradonHtar u,hen priests,ju- whether hadsucha settlement
eastto west,butneverexceeds l5 kilometres theGreeks or
dges, doctors or othereminent peoplesit,v'e- not.
in width.Although dominated bya rockymo-
arily, onreturnfromtheplain,theyhoistthe- Despite theclarityof thefoundation ta-
untainous spine,whichreaches 628metres
mselves up,dofftheircapandgreetit,het'ou- Fig.12.Satellite
imageof theStariGrad le,theposition of Pharosonthe island of Hvar
abovesealevelat SvetiNikola,Hvar'smost
setheyknowthatit is theirprotider" planeu,ithcleartracesof Greeklanddivi- wasa subject of domestic andforeign acade-
notable characteristic is thewideandfertile
(Milidevii1975,416) sion.Thev,hitelineindicates
thevisualcom- mic debate for more than a century.Although
plainwhichrunsfor sixkilometres between
thetownsof StariGradandJelsain thecentral municationbetvyeenPharos andthetowers m0stauthorities eventuallyaccepted theclaim
On thenorthem sideof theIslandof at MaslinovikaandTor. of StariGradasthesiteof thecolonv.thesi-
northem section of theisland. Hvarhasmany
Hvar sunounded by hillsandsituated betwe-
attractions.Frequently calledthe"Madeira of
entwodeepbaysistheStariGradPlain. This
theAdriatic"in deference to its climate. the
beautiful plainis thelargest andmostfertile
island hasattracted millions of tourists.Aside areaontheAdriatic
islands Figs.12and12a).
fromthis,it alsopossesses someof themost Apartfrom
itsobvious agriculturalwealth,it
important archaeological sitesin theregion. is alsothesiteof the
Greek colony of Pharos.
Oneeminent academic calledHvar"a muse- Pharos wassituated 0ntheposition of themo-
umsubdivo",andit isnosurprise thatsoma- demtownof StariGrad(whichmeans "Old
nyarchaeologists andantiquaries havechosen Town"),andwasfounded in 385/4BC by
to studyHvarandits monuments. Perhaps Greeks fromtheAegean islandof Paros. We
moresuryrising is thefactthataftersuchco- areparticularly luckyin havinga dramatic
ntinuous andintensive studysomuchremai- account of thefounding of thecolonyin a te-
nedtobediscovered. Workbytheproject me- xt writtenby theancient historianDiodorus
mbers ontheisland hasinvolved theexcava- Siculus (XV.13-14.). andwhichcanberead
tionandsurvey of Neolithic caves andRoman in translation ontheinside coverof thisbook.
villas,prehistorictumuliandGreekwatchto- However, if thiswasthedateof thefoundati-
wers.TheAdriaticIslands Project startedon onof thecolony, it maynotbethedateof the
Hvar,andtheoutstanding results of studyon anivalof theGreeks ontheisland oreventhe
thisislandinspired thelarger projecl. Fig.l2a.Viev'from
theairontheGreekland
division partoftheStariGradplane.
ofthew,est Sturi
firstGreek settlement.Greek nottenhtsheen
Grodin thebackground.The ground
airport hasdevastated
tu,o
Roman Photo;
sites. 8. Kragi(.
30 TheAdriaticIslandProject TheAdriaticlslandProject
zeof thetownandits defences wasnotclear Pharos is remarkable because it contains the
untila programme of excavationandsurvey remains of a massive fieldsystem whichwas
wascaniedout after1992-3and1996.We laidoutbythecolonists. Survey andexcavati-
nowknowthatthetownmayhavecovered oninsidetheStariGradplain,aswellasaeri-
morethaneighthectares andpartwassurrou- alphotographic, geodetic andgeomorphologi-
ndedby a substantial
wall. calanalysis of thefieldsystem demonstrates
Themoststrikingdiscover
bytheProje- thatthewholeplainwasdividedintoa series
ct teamwasin regardto theknownGreekno- of plots(striga).Seventy threeof theseplots
rt defence
wall,Theexcavationsmadein 1993 can be identified,eachmeasuring 906 x
and1996haveshownthatthewallis nota the 181.2m. (16.4 ha.)(Fig.onpage8),andcove-
wallof theGreekcolony,buta wallbuiltout ringa totalareaof c. 1100ha.Whilstsimilar
systems canbefoundelsewhere (egMetapo-
of Greekblocksin theRomanperiod(c. 3rd
ntumandChersonesus), theremains onHvar
cent.AD)(Fig.13)
areprobably thebestpreserved examples of
Beyond thewallsaretheremains of the
sucha system in thewholeof theGreekwo-
rld.Research ontheplainsuggests thattheba-
sicunitusedbytheParian colonists forlaying
"foot" sl.14. TheStariGradplane:Romansites
andtheplotsof theGreeklanddivision.
Largeyel-
outthefieldsystem wasa measuring
302.16mm. At thepresent low zones
reDresent
modern settlements,
moment thismea-
sureis notparalleled elsewhere, butit is simi- Despite this,it is probably truethatthe gionwasfrequentlynotedin ancient sources
larto unitsusedatIsthmiaandEpidarus. majorityof Greekslived withinthe city at asunstable andwith a reputationfor piracy.
Thefieldworkhasalsoshownthatthe Pharos,
if onlybecause of theever-presentda- Thisinsecurity
isbestdemonstratedbytheco-
areawasinhabited in the pre-Greek times. ngersof livingoutside thewallsof thetown. nstruction of twodefensivetowersby theco-
Thisis attested by numerous BronzeandIron Diodorus Siculus'account of theattackbythe lonists.
Onewassituated onthenorthem edge
Ageburialmounds andhillforts.Thisevide- originalinhabitants of theislandemphasisesof theplain,on a hill calledMaslinovik Fig.
ncesuggests thattheGreeks didnotcomeon thedanger thecolonists werein,whilstthere- 15),whilsttheotherliesat Tor,highona hi-
no mansland.Theconflictbetween thenati-
vesandthe Greeks, recorded by Diodorus,
mayhaveerupted overtheagricultural land.
Surveysuggests that thereareonly a
smallnumber of Greeksitesin theplain,and
thattheyareconcentrated nearPharos. There
are,however, numerous Romanvi//as,some
of whichareverylarge,andit is possible that
Fig.l3.Trenchexcavated
at theinnerside laterlandusehasdestroyed or covered early Fig. 15.Excavations
madein 1987at the Fig.16.The
southface of thetower
atTor.
"north" Greekoccupation (Fig.14).
ofthe wallofPharos. Greektowerat Maslinovik. Brai in thebackpround.
JI TheAdriaticIslandProject TheAdriuticIslundProject 33
ll, southof thetownof Jelsaandeastof the Hvar townCastle:the largest and medieval cathedral. The Bishopric of Messapian andAppuliangeometric pottery
plain (Fig. 16). Thesewatchtowers or Hvar includes the neighbouring islandsof datingfromthe9thto the4th centuries BC.
phryktoria communicated witheachotherby
IronAgesettlement
ontheisland BradandVis.DuringtheMiddleAgesHvar These finds,alongwithimported pottery from
smokeor fire signals. Takentogether, these wastherichestcommune in Dalmatia. The Greece andGreekcolonies in Italy,indicate
towersfunctioned aspartsof a singledefence Thesiteof the modemtownof Hvar
prominent position of Hvaramongst theCe- thatthesitemaintained extensive outside co-
system. ThemoredistanttoweratTorwasin mustalwayshavebeenattractive to settleme-
ntralDalmatian islandsis clear,andit seems ntacts throughout m0stof thefirstmillenniurn
directvisualcommunication withthatatMa- nt (Fig.l7),Lyingonthesouthwestem sideof
reasonable to askwhether thisoosition was BC.Unfortunately, despite thequantity of the
slinovik(adistance of 7.5km),whiletheto- theisland, thetownpossesses anexcellentpo-
reflected in earliertimes. prehistoricfindsonthehill,therearevirtually
wer 0n Maslinovik, situated3.5 km. from rt whichisprotected to thesouth bytheSkoji
Thiswasoneof thequestions whichthe noothertraces of thesettlement. It musthave
Pharos, waspositioned to communicate be- (Pakleni) groupof islands. It alsohasa large
AdriaticIslands Project teamsought to inve- possessed defences originally, but the co-
tweenTor andthetown(Fig.12).Together fertileareato theeastthatis wellprovisioned
stigate when,in 1989,it caniedoutanexte- nstruction of themedieval castleandlaterla-
thetowerscontrolled thenorthem andeastem with water.In thepast,however, thesiteof
nsivesurvey of theHvarCastle hill. ndscaping haveremoved all traces of anyho-
approaches to thecolony.Onesuspects that, thetownof Hvarachieved a farwidersignifi-
Clearlya strategic position, the hill, usesor walls.
despitethevictoryof theGreeks overthena- cance because of its keyrolein longdistance
tradeupanddowntheeastem Adriaticcourse. whichdominates theharbour atHvar.wasthe Thediscoveries raisea number of very
tivesin 384/3BC,lifemayalways havebeen
Theimportance of themedieval obvious siteforlhe Venelians t0 conslruct a important pointsaboutthestatus of theHvar
uncertain for thecolonistsandthatdefence andmodem
townis emphasised in thesplendid medieval castle in thel2thcentury. Priorto thesurvey, castlesitewithintheislandasa whole.The
always remained important'
buildings setaround thetownpiazza, itscastle therehadalways beena suspicion thata pre- existence of the Greekcolonyof Pharos at
B. K. andB. S.)
historic sitehadpreceded thecastle. A short StariGrad,andliteraryandepigraphic evide-
assessment of thedistribution of prehistoric ncefor troubled relations between thenative
material withintheouterwardof theVenetian populations andcolonists, hasoftenledto an
Castleindicated thatthis wasthe case,and
over-emphasis of theimportance of theStari
thatconsiderable quantrtiesof prehistoric ma-
Grad plain within the pre-Roman historyof
terialcovered anextensive area,
theisland.TheresultsfromHvarCastlesu-
Thepotential importance of thesiteled
ggestthatamorecomplex social situation exi-
to a moredetailed surface survey overanarea
stedontheislandduringthefirstmillennium
of c, 1.43ha,Thissurvey allowed a morepre-
BCthanisrepresented in thehistorical record,
cisedefinitionof the prehistoric settlement
area,andprovidedconsiderable amounts of The finds fiom Hvar Castle indicate that this
datablepottery.A few fragments suggested settlement was probably thelargest andmost
thattherewassomesortof settlement onthe important laterprehistonc site on the island.
sitefromtheEneolithic periodonwards, but Thepresence of imported pottery0n thesite
themostintense occupation is testified during suggests that the settlement had privileged
theLateBronze andEarlyIron Ages(c.25Va access to exoticimportedgoodsduringthe
of thecollected material wasof Bronze Age pre-Greek periodandthatit enjoyedsomede-
dateandl57aof IronAgedate).Of special greeof social pre-eminence withintheisland.
Fig.U.ViewonthetownofHvarandits
castle,
Inthebackground
areSkoji
andtheisland interest is thepresence of imported Italian, Thishypothesis is furtherstrengthened by the
ofVis.
34 TheAdriaticIslandProiect TheAdriaticIslandProiect 35
proximityt0 thelargestbanowcemetery on Kordula,Lastovo,Vis andthe seabeyond After crawlingthrough,one entersa moresophisticated recoverymethods andana-
theisland;atVirato thenorthwestof Hvar. whereonecanrecognise PalagruZa. Descend spacious hall,dividedby stalagmitic pillars lyticaltechniques thathavebecome available
Almostcertainly theimportance of the fromhereacrossa shortstretchof brokenro- andcurtains intoseveralchambers of differe- in recentyears(Fig.19).
siteatHvarCastle wasachieved asa resultof ck andthereyoumaynoticea small,inconspi- nt sizes. Thefirstandlargest ofthesemeasu- Thete$ unitlocated theedgeof Nova-
its geographical positionontheeastem Adri- cuousholeamongthe blocksof limestone. ressome20meters across.Theearliest explo- k's trench,aswellastheundisturbed cultural
atictraderoutes. If thisis conect,theavaila- Thisis theentrance to Grapdeva cave.(Fig. rersdugherelatein the19thcentury, looking strata beyond.Morethan40stratigraphic uni-
ble datagoessomewaytowardsanswering 18) for traces oftheancient pa$.Theyfoundthi- ts (mostlysuperimposed hearth
remains) were
somefundamental problems with respect to Theentrance wasoncemuchlarger,but ck sediments, sealedatthesurface by a trave- recognized in analmosttlueemeterthickse-
the natureof Greek/Native relations during at sometimein thepasta massive rockslide rtineslab. quence. Theyrepresent some3500yearsof
the initial periodof Greekcolonisation on almostsucceeded in sealing upthecave.The Between 1887and1952,thecavewas occasional occupation thatspanstheperiods
Hvar,i,e.whywerethecolonists allowedto resultwasa well-protected shelterthatalso excavated by a numberof differentpeople. fromtheLateNeolithicto thefull-blownBro-
establish themselves andwhywastherea pe- actedasanalmostidealsediment trap,colle- Themostimportant excavations werecanied nze Age. Abundantfragments of charcoal
riod of peacebetween thetwo communities ctingoverthepassing millenniatherefusele- outduringthesecond quarter of the20thce- throughout thesequence haveallowed reliable
beforetheviolentconflictrecorded bvDiodo- ft by occasionaltenants of thecave. ntury.Theyweredirected by GrgaNovak,a absolute datingof thedepositsandtheassoci-
rus? nativeof Hvarwhowaslaterto become presi- atedfinds.Thismarksa maiorcontribution.
Theevidence seems to suggest thatthe dentof theAcademy of Sciences andArts.It
GreekcolonyontheStariGradplainwaspe- is to hiscreditthattheattractive, red-painted
ripheralto theprincipal prehistoric settlement potteryfrom the cavebecame synonymous
situatedabove thetownof Hvar.Thedistance with the eastemAdriaticNeolithic,andthat
between thetwosettlements piobably allowed the first well-defined Neolithic"culture"in
thepeaceful establishment of thecolony.A theareawasnamedafterhisisland.
peace whichwasshattered whentheincreasi- Novakexcavated abouthalfof theavai-
ngactivities of thenewcolonyeventually ca- lableareadownto thebedrock. Mostof the
meintoconflictwiththeauthorityof theinha- restof thecavewasdisturbed byearlierdiggi-
bitantsof thesiteatHvarCastle. ng.Together, Novakandhispredecessors ga-
(V.G.andB. K.) thereda massive amountof archaeoiogical
material fromthecave,butpreserved relative-
Grapievacave ly littleof thecontextual infttmationthatwo-
uld givemeaning to thefinds.This$ateof
ThebestknownNeolithiccavesitein affairs inspiredthe latest archaeological
theeastemAdriaticlieshiddenin a hill above exploration of Grapdeva by theAdriaticIsla-
the remotesouthem shoreof the islandof ndsProject. In 1996a smalltrenchwasope-
Hvar.Fromthetopof theisland,theridgeline nedin orderto leamsomething abouttheco-
Fig.lS.Viewat theenterance
ofthe
thatis Hvar'sruggedspine,theview south ntextof theNeolithicfinds.Thiswasto bedo- sl. 19.Theinteriorof theGrapteva cave
Grapievacave.In thebackground
arethe
opens towardstheoutlyingislandsof Siedro, ne by a minimalintervention, armedby the duringrecentexcavations.
islands
of StedroandKordula.
36
sequence hadnothingto moorit in time;the-
re werevirtuallynoabsolute dates.Now,so-
meof thegapshavebeenfilledanda reliable
chronology isbeingbuilt.
Analyses of thevarious classesof reco-
veredarchaeological materials arecunently
underway.Forthemoment, weknowthatthe
lateNeolithicoccupants visitedthecaverepe-
atedlyduringthe5th millennium B.C.We
alsoknowthatgoatsand/orsheep wereoneof
theirmainsources of protein,andthatthey
intensivelycollected marinemolluscs from
thetidalzonealongtheshore, butonlyexce-
ptionallyventured offshoreto fish.To some
extent,
theycomplemented theirdietbycolle-
ctingandprocessing acoms. Amongthemore
intriguing
findsareoccasional isolated
human
Meltingof themilleniaolddrystone
wallsof theGreeklanddivision
Whov,illstopthem?
TheAdriaticIslandProject
bones(mostof themfragmented) whichindi-
catepossible functionof thecaveasa burial
place,or for otherritualpurposeswhich,for
themoment, remain unclear.
ToreachGrapdeva, onetakesa steepdi-
rt trackthatforksoff themainlongitudinal
islandcommunication half-waybetween Jelsa
andPoljica.Lessthana kilometer upthetra-
ck is Humac, a picturesqueseasonalvillage
locatedneartheisland's crest,
whichseems t0
havefallenasleep a coupleof centuries
ago.
Fromhere,onecontinues onfootalonga ba-
relyvisibletrail,for some20 minutes. The
entrance to the caveis locked,but visits
(includinga guide)canbe ananged through
theTourist Officein Jelsa.
(S.F and.T.K.)
plotsin StariGradplane
TheIslandof Brai
"et
caprislaudata Brattia" 20).Theimportant datafromthesurveynow
(Pliny, His.Nat,III151) permitsanalysisof settlement on Bradfor
everyperiod.Hithertounknownsitesof the
he islandof Bradis thethirdlargest NeoliticandEneoliticperiodhavebeendi-
islandin theAdriaticSea,Mountaino- scovered too.
usin aspect it is nearly36kilometres
in lengthandl2 kilometres wide.Itsprecipi-
toussouthern coastline risesto 778mabove Skrip:Myceneans in the
sealevelatVidovagora,thehighest peakon Adriatic?
all theAdriaticislands. Composed primarily
of limestones anddolomite,thequaniesof "keyho-
A peepthrough theexcavation
theislandhavebeena source of stonefor bu- le", moreoftenthannot,opensup far wider
ildinganddecorative stonework for centuri-
vistas.Nowhere hasthisbeenclearerthanin
es.IndeedBrad"marble"wasevenusedin
the team'sinvestigation of the hillfort at
the construction of Diocletian'sPalacein
Ship,onthe island of Brad.Thissitewasthe
Solit.
Althoughstudiedfor morethana ce- excavation focus for an investigation of the
ntury, the archaeology of the islandwas originsof laterprehistoric tenitorialcentrali-
imperfectly known,andheavilybiased towa- sationwithin the islands, theemergence of
rdstheprehistoric andEarlyChristian monu- hillfortsor hilltopenclosures, andon Brad
ments0n the island.However,this picture itself,theapparent change in sitedistributio-
waschanged dramatically followinganexte- nsfrom higherinland plateau locationsin the
nsivesurveyof Bradby theAdriaticIslands LateBronzeAge (Fig. 20a-b)to themore
Projectteam.Duringa fourmonthfieldca- coastal orientated sitesof theIronAge(Fig.
"megali-
mpaignin 1994teammembers recordeda 20c-d).The sill partlypreserved
totalof 597sites,anincrease of nearly60pe- thic"walledenclosure atSkrip(Fig.22)was
rcent.Thismassive increase of knownarcha- always presumed to beGreekIronAgein da-
eologyspansall periodsfromearliest prehi- te.Theremaystillbegrounds t0 suggestthat
storythroughto theearlyMiddleAges(Fig. Skip wasnota normalsite.It maybenoco-
 TheAdriaticIslandProject TheAdriaticIslandProject

Excavations at Skripin 1995sampled

twoareas of deepstratigraphy surviving clo-
seto theeastandwestperimeters of thewa-
lledenclosure. To thewest,andpartlybene-
athit, theearliest phase of activityat thesite
involvedthedeposition of EarlyBronzeAge
Cetinatypevessels withina naturalrockcre-
vice.Theearlieststructure hereseems to be
Fig.21.Skrip.Viewontrench3 excavated in
thebaseof a drystone revetted caim(Fig.21
1995.
and24),of a typeidentified widelyelsewhe-
re in theislands, Dalmatian mainland, andin
Bosnia.Manysuchcaimsprobablyorigina-
tedin theEarlyandMiddleBronzeAge,so-
me asburialmounds, whileothersfunctio-
ned primarily asritual andtenitorialfoci,as
hereat Skip. Nogreatintervalmayhavese-
Fig.20.Distribution
maps ofBra(.
a.)Thiessenpolygonsassociated
withBronze parated theerection of thiscaimwiththebu-
"me-
Agehillforts. ildingof a circuitof massive drystone
b.)Site
catchmentofBronzeAgehilforts. galithic"wallingaroundthetop of thehill
c.)Thiessanpolygonsassociated
withlronAge (Fig.22).Behindthishadaccumulated over
hilforts. 2mof deposits, dumped from over the caim Fig.22.Skrip.NiklaVujnovi( andthe
d.) Sitecatchment of lron Age hillforts. to theeastto sealits survivinglowerreve- remainsof themegalithic on
fortifications
polygons
e.)Thiessan associated
withRoman sites
tmentandat leastoneshallow, drystone-bu- thewesternside.
ilt platform atitsbase.An extensive and we-
incidencethatthesiteis associated
in later churches
in thevillageof Skip is exceptio-
ll stratifiedassemblage of nativecoarseware
periodswithbotha Romantempleanda se- nal on theisland.Thesumof theevidence
andanimalbonewasrecovered here,associ-
ries of altarsrecordingJupiter,Mithras, suggestssomecontinuous religiousassocia-
atedwithseveral sherds of Late Helladic IIIc
AsclepiusandHercules. Theconcentration tionwiththesite.Theareahadalready been Mycenean pottery(Fig.24).A second secti-
of lateRoman(?)
burialsclustering
around subjected
t0 someof themostextensive
seri- on to theeastrevealed thefull widthof the
(builtin the3/4thcent.AD) esof excavations
theMausoleum by otherworkers.Howe- "Megalithic"wall
andits rubblerampart ba-
mayalsobe significant,
perhaps
suggesting ver,thematerialresultsof thisearlierwork cking,buttedby occupation deposits andthe
an earlyChristiancommunityandmeeting suggested thata welldirected,
modemexca- remains of a complete fired-clay ovenwithin
place,whilstthe numberof laterChristian vationmightachievesignificant
results. a naturalrockfissure. Fig.23.Mycenean sherdsfrom Skrip
40 TheAdriaticlslandProject TheAdriaticIslandProject 11
In contrastto theearlierassumed Iron suchpottery, however, is verysmall;sowe complextradenetworkwhich linkedthe In anycaseStripls anexceptionalsite
Agedatefor thewallsat Skrip.virtually all wouldbe unwiseto suggest thatthiswasa Myceneans withmuchof continental Euro- andit should
deservemoreattention andca-
of thisactivitycanbe assigned to theMi- Mycenean "colony"
or settlement. It seems pe.It maynotbetoofar fetchedto imagine re.Asearlyas1764(112years before thedi-
ddle-LateBronzeAge. Perhapsthe most betterto suggestthatthe"Megalithic"style Strip asonelink in thechainthatstretched scovery
of Mycenae) thedukeof BradFra-
excitingaspect of theworkis thediscovery of wallingat Skip wasperhaps inspired di- alongtheeastem Adriaticshorepasttheno- ncesco Badoerhaslifteda banprohibiting
of Mycenean potteryin association with a rectlyby Mycenean or,perhaps morelikely, rthemDalmatian (laterknownto the thedemolition
Islands of thefortifications
ol Skrin.
massive defensive wallwhichmustbeof the southItalianprototypes. It maybethathere GreeksasIheElecnides or AmberIslands),
samedate.Mycenean material,eitherfrom we areseeinga nativesettlement/ritual ce- andperhapshelpingto supplytheMycenean (V.G..P.L. andB.K.)
the coreMycenean tenitoriesin Greeceor ntrereflectingtheaspirations of a localchief aristocracy
withsomeof theirluxurygoods-
centres with tradingor permanent settleme- or ruler.Thismaybe illustrated by thefact includingBalticamber.
ntsin ltaly,is veryrareontheEastem Adri- thatSkripis oneof thesmallest hillfortson
aticcoast.Thepresence of Mycenean potte- Bradandthatit hasthemostmonumental fo-
ry at Skrip,onceagain, emphasises thestra- rtifications.
Thecontextof contactor inspi-
tegicimportance of theislandsfor trade,and rationis lessclear.It maysimplybethere-
is indicative,
perhaps, of maritime tradelinks sultof a singleinfluential person's whim.
upto theheadof theAdriatic.Theamount of However, Strlp mayalsobeonepartof the

@ ffi@wFqmh

_,r()mdffiidbfrb

ffi e'wqsnp
t ^rcbd{i:drffi.

Fig.24.Sketch
planof theSkriphillt'ort PeterLeachandSlohodan
Cai'eu'liledotuntenting
themegalithic
w,alls
of Skrip
 TheAdriaticlslandProjecl 43
inscriptions,fragments of columns,sarcopha- makingsuchan observation
TheIslandof Soha gi andtheremains of aEarlyChristian
it is possible
church. viewSoltaasthelaststepoftheisland
to
bridge
Theextentandquantity of findsheresuggest $udiedby theAdriaticIslandProject.
thatthesearetheremains of anyiczsor a vi- Starting
withPalagruZa,eachislandloo-
llage. ksto itsneighbours
north,south,eastandwe-
TheRomanoccupants of Grohotaand st until eventuallythe islandsof Soltaand
all theotherRoman sitesonSoltawereproba- Bracfinallylink themwiththemainland, and
From37to215sites re recorded rangingfromRomanvillas(Fig.
26)to smallscatters of pottery, presumably all bly producing foodto besoldto thecitieson thuswith theimportant passat Klis, behind
, n X r . r .
thatis left of smaller structures.The distribu- thecoast. In manywaysthissituation hasexi- Split,whichleadsdirectlyintotheheartof the
fT.t h. island of SoltaliessomeI 6 km.so-
stedfor manycenturies, andthehistoryof the continent.
uthof Split(Fig.25)andis separatedtionof thesesitesaroundtheedges of fertile
I land islandof Soltahasalwaysbeenintrinsically
I fromBradbya channelonly 700m. wi- suggests that
they must have been farms.
"the The greatest concentration of findson theisla- linkedwiththefortunes of thenearest
bigce- (N.-V.andJ. B.)
de.known as gatesof Splii'.Solta is ve- -
ntre Splitand,atanearlierperiod,Salona. In
ry smallandevenwith the smallerislands ndoccurs nearGrohote (Fig.25).Herearcha-
(knownastheSkoji),it hasan areaof only eologistshave found the remains of mosaics,
58.8kilometres. ToTheGreeks theislandwas
knownasOlinta,andto theRomans asSole-
ntia.During1994,teammembers explored
Soltain a programme of systematic fieldwork
supported by archivalandbibliographic rese-
arch.Upuntil1986therehadonlybeen37re-
cordedarchaeological siteson Solta.A few
shortmonths of fieldworkandresearch revea-
led 215archaeological sites.Thirtythreeof
thesesiteswereprehistoric in dateandinclu-
ded4 hillfortsand,morecommonly a number
of burialmounds. Theseburialmounds can
occurasisolated tumulior withinlargergrou-
ps.Fromsomeof these metalobjects of thela-
teBronzeAgehavebeenrecovered. NoNeo-
litic siteshavebeenfound,although anearly
reportrecords flintanefacts fromSolta.
FewHellenistic fine wareswerereco-
rdedonseveral sites,butthemostfrequent fi-
ndsdateto theRoman period,andin thecou- Fig.25, Solta.View ontheplaneand Fig.26.Solta.Starine
near GornjeSelo:lateRoman
andmedieval
fortffiedfarmstead
rseof survey nearly133Roman locations we- Grohote. Splitin thebacground.
 TheAdriaticIslandProject 4)

andtheAdriaticIslandProject
Computers alsousedto studythecondition
gicalmonuments andto manage
of archaeolo- satellite
images
themasa re- plotland-use
hasallowedarchaeologists
andexamine landpotential
to
acro-
source.Havingsuchan extensive database ss very large,and poorlymappedregions
allowsarchaeologiststo predicttheimpactof (Fig.28).
economic development ontheculturalherita- A11thisinformation is integratedintoa
Geographical InformationSystem (GIS).GIS
rchaeology isoftenbeenperceived asa phicalinformation systemsandremotesensi- At thesame timethatarchaeologists we- is a fairlynewtechnology usedfor thespatial
ratherold-fashioned disciplinewhich ngin archaeology. A11thedatacollected duri- recanyingoutfieldworkontheground, they analysis of archaeological
data.Usinga varie-
hasnoneedfor advanced comDuter te- ngmorethantenyearsof fieldworkhasbeen werealsousingairbome andsatelliteremote ty of analyticalmodules provided by a GIS,
chnology. However, thingsareverydifferent stored in a largesitesandmonuments databa- sensingtechniques to gatherinformation on archaeologists cananalysetherelationship be-
today.Archaeologists havenot only started se(Fig.27).Thisdatabase contains extensive tweenthenatural environment andarchaeolo-
usingcomputers to writetheirtexts,theyhave information on all theknownarchaeological gicalsitelocations,
modelthetenitories of pa-
become a basicpartof thearchaeologicaltoo- sitesontheCentral AdriaticIslands fromthe st communities andmuchmore.Innovative
lbox. prehistory
earliest to theearlymedieval peri- useof GIScangiveusaninsightintohowpa-
TheAdriaticIslands Projecthasbeenat od.Nowthatit is available in digitalformat st societies
usedthelandandfor what.Fina-
thecuttingedgeof research in archaeologicalthis information canbe easilyaccessed and lly,usingalltheenvironmental andarchaeolo-
computing, andhasledthewayin theapplica- usedin anynumberof archaeological ana- gicalinformationwithintheGISarchaeologi-
Fig.28.LANDSAT TMimage ofBrat. stscanconstruct predictive
models
tion of regional computer databases, geogra- lyses.Apartfromits academic usethisdatais for thelo-
archaeology andthe localenvironment. For cationof differenttypesof archaeological si-
instance,aerialphotography hasbeenusedto tes,enabling thediscoveryof newsitesaswe-
plottheextentof theexceptional Greekfield ll asprotection andmanagement of existing
system0n StariGradplainon theislandof archaeological resources.
Hvar,whileinterpretation of LANDSATTM (2.s.)

Fig.27.Database
for Dalmatian
islands. lnformation
oncell1282045? I thinkwe'vegotit heresomewhere.
Yes,
 TheAdriaticlslandProject 11

TheArchaeological
heritageof Mostof thesitesareconcentrated
islandof Hvar,especially
around
its southwest
the change hasto bemadein regards
part, ud the hydroarchaeological
to howsho-
monuments be
thenaround PalagruZa,Svetac andVis,and treated. Out of morethen220sitesaround
theCentral
Dalmatian
islands: muchlessaround BracandSolta.Manyof Hvarsome50VaaremOreor lessdamaged,
these findsareunique.
Thisobservation must, 25Vaaredestroyed andthe other25Vaof lhe
itscondition
andthecurrentstate however, beputintothecontext of thevery totalareintactorof unknown state.Onlyl\Va
highlevelsof damage recorded for underwa- havebeenexcavated or surveyedbyarchaeo-
of knowledge tersitesincludingdeliberate
or accidentalde- logists.In l5Vacases thefirstreports
onthe-
structionandtheftof antiquities fromsites. se sitescamefromlocalsportdivers(Fig.
Whilsttheinformation wehaveonthelevels 29).Thetimespancovertheperiodfromthe
ne of themostimportant aspects of Mostof thedamage recorded in tableI of explorationandconditionis farbelowthat 5thcent.BCto themedieval times.Mostsi-
AdriaticIslands Project is its ability results
fiomthedevelopment of mass tourism of sitesonland,thedatacollected bythepro- tesbelong to the2-1cent.BCandmostfinds
toprovide quantitativeinformation on andtheconstruction of touristandinfiastru- jectsuggests thatthemajority of underwaterareof Lamboglia 2 typeof amphorae.
thestateof preservation of theculturalmonu- cturefacilities.Unfortunately, specifictypes siteshavenowbeendamaged or looted.The
mentsin thestudyarea.Thisinformation can of monument areparticularlyvulnerable to datafromHvarsuggests thata fundamental (M.P.)
beusedto assist in providing policies forpro- development. Significant
lengthsof therema-
tection andconservation. Preliminary analysis rkableGreeklanddivisionsontheStariGrad
of thisinformation suggests that,untilveryre- plainonHvarhavealready disappeared (Fig.
cently, thedestruction of cultural sitesonthe 0n page36).However, themostobvious vi-
islands wasa relativelyslowprocess, andwas ctimsaretheprehistoric stonetumulion the
largelyrestricted to naturalerosionandagri- islands whicharebeingrobbed for hardcore.
culturaldamage. However, therateof destru-
N. G.)
ctionhasincreased dramatically in thelast30
yearsandthecunentsituation is outlined in
thefollowing table:
Thecaseof hydroarchaeology

Brad Solta Hvar Leaving thelandit will comeasnogre-

Wellpreserved43 37 52 at surprise
to realise
thatthecoastal seasof
Sfightdamage 16 5 13 theCentralDalmatian islandsarealsoamo-
Damaged 16 13 3 ngstthemostattractive archaeological
regio-
Destroyed 9 11 13 nsof theeastem Adriaticcoastline.
Hereone
Excavated 14 10 19 finds virtuallyeverytype of underwater
archaeologicalfindor site,covering
everyti-
Destruction
datafor theAIP meperiod,andoriginating frommanyparts
m percentages of the Mediterranean - botheastandwest.
Fig.29.Hidroarchaeological
collection
ofJura.jToto
Meneghello
at Palmiiana,
Hvar.
 Project
Principal References
V. Gaffney, Archaeological
B. Kirigin,M. Petrii,N. Vujnovii,S.Cade, heritage
of theisland
of Hvar,Croatia,Britishfuchaeologicalreports,Intemational
Series
660,Oxford1997.

S.Forenbaher,
V. Gaffney,
J. Hayes,
T. Kaiser,B. Kirigin,P.Leach,
N. Vujnovii,Hvar-Vis-
Acknowledgements
Palagruia1992-1993,
Vjesnikzaarheologiju
i historijudalmatinsku
86,Split1994,16-28.
Themembers
of theAdriaticIslands
Project
wouldliketo thankthefollowinginstitutions
andindi-
V. Gaffney
andZ. Standid,
GISApporaches to Regional
Analysis:A CaseStudyof theIsla- vidualsfor theirassistance
withoutwhichtheworkwouldnothavebeennossible:
nd ofHvar,Ljubljana
1991.Second
Edition1996.
TheArchaeological in Split,TheCentrefor theProtection
Museum of theCulturalHeritage
of
of Historyof thePhilosophy
Hvar,TheDepartment Facultyin Zadar,TheDepartment
of Archaeology
of
AdriaticIslandProject in preparation:
volumes thePhilosophy
Faculty TheResearch
in Ljubljana, of theSlovene
Centre Academy
of ArtsandSciences,
TheBirmingham FieldArchaeology
University Unit,TheDepartment
of AncientHistoryandArchaeolo-
Heritageof theislandof Brai (BARIS,Oxford1999)
TheArchaeological gy (University
of Birmingham),
TheRoyalOntario
Museum,
TheNational
Geographic
Society,
TheBd-
tishAcademy,
ThePrehistoric
Society,
Professor of theEuropean
M. Fulford,EOSAT,Commission Co-
The Archaeological
Heritageof the islandsof Solta,Vis, Biievo,Svetacand Palagruia mmunities,
Directorate
General
for Science, andDevelopment,
Research XII-B,Prof.Sander
vanderLe-
(BARIS,Oxford2000) grantNO.:1363
of ParisI, France,
euw,University Research
Support
Scheme
of theOSI/HESP, ll99TT\e
Mini$ryof Science
andTechnology
of theRepublic
of Slovema.
TheAdriaticIslandProject:IntensiveSurveys (BARIS,Oxford2001)
andExcavations

Wewouldliketo thankBritishArchaeological (lntemational

Reports Series)
andtheSplit-Dalma-
TheAdriaticIslandProject:FinalReport(BAR,Oxford2002)
for thepublication
tianCountyfor theirsupport results(TheArchaeo-
of thefirstvolumeof theproject's
logicalHeritage
of Hvar,Croatia).
.;
,1

Wewouldalsoliketo takethisopportunity
to thanktheCroatian
Ministryof Culturefor theirsu-
I
Theshortreviewof theresults madeby theProjectpresented
in this financial
bstantial for thispublication,
support of Hvarwhoalsoprovided
andtheTounstAgency assista-
nceduringtheprintingof thisbooklet.
bookletraisethequestion onhowshould these monumentsbeprotected?
Suchdecisions arenotfor archaeologists
alone,butarchaeologists
havea
rolet0 informandinfluence. By makingtheAdriaticIslandProject
data
0nmonument survivalavailable
to anyone
in theregionwhohasaninte-
wehopewearedoingjustthat.
restin theirprotection
 q
Participantsin the Adriatic IslandsProject
(abbreviationsin parenthesisare the namesof authorsof this booklet)

JohnBintliff (1987-1989)
GoranBoZovi6(1987-1988)
Josip Burmaz (from 1994)(J. B.)
Frank Carter(1988-1989)
Slobodaniade (from 1986)(S. e.)
MargarethDarmanin (from1990)
StaSoForenbaher(from 1991) (S. F.)
SheelaghFrame (from 1990)
Vincent Gaffney (from 1987)(V. G.)
John W. Hayes (fiom 1989)(J. H.)
Timothy Kaiser(from 1989)(T.K.)
Tea Katunari6(from 1996)
Branko Kirigin (from 1982)(8.K.)
Anamarija Kurili6 (from 1992)
PeterLeach (from 1994) (P. L.)
JagodaMardeiii (from 1996)
Marinko Petri6 (from1986) (M. P.)
TomaZ Podobnikar(from 1994)
PetarPopovid( 1982-1988).
BoZidar Slap5ak(from 1982)(8. S.)
Zoran Standid(from 1985)(2. S.)
Nik5a Vujnovii (from 1984) (N. V.)
Helen Watson (from 1987)