Archaeologist Discovers Ancient Sunken Settlement in Croatia
Mate Parica, an archaeologist from the University of Zadar in Croatia, made a remarkable discovery in 2021: the sunken settlement of Soline off the coast of the Croatian island of Korcula. Parica, a specialist in underwater archaeology, spotted what he thought was a manmade structure submerged off the island’s eastern coast. Upon investigation, he found remains of stone walls, ceramic objects, and flint knives. The settlement, part of an artificially created island, dated back almost 7,000 years ago and belonged to the Stone Age Hvar culture.
Recently, Parica and his team uncovered a new discovery: a submerged stone road that led from the former settlement to the Korcula shore. The divers exposed carefully constructed stone slabs measuring about four meters wide. The Hvar culture is better known for the Grapceva Cave, where archaeologists found pottery bearing the first known depiction of a boat in Europe.
The Hvar people were an early maritime society and crafted spiritually significant jewelry and small figurines. They venerated the dead and painted pottery with scenes involving hunters, animals, houses, trees, and the sun and moon. Parica and his team continue to investigate what the Hvar created at the sunken Soline site, which has few antecedents. They also discovered a second sunken settlement on the western side of the island, where an initial exploration found flint blades, stone axes, and fragments of millstones.
“We are not aware, at the moment, of a similar finding elsewhere that a Neolithic settlement was built on an islet connected with a narrow strip of land,” says Marta Kalebota, head of the archaeological collection in the Korcula town museum. Parica believes that the area is safe from big waves, which helped preserve the site from natural destruction.
In conclusion, Parica’s discovery of the sunken settlement of Soline is a remarkable archaeological find. The Hvar culture, an early maritime society, created spiritually significant jewelry and small figurines and venerated the dead. The sunken settlement is part of an artificially created island that is almost 7,000 years old and has few antecedents. Parica and his team continue to investigate the site and hope to uncover more information about the Hvar culture.
- Hvar Island
- Underwater Archaeology
- Ancient Settlements
- Mediterranean History
- Coastal Transport Infrastructure
News Source : Discover Magazine
Source Link :Underwater Road Leads to Ancient Hvar Settlement/