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Archeological Treasury
A lot of artefacts uncovered in Asseria are on display in the
Zadar Archeological Museum (amzd.hr), particularly the
pine-cone shaped gravestones known as cippi, a form typical
of the area inhabited by the LIburnians. The first floor
of the Archeological Museum, newly reopened after extensive
renovation, is the place to learn more about Romanera
northern Dalmatia.
Šibenik region
Burnum
North of Šibenik, just outside western boundary of the Krka
National Park, the road from Kistanje to Knin passes the site
of Burnum (www.npkrka.hr/stranice/burnum-amphitheatre-and-archaeological-collection-burnum/21/en.html),
the 1st-century Roman military camp that is thought to
have accommodated two entire legions. What’s left of the
site is dramatic indeed, its pale stones emerging from the
arid, maquis-covered karst. On the western side of the road
lie the remains of an amphitheatre, while further up to the
east are the remaining two arches of the former military
command post.
Many of the finds from Burnum, together with an
attractive interpretative display, can be admired at
Puljane, a National Park-operated visitors’ centre
located on a plateau high above the Krka gorge.
Split region
Salona
Arguably the grandest of Croatia’s ancient cities is Salona,
former capital of Roman dalmatia and reckoned to be the
fourth largest city in the empire at its height, and now poking
up unassumingly from the fields that stretch west of
Solin, just inland from Split. Salona has been intensively
excavated at several times over the last 125 years, most
notably by Don Frane Bulić (1846-1934), the doyen of
Croatian archeology who is buried in a Late Roman-style
sarcophagus at the entrance to the site. However 90% of
Salona remains untouched by archeologists, hidden beneath
privately-owned vegetable plots and olive groves.
It’s still a pretty amazing place, however, with the remains
of a 17,000-seater amphitheatre, plenty of exposed city
walls and gates, and one of the biggest collections of early-
Christian basilicas ever excavated. Standing near the centre
of the site is the Tusculum, a house built by Bulić to serve as
a base for excavations and a venue for lavish dinners based
on Roman feasts – Bulić himself turned up in a toga.
Most of the things unearthed at Salona are on display at
the Split Archeological Museum (www.mdc.hr/split-arheoloski/hr/index.html),
whose outdoor lapidarium contains
one of the best collections of stone-carved sarcophagi anywhere
in Europe.
Stari Grad
Riding a bike across the fertile plain between Stari Grad and
Jelsa on the island of Hvar you might be forgiven for thinking
that the local vineyards, olive plantations and dry-stone
walls represent a typical Adriatic landscape of great beauty
24 Dubrovnik In Your Pocket
but not necessarily any great significance. In fact the pattern
of field divisions - and many of the stones that make up the
partitions - date back to the fourth century BC, when Stari
Grad was colonized by Greeks from Vis. Known in Greek as
the Hora, this intensively farmed plain has changed little in
the intervening centuries, and was placed on the UNESCO
World Heritage list in 2008 in recognition of its historical
importance. Remains of a Greek tower have been found on
Maslinovik hill, and the remnants of Roman-era country villas
are scattered across the plain. You might not spot any of
these as you pass, but the timeless landscape of agricultural
toil is enough to give you a strong impression of Mediterranean
culture and its centuries-long continuity.
Dubrovnik region
Narona
Surrounded by the reeds and waterways of the Neretva
Delta, the Narona Archeological Museum (www.a-m-narona.hr)
just west of Metković is an outstanding example of
how to display a historically significant archeological site
while at the same time making it an entertaining place to
bring the family. Key to its success is the building, a grey
shell built right on top of an excavations sit that can be
viewed through a glass floor. Metal stairways lead to upper
levels of the museum where display cases contain coins
and ceramics, and eventually lead out onto the museum’s
roof, which offers excellent views of the surrounding landscape.
Narona was an important trading post on the Roman road
from Dalmatia into the Balkan interior. A temple complex
thought to have honoured the Emperor Augustus is very
much the museum’s centerpiece: Augustus and his household
are represented by a group of fourteen statues, although
all of them are now headless making identification
somewhat difficult. One of the missing heads, thought to
represent Augustus’s wife Livia, was purchased from locals
by British archeologist Arthur Evans in the 1870s, and can
currently be seen in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Vela Spila, Vela Luka
Once you get past the Neanderthals of Krapina, the oldest
inhabitant of Croatia so far excavated is probably ‘Stanko’,
the 9000-year-old skeleton pulled out of an archeological
trench in Vela Spila (www.velaspila.hr), a partially-collapsed
cave on the hillside just above the Korčulan port of Vela
Luka. The site is of huge importance to students of Mediterranean
prehistory, having played host to successive human
cultures from Stanko’s time onwards. The recent discovery
of 17,500-year-old ceramic objects thought to represent
cult figures and animals sent waves of excitement through
the global archeological community – although it will take
some time before these extraordinarily early ceramics are
fully evaluated and put on display. The cave itself doesn’t
hold an archeological display as such, but it’s a wonderfully
evocative spot in which to ponder the lifestyles of your distant
ancestors. Many of the older finds from Vela Spila are
on show at the Vela Luka Cultural Centre (www.czkvl.hr)
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