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Hvar, Island of Sveti Klement, Soline Bay, Archaeological Excavations 2010
Branko Kirigin
; Archaeological Museum Split, Split, Croatia
Ivančica Schrunk
orcid.org/0000-0001-7145-9722
; University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, USA
Vlasta Begović
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Marinko Petrić
; Museum of Croatian Heritage, Hvar, Croatia
Marina Ugarković
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The investigations of the Roman villa site in Soline Bay on the island of Sveti Klement (near Hvar) continued in its fourth season during June of 2010. As in previous campaigns, research was limited to non-invasive methods and small, targeted test trenches. At the start, a precise plan of all visible architectural remains was created using a total station and the site was divided into four sectors, A-D. Several areas of the site were cleared of vegetation and a magnetometric survey was conducted over a total area of 1,050 square meters. The results showed a complex layout of structures and evidence of multi-period occupation. There are at least two phases of building. The majority of the visible architecture, oriented in a north-south direction, belongs to Late Antiquity. Magnetometry revealed another architectural complex, oriented northwest-southeast, which apparently underlies the standing “long wall” (wall B1) and should belong to an earlier phase (the Early Empire, or even earlier?) There is another structure (C2) of a different orientation and close to the present shoreline. Two test trenches, Probes 2 and 3, were opened. Work in Probe 2 continued from 2009 and 11 stratigraphic units were recorded. The probe yielded several fragments of late Hellenistic pottery and more were visible in the section of the fill under wall B1. This pottery may be connected with an earlier building phase, if not with an episode preceding any building on the site. Probe 3 was located on the western side of wall B1. A corner of a structure was found there together with evidence of collapsed architecture and a mosaic fragment out of its original context. The structure also has the northwest-southeast orientation of the earlier phase. The pottery finds (fine wares and amphorae) from both probes range from the early to late Roman period, but there were noticeably more finds of Hellenistic pottery this season, especially of grey, relief decorated ware. There were also numerous fragments of tegulae and mosaic tesserae and some metal finds. The finding of iron slag indicates some iron working or a repair shop on the site. We documented 28 special finds of lamps, bronze and iron objects, beads, and one late Roman coin.
This season, two geography students from the University of St. Thomas collected spatial data via GPS units and GIS software with the object of producing accurate maps and elevation models which will enhance future work in the area.
Keywords
Soline; Roman villa; archeo-magnetometry; architecture; Hellenistic and Roman pottery
Hrčak ID:
89814
URI
Publication date:
25.10.2011.
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