Original scientific paper
A new Byzantine fortification on Veliki Sikavac islet of the island of Pag*
Smiljan Gluščević
; Arheološki muzej Zadar, Zadar, Hrvatska
Darja Grosman
orcid.org/0000-0002-7495-5374
; Oddelek za arheologijo Filozofska fakulteta Univerza v Ljubljani, Ljubljana, Slovenija
Abstract
During two short excavation campaigns in 2013 and 2014, carried out by the employees of Archaeological Museum Zadar and Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Arts of the University in Ljubljana, parts of a large fortification were discovered on the islet of Veliki Sikavac off Vlašić on the island of Pag. It is a square structure located on the islet’s steep slope and defined by walls 1.80m wide. Six prominent towers can be seen in the fortification’s corners and in the middle sections of the northeastern and southwestern perimeter walls. The excavations on the inner plateau resulted in the discovery of approx. fifty spatial units that had been used as garrison quarters, warehouses and workshops. Based on the architectural features and pottery found, it was confirmed that the complex was a Byzantine fortification – one of numerous similar fortifications built on Croatian coast and islands during Justinian’s reconquest in the 6th century. Remains of a small single-naved church, poorly preserved, can be found underneath the fortification. For the time being, the church is dated to Middle Ages. The scarce remains found behind its apse make us believe it was built on the site of an earlier structure. The finds of small fragments of glazed pottery from the second half of the 15th century and first half of the 16th century indicate that the islet was inhabited until the early Modern Age. As for the fifteen or so elongated and recessed stone piles found on the slope underneath the fortification, it is believed they are the remnants of small dwellings. The paper also includes aerial photographs of other Byzantine fortifications on the island of Pag and of those in Podgorje – the region at the foot of Velebit Mountain opposite the island.
Keywords
Veliki Sikavac; island of Pag; Byzantine fortification
Hrčak ID:
162413
URI
Publication date:
10.5.2016.
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