engleski

The Exploration of the Hellenistic Settlement Siculi Harbour in Kaštela Bay

The submarine findings of ceramic fragments and relief decorated Hellenistic pottery in the location of Resnik in Kaštela bay give a great importance to this settlement. On a vaste stone mound and around it, a great amount of ceramic pottery has been found, varying from fine relief decorated bowls to big vine amphorae fragments. Simultaneously, on a neighbouring land, sound and systematic explorations have been taking place, and brought to light pieces of an architecture, as well as the identic Hellenistic material. The material and the findings from the harbour can be dated into the period from the end of the third to the middle of the first century BC. The most logical attrinbution of the harbour area and its belonging settlement was connected to Siculi settlement, a place that was, in historical sources, mentioned by Pliny saying that Claudius colonized the settlement with veterans (Siculi, in quam locum divus Claudius veteranos misit.). Moreover, on the Peutinger map the settlement is marked by a greater vignette on the distance of nine Roman miles from Salona and five from Traugurion. As the sources never mention Siculi settlement before the veteran colonization, the findings of Hellenistic harbour and settlement would indicate its prior existance. The two costal settlements, Tragurion and Epetion, northwest and southeast of Siculi settlement are mentioned as the colonies of the Greek settlement of Issa. They are mentioned in the written sources in 158 BC, when those two cities were jeopardized by Delmati, an Ilirian autochthonic people that lived in the hinterland. The analysis of the Hellenistic Seculi settlement submarine findings has shown that there was one more Hellenistic settlement – Siculi, in the specified time period. Although it wasn't mentioned in earlier sources it had developed commercial connections with its home settlement of Issa as well as with other Hellenistic centres as far as the island of Delos, the naval and commercial centre of the Eastern Mediterranean in those times.

Siculi; Hellenistic Settlement; Kaštela

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