engleski

Late Antique Settlement and Byzantine Castellum in Madona Bay, Brijuni

The strategic and maritimne importance of the safe harbour on the Brioni islands was already described by Cassidorus- harbours as tranquil as the surface of an inland lake in the territory of Istria were an important maritime outpost on the navigation route from Aquilleia and on ferry route accross the Northern Adriatic toward Ravenna. The Late Antique settlement in Madona Cove emerged by succesive construction next to a large rustic villa from the 1st century BC which incorporated an early building from the 2nd half of 2nd century in its subsuctrure. Individual finds from the settlement and necropolis at the access routes into the settlement exibit an exeptional concentration of finds from the 4th and 5th centuries. Dicketian's edict on maritime transport rates which contains data on the duration of navigation and the rates fro individual routes in passanger and goods transport specifies long see trades routes down the middle of the Adriatic see and shorter see/coastel trade routes when transport rates were much higher. Maritime traffic was so important that it had to be placed under state administartion, and it greatly influenced the develompent of commercial activities in the settlement. Two phases of the late antique habiatation must be distinguished. The first prior to construction of the fortification, and the second after construction of the ramparts. The ramparts in corporated earlier structures in this area and the direction of their extension allows one to interpret the type of structures that stood in this area prior to construction of the fortification. The other safe harbour was in the Verige Cove next to a 1st century maritimne villa.

Late antique settlement; byzantine castellum; comercial activities; maritime transport; Brioni islands; Histria; 2nd century BC to 6th century AD

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