engleski

Cultural Heritage Between the Mountains and the Sea in the Eastern Adriatic

Tectonic movements and climate change endanger historical and archaeological sites which are located in the coastal areas of the eastern Adriatic. Steep mountain slopes and narrow coastal lines with many bays and promontories dominate the topography of the region. These were advantageous for human habitation and construction in the past, but today represent a dangerous location between the mountains and the sea. Only within the last few months there have been several very dangerous flash floods and inundations in this region. In November 2009, flash floods and high winds damaged the historic urban cores of Dubrovnik and Pula. A minor tectonic off-shore movement in December 2009 caused a tsunami which affected the central Dalmatian coast and the islands. Later in December, hard rain (110 liters per m2) caused flash floods and tidal waves up to one meter high, which flooded Rijeka (ancient Tarsatica). A waterspout brought destruction to central Dalmatia. In January 2010, the river Neretva and its tributary Norin flooded and endangered the ancient site of Narona (Vid near Metkovic) in the delta. The cause was the melting of snow in the Dinaric mountain range, an unusual event in January. The same cause triggered floods of the rivers Krka, Vrlika and Lika in the northern Dalmatia, where the water level rose 0.5-1 m per day. The ancient settlement of Scardona on the Krka was threatened. The sea level in the eastern Adriatic has risen about 2 m since antiquity due to the movement of the tectonic plates – the Eurasian plate and the European micro-plate, which meet in the middle of the Adriatic. The rising of the sea level could be measured on the sites of Roman maritime villas, whose structures (porticoes with exedras, harbors, fish ponds) built on the ancient shore are today submerged. At the site of the maritime villa by Medulin near Pula a tall and long wall has been built along the sea to protect fine mosaics. These natural events are threatening cultural heritage. Remote sensing techniques, such as aerial and satellite imagery are necessary to keep systematic control and detection of changes and damage in order to protect cultural sites and landscapes.

cultural heritage, archaeology, Eastern Adriatic

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