Naslov
Numizmatički nalazi iz uvale Veštar
(Numismatic finds in Veštar bay)

Autori
Bekić, Luka

Izvornik
Vjesnik Arheološkog muzeja u Zagrebu (0350-7165) 45 (2012); 69-91

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Veštar; nalazi novca; podvodna istraživanja; slučajni nalazi
(Veštar; Coin finds; Underwater excavation; Stray finds)

Sažetak
The well-protected Veštar Bay is located to the south of the town of Rovinj, on the western coast of Istria. On some topographic maps and some old maps it is marked as Veštar Port or Porto Vestre. The bay has earned this name by being well-protected from strong winds – the bora (north-easterly) and jugo (south-easterly), and also due to the fact that it was traditionally used as a port. The very meagre ancient written sources mention this locality under the name of Vistrum. Until recently, not much had been written about the importance of Veštar as an archaeological site, nor as a port which had played a significant role throughout history, but the situation has changed significantly with the explorations carried out in the past ten years. The archaeological excavations performed in Veštar for several years, and this numismatic analysis, suggest that a Roman villa rustica developed in the bay in the late 1st c. BC. For the purpose of this estate, a long stone pier was built on the southern side of the bay. The pier was in use during the 1st and 2nd centuries, which has been attested to by excavations and numerous finds from the period in Roman sea-bottom layers. On the southern side of the bay, there are numerous, and yet unexplored, remains of architecture, probably belonging to the residential and other estate buildings of the period. At that time, residents were buried on the southern promontory, and remains of incineration graves and accompanying finds, especially coins, can occasionally be found there. In addition to the numismatic finds presented in this paper, the period between the 3rd and the 5th centuries is also documented in numerous pottery and glass finds discovered both on shore and under water, in the bay. The Roman graves on the southern shore, excavated in 1991 by Damir Matošević, originate from the same period. In late antiquity, probably in the middle of the 4th century, an important settlement developed at the location of the former villa. Finds from the 6th and 7th centuries are particularly important: in addition to the two bronze coins described here, they include a number of pottery and metal finds discovered on the shore. It is worth mentioning that, to date, many more finds from late antiquity and the Byzantine period have been found on the southern shore, on land, than from the early imperial period. This is also demonstrated by this catalogue of coins, but the only pier investigated thus far on the southern side of the bay has been dated to a period ending in the middle of the 2nd century. This means that, between the 3rd and 7th c., ships landed somewhere else within Veštar Bay. The field survey has indicated two additional possible locations of piers, and those positions will be investigated by further archaeological excavations. Recent exploration has provided us with a better understanding of the time and intensity of use of Veštar Bay as a port, and future exploration will focus particularly on the later periods of this site. This paper presents numismatic finds from Veštar Bay, discovered in the last few decades. The coins were found mostly on the sea shore, together with other archaeological artefacts, washed from the earth bank. Many building foundations are visible in the shore earth, and various other finds can also be seen there, such as pottery and metal objects dating from the period between the 1st and 7th centuries. Underwater archaeological excavations have been conducted on this site since 2008, and the numismatic finds presented here have been used in the analysis of results of the exploration carried out to date.

Izvorni jezik
Hrvatski, engleski

Znanstvena područja
Arheologija

POVEZANOST RADA