Archaeologists working on the banks of the Zadar River at the Barbir site have stumbled upon a remarkable discovery that has come after 6 concerted years of research and labor – a 1st century Roman ship! It’s in great condition even though parts have been eaten away by shipworms, with the sand over 2 millennia acting as a preserver.
Remarkable Preservation of Both A Roman Ship and Pier
“The ancient port of Barbir was discovered in 1973 and for a long time was documented only superficially, thanks to the research of Boris Ilakovec. Only in 2017 did new, more serious work begin in that area, in parallel with the research of the Roman villa on the mainland, which was largely destroyed due to modern construction. Fortunately, part of the site under the sea has been well preserved”, reveals Mladen Pešić, the leader of this research and the director of the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology (ICUA).
Extremely well-preserved timbers of the Roman ship in Croatia. (Slobodna Dalmacija / Zadarski)
Zadarski reports that assisting the ICUA were German Archaeological Institute, Oxford University, the University of Zadar, and the Archaeological Museum. Hidden beneath layers and layers of sand, the investigating team has uncovered 3 x 9 meters (9.8 x 29.5 feet) of the ship so far.
Collectively, they also investigated the structure of the Roman pier, which had been built over two distinct phases.
Two Phases of Pier Construction
Phase 1 dates to the 1st century AD, when the pier was…
