Dr. Timothy Kaiser, professor of Anthropology and Inquiry at Lakehead University’s Orillia Campus, launched the 2007-2008 “Meet the Professors Lecture Series” on Thursday, October 11, 2007, by spinning a tale of adventure and discovery for those lucky passengers who secured a seat on the overflowing bridge. Captivating the audience with breathtaking photos of the Croatian central Dalmatian Islands in the Adriatic Sea, Dr. Kaiser related his journey of archaeological discovery.

It was the year 1993, and Croatia was in the throes of armed conflict. Kaiser and the rest of the Adriatic Islands Project crew made the decision to shift the focus of their archaeological efforts from the large islands just off the coast to the much safer venue of “Vela” (Greater) Palagruža Island located in the middle of the Adriatic, a decision that would prove fruitful.

Palagruža, the most distant Croatian island, is a barren rock outcropping with spectacular cliffs, sparse level land, and a lone lighthouse. In 1873, during the building of the lighthouse, stone blades, potsherds, and artifacts with Latin inscriptions were found. Despite these finds, no other archaeological research was undertaken there until the Adriatic Islands team landed in 1993.

Getting down to the business of removing massive amounts of earth with mason trowels, the team began to dig on the steep slope that was adjacent to the island’s tiny central plateau, reasoning that as one of the only inhabitable surfaces, the plateau would not likely hold undisturbed artifacts, whereas the slope might yield material washed down from above. Another well-founded decision! The slope provided a trove of treasures beyond their expectations. Amongst the collection were sherds of Neolithic and Copper-age pottery, stone axes, arrowheads, and blades as well as Greek and Roman artifacts!

Prehistory on Palagruža: A Hub of Activity

 
The oldest uncovered artifacts on the island were those of the early Neolithic peoples who were part of the spread of the “first farmers.” A few examples of their “impressed ware” pottery give evidence that while they did visit the island, it did not seem to be a focus of any intensive activity during journeys around or across the Adriatic.

On the opposite spectrum, the Late Copper/Early Bronze Age peoples were regular visitors to the island, leaving some 1,500 lithic pieces and 1,300 potsherds as testament to their presence. The archaeological crew found that the unusual abundance of stone tools left by the “Cetina” peoples (as local archaeologists call them) was due to the nearby natural outcroppings of chert that provided the raw materials needed by the stone knappers. The outcroppings were located on the little islet of “Mala” Palagruža, just a stone’s throw from Vela Palagruža. The physical characteristics of both the raw chert and the worked tools were identical, confirming that the Cetina peoples found great value in these two very remote islands. Additionally, the types of tools created were not those typical of a residential setting, indicating that the knappers were craftsmen creating products for trade.

Greeks and Romans on Palagruža: Mythology Abounds

Encouraged by the extensive artifacts already uncovered, Kaiser and the team moved on to the central plateau where they discovered examples of the finest in Greek ceramics — black and red figure pottery. Also present were Hellenistic fine wares of the 4th century BCE. The most significant find was a sherd that was inscribed with the name “Diomedes,” a Greek hero of the Trojan War. According to ancient sources, there were islands somewhere in the Mediterranean that were said to have been places where the mythological hero was worshipped. Together with the shape and quality of the pottery, the Diomedes inscription and these historical references, Kaiser and his colleagues suggest that this was most likely a shrine to the Greek hero, a place where ancient mariners could leave gifts of worship. They believe they have found the lost “islands of Diomedes.”

Material evidence of Roman occupation was also found on the island. These included the Latin inscriptions, Roman pottery and the walls of a fortification dating to the time of the Emperor Justinian. The Romans seem to have done more than just visit the island as bricks from an ancient Roman bath, the hypocaust, were found along with mosaic tesserae used in ornate decoration.

Despite the seemingly isolated location of the islands of Vela and Mala Palagruža, the civilizations of the past have found great value in the land’s offerings from the time of the Neolithic farmers, on through the Greek and Roman periods, and into the present where society has used the islands as a window into the past. The field of archaeology has given us a glimpse into the lives of our forebears, those who traversed the sometimes treacherous waters of the Adriatic for purposes of travel, trade, worship, and pleasure.

To learn more about the archaeological discoveries in this region, visit “The Adriatic Islands Project” at http://www.iaa.bham.ac.uk/bufau/research/aip/aip.htm , or better yet, join us at the Orillia campus of Lakehead University and listen as Dr. Tim Kaiser gives his next crowd-pleasing lecture.