The Roman Scuttled Ships and Harbour Structures of Caska, Pag Island, Croatia in their Cultural and Historical Context

Abstract

The Bay of Caska, on the Island of Pag, preserves the remains of a stratified settlement, with an important phase linked to a Roman maritime villa, the property of the senatorial family Calpurnii Pisones. After presenting the geographical and historical context of the site of Caska, the article summarizes the achievements of past archaeological research, and presents the results of the recent research carried out on land and under water. In particular, it focuses on the harbour structures, where the remains of four scuttled vessels were discovered. These vessels, three sewn boats and one mortise‐and‐tenon built ship, all filled with rocks, formed pier‐like coastal structures. The architecture of these vessels is also discussed.

Resumen

Los barcos hundidos y las estructuras portuarias de Caska, Isla de Pag, Croacia en su contexto histórico y cultural

La bahía de Caska en la Isla de Pag preserva los restos de un asentamiento estratificado, con una fase importante vinculada a una villa marítima romana que fue propiedad de la familia senatorial Calpurnii Pisones. Tras presentar el contexto histórico y geográfico del sitio de Caska, el artículo resume los logros de investigaciones arqueológicas del pasado y presenta los resultados de la investigación recientemente llevada a cabo en tierra y en agua. En particular, se centra en las estructuras portuarias, en dónde fueron hallados los restos de cuatro embarcaciones. Estas embarcaciones, tres cosidas y una a mortaja y lengüeta, se hallaron rellenas de rocas y formaban una estructura similar a un muelle. Se discute la arquitectura de estas embarcaciones.

Palabras clave: Caska, Isla de Pag, barcos hundidos, embarcaciones cosidas, embarcaciones construidas a mortaja y lengüeta, estructuras costera de madera

抽象

克罗地亚帕岛卡斯卡罗马沉船和港口结构的文化与历史背景

帕岛的卡斯卡湾保存的定居点遗址中一个-要时期与一座罗马海边庄园相关, 该庄园是参议员卡尔普尔尼·皮奥涅斯家族的财产。通-介绍卡斯卡遗址的地理与历史背景, 本文总结了以往考古研究成果以及近期陆上与水下研究的结果。其次, 文章专门讨-了港口结构及此处发现的四艘沉船-迹。它们包括了-艘缝制船和一艘榫卯结构船, 其均为近岸船型, 船内全部-装满了石块。文中还探讨了-体建筑问题。

关键词: 卡斯卡, 帕岛, 沉船, 缝制船, 榫卯结构船, 木质近岸船结构

克羅地亞帕島卡斯卡羅馬沉船和港口結構的文化與歷史背景

帕島的卡斯卡灣保存的定居點遺址中一個-要時期與一座羅馬海邊莊園相關, 該莊園是參議員卡爾普爾尼•皮奧涅斯家族的財産。通-介紹卡斯卡遺址的地理與歷史背景, 本文總結了以往考古研究成果以及近期陸上與水下研究的結果。其次, 文章專門討-了港口結構及此處發現的四艘沉船-迹。它們包括了-艘縫制船和一艘榫卯結構船, 其均爲近岸船型, 船內全部-裝滿了石塊。文中還探討了-體建築問題。

關-詞: 卡斯卡, 帕島, 沉船, 縫制船, 榫卯結構船, 木質近岸船結構

ملخص

Key words:

• Caska
• Island of Pag
• scuttled ships
• sewn boats
• mortise‐and‐tenon built ship
• wooden coastal structures

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all the team members that participated in the research in Caska, and, in particular to: Neven Lete, Vedran Dorušić, Renco Palčić, Vincent Dumas, Pierre Poveda, Carine Cenzon‐Salvayre, Alba Ferreira Dominguez, Frédéric Guibal, Christine Oberlin and Dave Ruff. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions, which greatly helped us to improve the manuscript.

CissAntiqua Project has been supported by the Croatian Ministry of Culture, Municipality of Novalja and University of Zadar, and French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, and Centre Camille Jullian. It was part of the Archaeology of Adriatic Shipbuilding and Seafaring Project (AdriaS), funded by the Croatian Science Foundation (IP‐2014‐09‐8211).

Notes

1 S. Čače suggests that the Pliny's oppidum in this case indicates the centre of the Liburnian community, with significant number of inhabitants (Čače, 2011: 610).

2 The authors do not to enter into detailed explanation of the problem, as it would take the discussion in another direction.

3 The impossibility of differentiating the wood anatomy of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) from that of black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) and hooked pine (Pinus uncinata Ramond) (Schweingruber, 1990) led the dendrologists to group the taxa under the name of ‘Scots pine type’. Difficulties in distinguishing between Aleppo pine and stone pine led the dendrologists to use the ‘Aleppo pine/stone pine’ binomial (Akkemik and Yaman, 2012: 46).

4 Samples codes from Lyon‐9267‐SacA‐29517 to Lyon‐9272, SacA‐29522.

5 This date is based on two AMS dates: one performed on the keel (code Lyon‐13145, SacA‐45495), the other on the port side futtock F12W (code Lyon‐14130, SacA‐49771).

6 Sample WP7‐A23, laboratory code Lyon‐9273, SacA‐29523.

7 Sample WP8‐A31, laboratory code Lyon‐9274, SacA‐29524.

8 Sample Lyon‐16171, SacA‐56341.

9 A very similar boat was excavated in Zaton (Zaton 3), with the mast‐step conserved (Gluščević, 2004). In March 2020, another sewn boat, equipped with a mast‐step and belonging to the same type, has been discovered in Poreč (https://www.jutarnji.hr/kultura/art/senzacionalno-arheolosko-otkrice-ispod-rive-pronaden-2000-godina-star-rimski-sivani-brod-10252168, accessed 5 May 2020; pers. com. G. Benčić).