Page 84 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol. 5(1) (2017)
P. 84
e are from the Nakovana culture group andstudia universitatis her editati, letnik 5 (2017), številk a 1 84the joints of the planks made of fir (Abies alba
are characterised by fluted decoration from the Mill.), and the treenails of poplar (Populus sp.).5
early Copper Age, while other recovered pothereditati An analysis of the boat’s architecture established
sherds are from ware covering a broad range of that the Zambratija vessel is the oldest find of a
dates from the early Copper Age to the dawn of sewn-built boat in the Mediterranean sphere.6
the Bronze Age.3 Finds of Bronze Age ware re Due to its design characteristics, build type and
covered from the cove can be associated with the early date the Zambratija boat is considered an
nearby Romanija hillfort. archetype in the sewn boat tradition of the Adri
atic sphere.7 Its discovery provides a point of ref
Of interest are the results of the botanical erence in the study of the origin and evolution of
analysis of the plants from the archaeological plank built boats in the Mediterranean and pro
layers of the settlement, which indicate the pres vides the first archaeological evidence of the role
ence of water plants in the archaeological layer of the monoxylon in the development of plank
that are characteristic of natural wet habitats, i.e. built boats in the northern Mediterranean, and
wet meadows. The geoarchaeological research in particular in the northeast of the Adriatic
conducted at the site last year will soon yield a Sea.8
clearer picture of the palaeo-landscape of this
settlement. Some one thousand pile dwellings An exhibition featuring “Zambratija: Pre
have been identified in the Alps, situated for the historic Sewn Boat” opened in Pula in 2017, fol
most part on the shores of lakes, in wetland areas lowed by showings in 2018 in Zagreb, Šibenik
or on rivers. The specificity of Zambratija in the and other venues. This traveling exhibition has
group of sites of this kind is its present marine as its objective to raise awareness in the special
location; with this submerged settlement consti ist and broader public, and in particular among
tuting a significant contribution to the study of youth, of the find of this boat, the oldest Medi
Holocene sea levels. In Slovenia we find analo terranean specimen of its kind, in the waters of
gies to the Zambratija site pile dwellings at the the Adriatic Sea. An effort has also been made to
sites of settlements in the Ljubljana Marshes (site offer the broader public a tactile appreciation of
Ljubljansko barje). the boat, to which end a reconstruction has been
undertaken of a two by one metre section of the
The second prehistoric site in Zambrati boat. The fabrication of the section of the boat
ja Cove is that of the find of a sewn boat.4 The through experimental archaeology has yield
discovery in 2008 was followed by archaeologi ed data on the method of its construction, with
cal excavation at the site of the sewn boat find work on the reconstruction shown as a video to
that ran through to 2013. This was followed by visitors of the exhibition. Joining the archaeolo
post-site and laboratory research. The age of the gists in the fabrication of the boat section were
Zambratija boat, determined using radiocar members of the “Savudrijska batana – Batana
bon methods, dates its construction to the peri salvorina” association. The work of this associa
od from the thirteenth to tenth century BCE, tion includes the fabrication of the batana boats
i.e. at the transition from the Bronze to the Iron specific to the micro-region. It all comes togeth
Age. Laboratory analysis of wood samples from er in a story that has some similarity in terms
the boat structure indicates the use of the wood of shipbuilding with the Zambratija sewn boat.
of five different tree species. The boat builders Also preserved from the rich period of Roman
used different kinds of wood in the construc
tion, with the planks made of elm (Ulmus sp.), 5 Ferreira Dominguez, Boetto, Guibal and Cenzon-Salvayre,
the ribs of alder (Alnus Mill.), the laths above “Wood analysis,” 60–64.
3 Koncani Uhač and Čuka, “Doprinos,” 34–44. 6 Koncani Uhač and Uhač, “La barca protostorica,” 29–33.
4 Koncani Uhač and Uhač, ”Prapovijesni brod iz uvale Zambratija,” 7 Koncani Uhač, Uhač and Boetto, “Il relitto,” 214–19.
8 Koncani Uhač, Boetto and Uhač, “Zambratija: Prapovijesni šivani
533–38.
brod;” Boetto, Koncani Uhač and Uhač, “Sewn ships,” 189–92.
are characterised by fluted decoration from the Mill.), and the treenails of poplar (Populus sp.).5
early Copper Age, while other recovered pothereditati An analysis of the boat’s architecture established
sherds are from ware covering a broad range of that the Zambratija vessel is the oldest find of a
dates from the early Copper Age to the dawn of sewn-built boat in the Mediterranean sphere.6
the Bronze Age.3 Finds of Bronze Age ware re Due to its design characteristics, build type and
covered from the cove can be associated with the early date the Zambratija boat is considered an
nearby Romanija hillfort. archetype in the sewn boat tradition of the Adri
atic sphere.7 Its discovery provides a point of ref
Of interest are the results of the botanical erence in the study of the origin and evolution of
analysis of the plants from the archaeological plank built boats in the Mediterranean and pro
layers of the settlement, which indicate the pres vides the first archaeological evidence of the role
ence of water plants in the archaeological layer of the monoxylon in the development of plank
that are characteristic of natural wet habitats, i.e. built boats in the northern Mediterranean, and
wet meadows. The geoarchaeological research in particular in the northeast of the Adriatic
conducted at the site last year will soon yield a Sea.8
clearer picture of the palaeo-landscape of this
settlement. Some one thousand pile dwellings An exhibition featuring “Zambratija: Pre
have been identified in the Alps, situated for the historic Sewn Boat” opened in Pula in 2017, fol
most part on the shores of lakes, in wetland areas lowed by showings in 2018 in Zagreb, Šibenik
or on rivers. The specificity of Zambratija in the and other venues. This traveling exhibition has
group of sites of this kind is its present marine as its objective to raise awareness in the special
location; with this submerged settlement consti ist and broader public, and in particular among
tuting a significant contribution to the study of youth, of the find of this boat, the oldest Medi
Holocene sea levels. In Slovenia we find analo terranean specimen of its kind, in the waters of
gies to the Zambratija site pile dwellings at the the Adriatic Sea. An effort has also been made to
sites of settlements in the Ljubljana Marshes (site offer the broader public a tactile appreciation of
Ljubljansko barje). the boat, to which end a reconstruction has been
undertaken of a two by one metre section of the
The second prehistoric site in Zambrati boat. The fabrication of the section of the boat
ja Cove is that of the find of a sewn boat.4 The through experimental archaeology has yield
discovery in 2008 was followed by archaeologi ed data on the method of its construction, with
cal excavation at the site of the sewn boat find work on the reconstruction shown as a video to
that ran through to 2013. This was followed by visitors of the exhibition. Joining the archaeolo
post-site and laboratory research. The age of the gists in the fabrication of the boat section were
Zambratija boat, determined using radiocar members of the “Savudrijska batana – Batana
bon methods, dates its construction to the peri salvorina” association. The work of this associa
od from the thirteenth to tenth century BCE, tion includes the fabrication of the batana boats
i.e. at the transition from the Bronze to the Iron specific to the micro-region. It all comes togeth
Age. Laboratory analysis of wood samples from er in a story that has some similarity in terms
the boat structure indicates the use of the wood of shipbuilding with the Zambratija sewn boat.
of five different tree species. The boat builders Also preserved from the rich period of Roman
used different kinds of wood in the construc
tion, with the planks made of elm (Ulmus sp.), 5 Ferreira Dominguez, Boetto, Guibal and Cenzon-Salvayre,
the ribs of alder (Alnus Mill.), the laths above “Wood analysis,” 60–64.
3 Koncani Uhač and Čuka, “Doprinos,” 34–44. 6 Koncani Uhač and Uhač, “La barca protostorica,” 29–33.
4 Koncani Uhač and Uhač, ”Prapovijesni brod iz uvale Zambratija,” 7 Koncani Uhač, Uhač and Boetto, “Il relitto,” 214–19.
8 Koncani Uhač, Boetto and Uhač, “Zambratija: Prapovijesni šivani
533–38.
brod;” Boetto, Koncani Uhač and Uhač, “Sewn ships,” 189–92.
