Page 141 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 13(2) (2025)

141

Zrinka Ettinger Starčić

Figure 2: Locations of the Underwater Sites of Osor Mentioned in the Text (Google Earth; elaborated by Martina
Blečić Kavur, 2025)

firmed and has, in fact, been convincingly reject- the collected data to be organised chronologi-
ed (fig. 2) (Doneus et al. 2015, 773; Miko et al. cally through the history of the research, high-
2025). lighting the value of the sites and the wealth of
The development and importance of Osor archaeological remains, from the ancient to the
began to decline in the 15th century, when it modern era.
ceased to be the administrative and episcopal
seat of Cres and Lošinj. However, it did not dis- Underwater Research in the Second Half
appear entirely; through various transforma- of the 20th Century
tions, life at this location has continued to the The earliest records of underwater archaeologi-
present day (cf. Sušanj Protić 2015). cal sites, particularly in the shallow waters along
The strategic position of Osor, both with- the Croatian coast, date back to the 16th cen-
in the archipelago and on the northern Adriat- tury, with the first mention of an ancient ship-
ic shipping route, historically secured it a key wreck appearing in the 18th century. Individu-
role in maritime and economic networks. This al efforts to protect underwater heritage began
has resulted in a rich cultural and architectural only in the mid-20th century, and from the
heritage that testifies to the civilisations which 1970s onwards, they became part of a well-or-
have shaped it for millennia. This paper pre- ganised system (Radić Rossi 2012).
sents all underwater archaeological research Several valuable finds have been discovered
conducted since the late 1960s, from prelim- on the nearby seabed. Notably, one of the most
inary surveys and inspection to trial excava- important is a shipwreck from the early Imperial
tions and individual finds. Based on different epoch near the island of Ilovik, which contained
approaches and methodologies, the research is flattened Forlimpopoli-type amphorae and lux-
divided into two periods. This structure allows urious glass and bronze vessels (Orlić 1986; Ju-