Page 39 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 13(2) (2025)

‘Multiproxy Assessment of Holocene es. This narrow waterway, separating the islands
Relative Sea-Level Changes in the Western of Lošinj and Cres, played a key role in maritime
Mediterranean: Sea-Level Variability and trade routes linking Istria and Dalmatia. Geoar-
Improvements in the Definition of the chaeological investigations in the Osor area in-
Isostatic Signal.’ Earth-Science Reviews cluded geophysical surveys, sediment coring, and
155:172–97. detailed geochemical and grain-size analyses of
Vinci, G., F. Vanzani, A. Fontana, and S. sediment cores. Radiocarbon and optically stim-
Campana. 2024. ‘LiDAR Applications ulated luminescence (OSL) dating were employed
in Archaeology: A Systematic Review.’ to establish a chronological framework. Integrated
Archaeological Prospection 32 (1): 81–101. airborne laser scanning and multibeam sonar ba-
Vlahović, I., J. Tišljar, I. Velić, and D. Matičec. thymetric data provided detailed insights into the
2005. ‘Evolution of the Adriatic Carbonate submerged geomorphology of the area surround-
Platform: Paleogeography, Main Events and ing Osor.
Depositional Dynamics.’ Palaeogeography, A 2.9 m-thick sediment succession (core 39
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 220 (3–4): OSOR 2), recovered from Osor Bay, enabled the
333–60. reconstruction of Holocene palaeoenvironmen-
tal changes driven by both natural processes in the
Summary wider region and anthropogenic activities in Osor.
Sea-level variability during the Late Pleistocene The OSOR 2 core did not yield unequivocal evi-
and Holocene profoundly shaped the Mediterra- dence of human intervention associated with the Dip Your Finger in the Sea...
nean region. During the Last Glacial Maximum, construction of the channel that would resolve
sea level was approx. 120–134 metres below its pres- the debate concerning its archaeological construc-
ent position. The subsequent post-glacial rise led to tion date. Instead, preliminary results suggest that
the inundation of extensive coastal areas formerly the connection between Osor Bay and the Lošinj
inhabited by human populations, resulting in the Channel via the Osor Channel was likely estab-
submergence of numerous coastal archaeological lished during the Bronze Age, implying that nat-
sites that remain concealed beneath the sea surface ural processes played a substantial role in its for-
today. Consequently, submerged landscapes have mation. Furthermore, the results indicate that the
been the focus of many geoarchaeological investi- Jaz area remained part of the coastal land until
gations. However, until recently, the eastern Adri- AD 170 ± 100, when rising sea levels caused ma-
atic coast has remained relatively understudied in rine waters to advance inland. On this basis, pres-
this respect. ent-day Jaz Bay can be excluded as a (Roman) city
This study focuses on the submerged land- harbour.
scapes surrounding Osor, an Iron Age and Ro-
man town located on the northern Adriatic island Povzetek
of Cres. The Osor beyond the myth project arose Spremembe morske gladine v poznem pleistocenu
from the need to reinterpret the history of this re- in holocenu so pomembno oblikovale sredozem-
gional trading port. Given Osor’s coastal setting, ski prostor. Med zadnjim ledenim maksimumom
particular emphasis was placed on reconstructing je bila morska gladina približno 120–134 metrov
natural (topographic) conditions alongside broad- nižja kot danes. Poznejši postglacialni dvig morske
er archaeological questions. The results present- gladine je povzročil poplavljanje obsežnih obalnih
ed here offer new insights into Holocene relative območij, ki so jih naseljevale človeške skupnosti,
sea-level rise, past environmental changes, and the kar je vodilo do potopitve številnih obalnih arhe-
coastal configuration and maritime accessibility of oloških najdišč, ki so še danes skrita pod morsko
Osor. gladino. Posledično so potopljene krajine predmet
A central research question concerns the con- številnih geoarheoloških raziskav, vendar je bila
struction of the Osor Channel, traditionally be- vzhodna obala Jadranskega morja do nedavnega v
lieved to have been excavated for maritime purpos- tem pogledu razmeroma slabo raziskana.