Kasnosrednjovjekovni i novovjekovni nalazi iz podmorja otoka Bapca u Pašmanskom kanalu

Underwater reconnaissance of the maritime zone of the island of Pasman near the island of Babac uncovered archaeological finds from the late medieval and post-medieval period. The finds were discovered in the western cove of the island of Babac facing the settlement of Pasman on the homonymous island. The Pasman Channel is narrowest at this spot, and the site was probably used as an anchorage owing to favourable natural position and because it was a good shelter from all winds. Recovered material was found at the depth of 3 to 4 meters. Pottery represents most abundant category of finds with dominant glazed kitchenware and tableware while glass vessels are represented by a small number of specimens. Typologically diverse finds indicate that the site was probably used as an anchorage for centuries where ships sought shelter in bad weather or spent night.


KASNOSREDNJOVJEKOVNI I NOVOVJEKOVNI NALAZI IZ PODMORJA OTOKA BAPCA U PAŠMANSKOM KANALU LATE MEDIEVAL AND POST-MEDIEVAL FINDS FROM THE SEABED NEAR THE ISLAND OF BABAC IN THE PAŠMAN CHANNEL
Underwater reconnaissance of the maritime zone of the island of Pašman near the island of Babac uncovered archaeological finds from the late medieval and post-medieval period.The finds were discovered in the western cove of the island of Babac facing the settlement of Pašman on the homonymous island.The Pašman Channel is narrowest at this spot, and the site was probably used as an anchorage owing to favourable natural position and because it was a good shelter from all winds.Recovered material was found at the depth of 3 to 4 meters.Pottery represents most abundant category of finds with dominant glazed kitchenware and tableware while glass vessels are represented by a small number of specimens.Typologically diverse finds indicate that the site was probably used as an anchorage for centuries where ships sought shelter in bad weather or spent night.
keywords: Babac, pottery, Late Middle Ages, Modern Period, underwater finds, glass Underwater reconnaissance of the maritime zone of the island of Pašman in the year 2009 uncovered interesting archaeological finds from the late medieval and post-medieval period near the island of Babac. 1 Babac is located in the middle of the Pašman Channel between the settlements of Turanj on the mainland and Pašman on the homonymous island (T.I, 1-2).Rare mentions of Babac in the scholarly literature mainly refer to its historical role of refuge from the Ottomans. 2However, its position and immediate vicinity of the mainland facilitated economic exploitation of the island so that as early as the 14th century 1 Ovaj rad posvećujemo prof.dr.sc.Zdenku Brusiću, dragom profesoru i kolegi, pioniru podvodne i novovjekovne hrvatske arheologije.
The Pašman Channel has represented an important segment of the Adriatic navigational route for a long time.Since the western Adriatic coast is not protected with islands as natural barrier and it is exposed to strong winds and waves, sailing in the Adriatic usually took place along the eastern coast throughout history.The most important transition over the Adriatic Sea in antiquity followed the line along the Gargano Peninsula in Italy to the Tremiti islands or Palagruža towards Vis, then northwards to the island of Žirje, along the southwestern coast of Murter towards Vrgada, and channels of Pašman and Zadar, then along Kvarnerić towards Istria or along the north-eastern side of the island of Lošinj to Osor and further on.Mentioned route was used not only by ships coming from the Mediterranean but also by those sailing from southern to northern Italy. 8This sailing direction was retained over centuries which is confirmed by French hydrographer and cartographer C. F. Beautemps-Beaupré who in the 19th century recommended sailing through the strait of Pašman over western passage along Babac, for frigates and large ships, and he also provided dimensions of the passage. 9 Finds dating from the late medieval and post-medieval periods were discovered in 2009 in the cove on the south-western side of the island of Babac facing the settlement of Pašman on the homonymous island (T.I, 3). 10 The cove is situated next to the western  Najjednostavniju grupu keramike čini gruba kuhinjska keramika koja nije osobito brojna na ovom lokalitetu, te je zastupljena samo manjim fragmentima.Navedenoj skupini posuđa pripada ulomak tubularne ručke tave s proširenim i profiliranim vanjskim rubom (kat.br. 1).Ova forma pojavljuje se među keramičkim nalazima širega vremenskog raspona u gruboj i glaziranoj varijanti.Oblici tava s takvim ručkama su različiti, a pojavljuju se od sredine 16. do početka 18. stoljeća na zapadnoj i istočnoj jadranskoj obali. 12Najbliži komparativni materijal čine glazirani primjerci otkriveni u Zadru, ali i na istarskoj obali. 13Istoj grupi pripada i ulomak izljeva posude koji je najvjerojatnije pripadao vrču (kat.br.2).Izljev je u potpunosti šupalj, valjkastog je oblika, a sužava se prema vanjskom rubu.Ovakva forma gruboga keramičkog posuđa do sada nije registrirana među hrvatskim nalazima.Međutim, vrčevi s passage through a strait mentioned by the French cartographer.The Pašman Channel is narrowest at this spot, and sea currents are exceptionally strong due to narrow and shallow channel. 11The cove in which finds were discovered has favourable natural position and it is sheltered from all winds.Reconnaissance was conducted after the report by local fishermen who often found pottery on this location.The site is at the distance of about 35 meters from the shore.Recovered late medieval and post-medieval finds were found at the depth of 3 to 4 meters, covering the surface of 40 m 2 .During the reconnaissance not all objects were taken out of the sea, but only datable selection.There were no archaeological finds from other periods on this position.After documentation, the material was collected and deposited in the Regional Museum in Biograd.Pottery is best represented category of finds, with dominant glazed kitchenware and tableware, while coarse pottery and glass vessels appear less frequently.Glazed pottery is represented by several basic types such as simple lead glazed ware (invetriata), pottery with engobe and maiolica.All finds are poorly preserved due to long-term exposure to adverse sea effects.This analysis was focused on the selection of the best preserved material which could be classified to certain groups and typologies, while small number of fragments was identified only as fragments of ceramic ware.
The simplest group of pottery comprises coarse kitchenware which is not very numerous at this site and it is represented by only small fragments.Fragment of tubular handle of a pan with expanded and profiled outer edge belongs to the mentioned group (cat.no. 1).This form appears among the pottery finds in a wide chronological range in coarse and glazed variant.Forms of pans with such handles are diverse, and they appear from the mid-16th to the beginning of the 18th century on the western and eastern Adriatic coast. 12The closest comparative finds are glazed examples found in Zadar, and also on the coast of Istria. 13Spout fragment, probably of a jug belongs to the same group (cat.no.2).The spout is hollow, cylindrical in form, tapering towards the outer edge.Such form of coarse ceramic ware has not been recorded among the Croatian finds.However, jugs with separate cylindrical spout were produced in pottery workshops of the Italian regions of Emilia-odvojenim izljevom cilindričnog oblika proizvode se u lončarskim radionicama talijanskih pokrajina Emilije-Romagne, Lombardije i Veneta krajem 16. i tijekom 17. stoljeća, a češći su u varijanti prekrivenoj slojem glazure. 14rugu, daleko brojniju skupinu čini glazirana keramika unutar koje nalazimo nekoliko različitih vrsta.Najjednostavnija je invetriata, odnosno keramika prekrivena slojem olovne glazure.Na ovom lokalitetu pojavljuju se njezine inačice sa i bez ukrasa.Među neukrašenom invetriatom prisutni su nalazi kuhinjske i stolne keramike.
angolare.This manner of decoration is characteristic of the 15th and 16th century and workshop centers in Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Lombardy. 25Vessels with identical engraved motif in combination with blue painted ornament as on the mentioned example from Babac were also recorded in Zadar. 26he following decorative style of engraved pottery is represented by the post-Renaissance engraved ware (cat.nos.10-14).Vessels are usually decorated with geometric and vegetal patterns, in one (cat.nos.10-12) or several colours (cat.nos.13-14).Open form vessels are dominant, i.e. bowls in different dimensions (cat.nos.10-13) but there is also one jug (cat.no.14).Fragments of monochrome bowls have engraved decorations under the yellowish-brown glaze in shape of spirals distributed freely across the entire outer surface of the vessel (cat.no.11) or under the opening within triangular fields (cat.no.12).Base of one vessel is decorated with a stylized flower consisting of petals and hatched lines making the flower center (cat.no.10).The finds are characteristic of the period of the second half of the 16th and first half of the 17th century.Fragments cat. 10 and 12 can be associated with the workshop productions of Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, 27 while cat.11 probably belongs to the Veneto production which appears on a number of sites along the Croatian coast. 28Polychrome examples are decorated in ocher-brown and green, in addition to engraving.They can also bear floral (cat.no.13) or geometric ornaments where a stylized decoration of wavy lines were located inside rectangular and horizontal fields (cat.no.14).Such products are characteristic of the Veneto workshop centers of the second half of the 16th and first half of the 17th century. 29aiolica is a type of glazed pottery which is, as opposed to the aforementioned types, covered with opaque tin glaze on which ornament was performed only by painting.At this site it is represented by undecorated and painted examples.

ULOMAK LONCA (T. II, 3)
Materijal/tip: jednostavna olovno glazirana keramika (invetriata) Vel.: najv.vis.: 10,1; šir.: 12,4 cm Opis: Ulomak tijela i otvora lonca rađenog od narančaste keramike.Lonac ima naglašen trbuh i okomito postavljen dvostruko profiliran obod lagano izvijen prema van.Iznutra je nanesen sloj smeđe olovne glazure koji prelazi izvana na obod i dio trbuha.Datacija: 16. -17.st.shop centers which is not surprising if we have in mind the proximity of the Italian coast, historical circumstances, cultural and trade connections.We have to emphasize that greatest part of such merchandise was distributed via maritime routes on the Adriatic.Favourable natural position of the site and typologically diverse archaeological finds covering long chronological span support the thesis that the site was actually an anchorage where ships hid from bad weather or spent night for centuries.Since sailing through the Pašman Channel was dangerous due to strong currents and shallows, ships had to seek shelter on several anchorages waiting for favourable wind and change of daily sea currents.Cartographer Beutemps-Beaupré in the 19th century mentiones that good anchorage was located on the southern part of the western passage along Babac, 40 which was probably noticed by seamen on this route much earlier, as confirmed by archaeological evidence.

POT FRAGMENT (T. III, 6)
Material/type: pottery with engobe Dimensions: max.h.9,4; w 11,5 cm Description: Fragment of upper part of a jug made from orange ceramic.Everted rim, neck and beginning of the belly were preserved.Engobe layer was covered with green lead glaze on the outer side, and engobe was applied only next to the opening, the remainder was covered with transparent lead glaze.Dating: second half of the 16th -first half 17th c.

ALBARELLO FRAGMENT (T. III, 7)
Material/type: pottery with engobe Dimensions: max.h.7; w. 5,8 cm Description: Fragment of lower part of albarello made from ocher-orange ceramic.Albarello body is conical, and it ends in a discoid base.On the outer side engobe slip ends under the belly and green lead glaze ends on the belly.Only transparent lead glaze is on the inner side.Dating: second half of the 16th -first half of the 17th c.
9. RIM FRAGMENT (T.III, 9) Material/type: engraved ware, Renaissance Dimensions: 7,4 x 6,2 cm Description: Rounded rim fragment of an open form vessel (plate?) made from light red ceramic.Engobed, decorated and glazed only on the inner side.Broken stripe (a nastro spezzato) decoration runs under the opening.Parallel lines and belt filled with rhombs and triangles are under this decoration.Olive-brown and blue paints were used to complete the vessel.Dating: 15th -16th c. 10.SMALL BOWL FRAGMENT (T.III, 10) Material/type: engraved ware, post-Renaissance Dimensions: max.h.3,7; Ø base: 6,5; 11 x 5,5cm Description: Fragment of lower part of a small bowl on a ring base made from light red ceramic.Engobed, decorated and glazed only on the inner side.Decoration was preserved only on the central part of the bowl, consisting of stylized flower whose petals consist of slanted strokes, and hatched lines make the flower center.Interior of the bowl was covered with yellowish glaze.Dating: second half of the 16th -first half of the 17th c.11. BOWL FRAGMENT (T.III, 11)Material/type: engraved ware, post-Renaissance Dimensions: max.h.3,7; Ø base: 6,5; 11 x 5,5cm Description: Fragment of upper part of a large bowl made from red clay.Body fragment was preserved of the bowl as well as distinctly rounded everted rim.Traces of engobe, decoration and glaze were preserved only in the inner side.The decoration consists of parallel lines next to the opening and large and small spiral strokes on the outer surface.Interior of the bowl was covered with yellowish glaze.Dating: second half of the 16th -first half of the 17th c.