Remains of Ancient Roman Harbor Discovered Along Slovenia’s Coastline

The remains of a Roman harbor were found by a research team from the University of Ljubljana’s Institute of Underwater Archaeology (ZAPA) off the coast of Portorož, Slovenia.

There, more than 3,000 ceramic fragments were unearthed by divers from the university’s faculty of maritime studies and transport team. They also found two ancient ship masts, several wooden stakes, and rigging and sails parts.

The wooden stakes may have formed a type of a barrier to protect the coastline. Measuring more than three feet long, the two masts made from fir and spruce trees are “unique examples on a global scale,” the researchers told Artnet News.

Most of the identified pottery is sigallata, which was a popular kind of red pottery mass-produced during the 1st century CE. Often, it featured raised decorative designs. Much of the amphorae, kitchenware, and fine tableware shards would have been imported.

The wood artifacts will be preserved with melamine resin and, along with the other objects, stored at the Sergei Mašera Maritime Museum in Piran.

The port town was first settled in prehistoric times. Celtic tribes were conquered by the Roman Empire in 178 BCE. Today, the town is a major tourist destination. The area where the artifacts were uncovered, in Benardin Beach, is sheltered, and this helped to preserve the artifacts.

This excavation is part of a larger country-wide campaign to explore Slovenia’s 30 miles of coastline along the Adriatic Sea since 2017. The work, according to ZAPA, however, was carried out in “consistently poor visibility,” which added to the complexity of the study.

Other Roman sites found in the area since 1998 include an ancient farm settlement underneath a present-day gas station and an ancient fish farm next to old salt warehouses in 2004.

Based on studies, it’s possible that the area would have been home to a small Roman harbor between the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. The site will continue to be investigated post-fieldwork.