Archaeological Survey of the Ližnjan

Coastal Area
Arheološki pregled priobalja Ližnjana
Roko Surić rsuric@icua.hr / Jelena Bekić jele023@yahoo.com

Prostrana uvala Kuje nalazi se u općini Ližnjan, na

istarskom poluotoku. Zbog izrade urbanističkog plana
buduće marine Kuje na području Općine Ližnjan, bilo je
potrebno obaviti zaštitno arheološko istraživanje. Uvala
Kuje prirodno je sidrište, a zatvorena je rtom Uljeva,
na kojem su tokom povijesti potopljena najmanje četiri
broda. Opseg istraživanja obuhvaćao je podvodni dio
unutar južnog dijela uvale Kuje te okolno kopneno
područje rta Uljeva. Arheološki pregled obavljen je u
veljači 2020. godine. Ronioci Međunarodnog centra za
podvodnu arheologiju u Zadru, Luka Bekić, Roko Surić
i Maja Kaleb te suradnik Borna Krstulović provodili su
podvodni dio istraživanja, a dvije studentice arheologije,
Jelena Bekić i Mirela Grgić, bile su zadužene za pregled
kopnenog područja.
1. Documentation of ballast heaps / Dokumentiranje
balastne hrpe (Photo: M. Kaleb) 2. Potsherds from heap M8 / Ulomci keramičkog
posuđa s hrpe M8 (Photo: L. Bekić)
Kuje is a broad cove in the Ližnjan municipality in Istria
County. The production of an urban development plan
for a future marina in the cove necessitated rescue
archaeological investigation. The Kuje cove is a natural
anchorage protected by the Uljeva cape, where at least
four ships have gone down in the past. The scope of the
investigation covered the underwater area within the
south end of the Kuje cove and the surrounding mainland
of the Uljeva headland. An archaeological survey was
done in February of this year. Divers of the International
Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar Luka Bekić,
Roko Surić and Maja Kaleb were joined by collaborator
Borna Krstulović in performing the submarine part of
the investigative work, while two archaeology students,
Jelena Bekić and Mirela Grgić, were responsible for the
survey of the area on land.

Investigation of the Uljeva cape began in 2011 during

archaeological survey of the waters of Istria County led
by the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology.1
Surveys of the seabed in the Kuje cove continued during
the multiple annual campaigns that saw the investigation
of four shipwrecks around the Uljeva cape. In 2015,

1 Bekić, 2011, 35–38.

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3. Archaeological material at ballast heap M8 /
Arheološki materijal na balastnoj hrpi M8
(Photo: R. Surić)

when the fourth shipwreck was identified, a strong north-

easterly bura wind saw the archaeological team also
turn its attention to the excavation of a trench at a ballast
heap in the Kuje cove that yielded the find of numerous
post-medieval finds.2 Underwater reconnaissance in the
2016 campaign saw the investigation of other ballast
heaps in the cove.3 It was in fact the finds made during
the investigation of the ballast heaps that were critical
to this year’s rescue archaeology work. The survey was
indispensable in order for us to have timely insight into
the possible presence of previously unknown sites on
the mainland of the Uljeva cape ahead of construction
activity.
This year’s survey of the waters to the south end of the
Kuje cove was aimed at a precise determination with
regard to the presence and distribution of archaeological
finds on the seabed. The seabed was visually inspected,
with every archaeological sighting documented and
marked out with a buoy on the surface in order for a
precise GPS position to be ascertained. Typologically
identifiable finds were recovered upon the discovery of
a site; their dates served to provide a dating frame for an
entire site.
4a. A large anchor that was a part of a mooring grid
system / Veliko sidro koje je bilo dio sustava sidrene
mreže (Photo: R. Surić)
Prvo istraživanje rta Uljeva započelo je još
rekognosciranjem podmorja Istre 2011.g., koje je vodio
Međunarodni centar za podvodnu arheologiju u Zadru.1
Tijekom višegodišnjih istraživanja četiri potopljena broda
na rtu Uljeva i dalje su se obavljali pregledi podmorja
Kuja. Godine 2015., kada je otkriven četvrti potopljeni
brod, zbog jake je bure istražen i jedan rov na balastnoj
gomili unutar uvale Kuje, a koji je sadržavao veliki broj
novovjekovnih nalaza.2 Podvodno rekognosciranje u
kampanji 2016. godine bavilo se istraživanjem i drugih
balastnih hrpi u uvali Kuje.3 Upravo su nalazi prilikom
4b. An iron buoy that was a part of a mooring grid
system / Željezna plutača koja je bila dio sustava
sidrene mreže (Photo: M. Kaleb)

Although surveys and investigative work in previous years

hinted at multiple new sites in the cove, it was only the
detailed survey in the course of this year’s investigative
work that established the presence of at least fifteen
individual archaeological sites in these waters. The great
majority of the discovered sites, fourteen in fact, can be
characterised as heaps of jettisoned ship’s ballast. An
interesting find is that of a mooring grid from the period
2 Bekić, 2015, 8–15
3 Surić, Bekić, 2016, 22–28.

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of the Austrian administration comprised of anchors, iron
chains and buoys.
The heaps are concentrated in the east and southeast
ends of the cove, this being the part best protected from
all winds and most suitable for anchoring. Across most
of the area in question the seabed is covered by a layer
of fine silt that has over the centuries partially covered
the ballast heaps, such that only part of their full extent
is visible on the seabed. Only one heap is comprised
solely of stones, while the other include diverse material
among which we see fragments of brick, roof tiles,
plaster, potsherds and glass bottles, ceramic workshop
aids, corroded iron objects and animal bones. The heaps
lie at depths of from 1.3 to 4 metres, and are of varying
sizes; the smallest heap covers an area of 3.7 by 2.9
metres, and the largest 25.3 by 5.5 metres. Based on
the typological analysis of the collected archaeological
material, the heaps are dated roughly to the sixteenth to
eighteenth century period.
This material was likely loaded on unladen ships in sacks
to provide the ballast necessary for sailing. Upon arrival at
the loading location the sacks would be jettisoned and the
unladen ship loaded with a cargo to be transported to the
port of destination. Examples of the use of construction
debris (bricks, roof tiles, plaster etc.) and domestic refuse
(potsherds, glass, bones, iron etc.) as ship’s ballast
are found at a number of locations in the Adriatic, as
evidenced by the findings at many anchorages and wreck
sites.4
Also discovered in the east end of the Kuje cove were the
remains of a mooring grid from the period of the Austrian
administration comprised of anchors, iron chains and
buoys. The impressive iron Admiralty pattern anchors are
still partially sunken into the seabed, and among them
on the seabed surface we see sporadic sections of a
grid of thick iron chains. On the seabed we also found
large cylindrical iron buoys. This mooring system with
cylindrical buoys was used to moor watercraft in the pre-
World War I period.
Onshore, the Uljeva cape was divided into a number
of zones. Each day saw investigation of a different part
of the shore or inland area facing the Kuje cove. The
land archaeological reconnaissance was assisted by
topographic maps, satellite images, maps for the Kuje
Urban Development Plan, and a handheld GPS Garmin
Trek 40 device for positioning. The device was use to
log the route of the archaeologists’ fieldwalking work in
order to cover the whole of the area. The positions of
artefacts and features were logged separately. They
were registered in the field diary and later incorporated
4 Surić, Bekić 2016, 14; Surić 2019, 56–57
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5. Postcard showing the anchoring system with large
buoys in Zadar / Razglednica s prikazom sustava za
sidrenje s velikim plutačama u Zadru
(Source: Šuljak - Seferović: Pozdrav iz Zadra,
monografija razglednica)
istraživanja balastnih hrpi bili najvažniji za ovogodišnje
zaštitno istraživanje. Ovaj pregled bio je potreban, kako
bi se na vrijeme, prije gradnje, uočilo neko potencijalno,
do sada nepoznato nalazište na kopnenom dijelu rta
Uljeva.
Ovogodišnjim pregledom podmorja južnog dijela
uvale Kuje nastojalo se precizno definirati postojanje i
rasprostiranje arheoloških nalaza na morskom dnu. Dno
je pregledano vizualno, a pritom je svako arheološko
nalazište dokumentirano i označeno plutačom na površini
kako bi mu se uzela točna GPS pozicija. Prilikom otkrića
nalazišta uzimani su tipološko odredivi nalazi, kako
bi se na osnovu njihove datacije mogla datirati i čitava
nalazišta.
Iako se iz pregleda i istraživanja u prijašnjim godinama
moglo naslutiti da nalazišta u uvali ima više, tek se
detaljnim pregledom u ovogodišnjim istraživanjima
ustanovilo da se pod morem krije najmanje 15 pojedinačnih
arheoloških nalazišta. Najveći dio otkrivenih nalazišta,
njih čak 14 mogu se okarakterizirati kao balastne hrpe
koje predstavljaju ostatke balasta brodova. Osim njih su
vrlo zanimljivi nalazi koji pripadaju sidrenoj mreži iz doba
Austrijske uprave, a sastavljena je od sidara, željeznih
lanaca i plutača.
Hrpe su koncentrirane na prostoru istočnog i jugoistočnog
dijela uvale, jer je taj dio zaštićen od svih vjetrova i
najpogodniji za sidrenje. Na najvećem dijelu predmetnog
područja, morsko dno prekriva sloj finog mulja koji je
kroz stoljeća djelomično prekrio i balastne hrpe pa je
samo dio njihovog opsega vidljiv na morskom dnu.
Samo jedna hrpa sačinjena je isključivo od kamenja,
a ostale su sačinjene od raznovrsnog materijala među
kojim se prepoznaju ulomci opeka, krovnog crijepa,
žbuke, fragmenti keramičkih i staklenih boca, pomagala
into the cartographic plan subsequently produced by the
Aero Photo 3D company of Pula (Fig. 10).

Thick vegetation and maquis posed a great and at times

insurmountable obstacle in the survey of the land area
facing the cove. Most of the area is, however, covered
by ploughland and country lanes on which small
objects could be successfully observed. Most of the
identified finds were prehistoric chert tools and flakes,
scattered across most of this headland. These finds may
possibly be associated with the well-known Kargadur
archaeological site: an early Neolithic and Copper Age
settlement situated on the north shore at the mouth of
the Kuje cove.5 Sporadic potsherds were also recovered.
These include parts of vessels or amphorae, and are
largely antique and post-medieval. The observed density
of these finds does not point to a settlement or other site
in the surveyed land area.

A number of features were also observed. These include

walls and rubble heaps. The most interesting of these
is a wall observed by archaeologists a few years ago at
the country lane leading to the Uljeva headland. On this
occasion the wall was examined in greater detail and
partially cleaned. This appears to be a Roman period
plastered wall with two faces. It is possible that this wall
is associated with the architectural complex of what may
be a Roman period villa in the Lakošaše cove.6
7. Recording find coordinates with a handheld GPS
device / Uzimanje koordinata nalaza ručnim GPS-om
(Photo: J. Bekić)
keramičarskih radionica, korodirani željezni predmeti i
životinjske kosti. Hrpe se nalaze na dubini mora od 1,3
do 4 m, a dimenzije su im različite pa se najmanja hrpa
rasprostire na prostoru veličine 3,7 x 2,9 m, a najveća
na prostoru 25,3 x 5,5 m. Na osnovu tipološke analize
prikupljenog arheološkog materijala, hrpe se okvirno
mogu datirati u razdoblje od 16. do 18. st.

Ovakav materijal najvjerojatnije se u vrećama krcao u

6. The survey of the ploughland at the Uljeva cape
/ Pregled po oranicama rta Uljeva (Photo: M. Grgić)
prazne brodove kako bi osigurali, za plovidbu neophodni
balast. Dolaskom na lokaciju ukrcaja, s brodova bi
se vreće izbacilo u more, a zatim bi se u prazan brod
ukrcao teret koji se potom prevozio do odredišne luke.
Primjeri korištenja zdrobljenog građevinskog otpada
(opeke, crijep, žbuka...) i ostalog kućnog otpada (ulomci
keramike, stakla, kosti, željeza...) kao balasta broda
postoje na nizu lokaliteta na Jadranu, čemu svjedoče
nalazi s brojnih sidrišta, ali i brodoloma.4

A small drystone wall building overgrown with
undergrowth and thorn bushes on an elevated point
in the area was cleaned, examined and measured. Its
four walls have been preserved to a height of about one
metre. These may be the remains of a post-medieval
shepherd’s shelter or a pen for livestock. Heaps of loose
rubble were observed at two positions, one in the maquis
at an elevated area and the other along the shore, which
5 Komšo, 2007, 257–260.
6 Bekić, 2020, 9.
U podmorju istočnog dijela uvale Kuje otkriveni su i ostaci
sidrene mreže iz doba Austrijske uprave, a sastavljena je
od sidara, željeznih lanaca i plutača. Impresivna željezna
admiralska sidra još su uvijek djelomično ukopana u
morsko dno, a među njima se na površini mjestimično
nazire i mreža od debelog željeznog lanca. Na morskom
dnu su otkrivene i velike željezne plutače u obliku valjka.
Ovakav sistem sidrišta s valjkastim plutačama korišten je
za privez brodova prije 1. Svjetskog rata.

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may be the ruins
of collapsed buildings
of some kind. Given
the lack of surface
finds, however, this
seems unlikely.
The submarine and land surveys of the
Kuje cove and the Uljeva headland have given us
a better picture of the distribution of archaeological
finds in this area. It paints a picture of intensive
human activity in the prehistoric, antique and
post-medieval epochs. The fertile fields and a cove
shielded from dangerous winds were reason enough
to make this an area of interest for humans. The results
of this survey and the results of the investigations of the
four wrecks off the Uljeva headland will broaden our
knowledge of the rich history of the eastern shores of
Istria County.
9. Cleaning a plastered wall at an elevation on the
Uljeva cape / Čišćenje žbukanog zida na uzvisini rta
Uljeva (Photo: L. Bekić)
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Kopneno područje rta Uljeva podijeljeno je u
nekoliko zona. Svakoga dana istraživao se
drugi dio obale ili unutrašnjeg dijela uvale
Kuje. Od potrebne opreme za kopneno
rekognosciranje korištene su razne karte uvale;
topografske, satelitske, kartografski prikaz UPU
marine „Kuje“, te za pozicioniranje ručni GPS
Garmin Trek 40. Uređajem su se dokumentirale “log” rute
pješačenja arheologa kako bi se pokrilo cijelo područje.
Posebno su se zapisivale točke pokretnih i nepokretnih
nalaza. One su se zapisivale u terenski dnevnik, a
kasnije su uključene u kartografski prikaz kojeg je nakon
istraživanja izradila tvrtka Aero Photo 3D iz Pule (Sl. 11).
Gusto raslinje i makija predstavljali su veliku i u nekim
slučajevima nepremostivu prepreku za pregled kopnenog
dijela uvale. Veći dio područja ipak je prekriven oranicama
i poljskim putovima, na kojima je bilo moguće uočiti sitne
predmete. Od nalaza su uglavnom
pronalažene prapovijesne
rožnjačke alatke i odbitci,
koji se nalaze reštrkani
po većem dijelu rta.
Ovi nalazi možda su
povezani s poznatim
arheološkim nalazištem
Kargadur, naseljem iz
doba ranog neolitika i
bakrenog doba, koje se
nalazi na sjevernoj obali,
na samom ulazu u uvale
Kuje.5 Pronađeni su i sporadični
keramički ulomci. To su dijelovi
posuđa ili amfora, a uglavnom su antički i novovjekovni.
Niti ovi nalazi svojom gustoćom ne ukazuju na postojanje
nekog naselja ili drugog nalazišta na pregledanom dijelu
kopna.
Uz pokretne nalaze pronađeni su i neki nepokretni. To
su razni zidovi i kamene gromače. Kao najzanimljiviji
nalaz izdvojen je jedan zid, koji su arheolozi još prije par
godina primijetili na poljskoj stazi prema rtu Uljeva. Zid je
ovom prilikom pomnije pregledan te djelomično očišćen.
Po svemu sudeći radi se o rimskom žbukanom zidu s
dva lica. Moguće je ovaj zid na neki način povezan s
građevinskim sklopom potencijalne rimske vile u zaljevu
Lakošaše.6
Na uzvišenijem dijelu područja, očišćena, pregledana
i izmjerena je i jedna manja suhozidna zgrada obrasla
grmljem i trnjem. Njena četiri zida očuvana su u visini oko
jedan metar. Moguće su to ostaci nekog pastirskog stana
ili pak skloništa za stoku iz novog vijeka. Osim toga,
uočene su i dvije pozicije kamenih gromača, jedne u
makiji na povišenom dijelu, a druge na samoj obali, koje
Bibliography / Literatura:

Bekić, L., 2011. - Underwater Archaeological

Reconnaissance of Istrian Maritime Waters / Podvodna
arheološka rekognosciranja podmorja Istre, Submerged
Heritage / Potopljena baština 1, Zadar, 35-38.

Bekić, L., Surić, R., 2015. - Fourth Shipwreck Found

at Cape Uljeva / Pronađen četvrti brodolom na Uljevi,
Submerged Heritage / Potopljena baština 5, Zadar 2015.
8-15.

Bekić, L., 2020. – The shipwrecks at Cape Uljeva /

Brodolomi kod rta Uljeva, Zadar 2020.
Komšo, D., 2007. - Kargadur, Hrvatski arheološki
godišnjak / Croatian Archaeological Yearbook 4/ 2007,
Zagreb 2008. 257-260.
Surić, R., 2019. - Zadar County underwater archaeological
survey / Podvodni arheološki pregled podmorja zadarske
županije, Potopljena baština / Submerged Heritage 9,
Zadar 2019, 55-60.
Surić, R., Bekić, L., 2016. - 2016 Cape Uljeva Shipwrecks
Campaign / Istraživanja brodoloma na rtu Uljeva,
kampanja 2016. g., Submerged Heritage / Potopljena
baština 6, Zadar 2016. 22-27.
Šuljak, Z., Seferović, A., 1999. - Pozdrav iz Zadra,
monografija razglednica, Zadar.
10. The south wall of drystone building K37 / Južni
zid suhozidne zgrade K37 (Photo: L. Bekić)
bi možda mogle biti ostaci nekakvih srušenih zgrada. No
s obzirom na nedostatak površinskih nalaza to ostaje vrlo
upitno.
Podvodnim pregledom uvale Kuje i kopnenim pregledom
rta Uljeva stvorila se slika rasprostiranja arheoloških
nalaza na tom prostoru. Ustanovljeno je da je život
na tom prostoru bio intenzivan u prapovijesti, antici i
novom vijeku. Plodno polje i uvala zaštićena od opasnih
vjetrova bili su dovoljan razlog da taj prostor postane
ljudima zanimljiv. Rezultati ovog pregleda zajedno će s
rezultatima istraživanja četiriju brodoloma na rtu Uljeva
upotpuniti bogatu povijesnu priču istočne obale Istre.

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