Underwater Archaeology Expedition - Zambratija Bay, Croatia, Juny 2023

The excavation took place at the submerged prehistoric pile-dwellings settlement in North Istria, dated at approx. 4000 BC. Today the small fisherman's village of Zambratija is a popular touristic destination at the Adriatic Sea. But back in the day it was the largest known Copper-Age settlement of its kind in Croatia with an area of approx. 10.000 m². Back then, the pile dwellings were standing in a freshwater lake separated from the sea by a chain of rocks as a natural breakwater. The current location is 3 m deep due to the rise of the sea level.
The research started after the underwater site was accidentaly found in 2008. The current project was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The main task this year was to survey and to salvage as many wooden piles as possible from a 10 by 10 m square. The international team consisted of scientific divers and archaeologists from Australia, Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland.
The site was unexpectedly rich in finds of pottery, stone tools, animal bones and botanical remains

Видео Underwater Archaeology Expedition - Zambratija Bay, Croatia, Juny 2023 канала Deep Blue Sea