Archaeologists have made an extraordinary discovery off the southern Croatian coast, unearthing a 7,000-year-old road buried under layers of sea mud at the sunken Neolithic site of Soline. This remarkable find may have connected the ancient Hvar culture settlement to the now isolated island of Korčula. The discovery was made by Mate Parica, an archaeologist from the University of Zadar, who was analyzing satellite images of the water area around Korčula when he spotted something that he thought might be human-made on the ocean floor. Parica and a colleague dove to investigate and found stone walls at a depth of 4 to 5 meters in the Adriatic Sea. The landmass it was built upon was separated from the main island by a narrow strip of land.
Protected from Waves
Unlike most parts of the Mediterranean, the area where the Soline settlement was found is safe from big waves due to the protection offered by the many surrounding islands, helping to preserve the site from natural destruction. The newly discovered prehistoric road, which is about 4 meters wide, was constructed of carefully stacked stone slabs and has been protected from powerful waves for thousands of years thanks to these islands.
Significant Collaboration
The research team that made the discovery is a significant collaboration of experts from Dubrovnik Museums, the Museum of the City of Kaštela, the University of Zadar, the City Museum of Korčula, along with photographers and divers. Through radiocarbon analysis of preserved wood, the entire settlement was estimated to date back to approximately 4,900 BCE. The Neolithic Hvar culture, which once inhabited the eastern Adriatic, likely constructed the now-submerged Soline settlement and the ancient passageway that connected the islands. People walked on this road almost 7,000 years ago.
Another Underwater Settlement
The same research team has discovered another underwater settlement on the opposite side of the Korčula island, similar to Soline, that produced some intriguing Stone Age artifacts. University of Zadar archaeologist Igor Borzić noticed intriguing structures beneath the bay’s waters. The researchers diving at the Soline site went undersea exploring and discovered an almost identical settlement submerged at a depth of 4 to 5 meters. The new settlement finds, like those at Soline and its connecting road, seem to have ties to the Hvar culture.
The Neolithic era emerged around 12,000 years ago, as we gradually transitioned from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle into farming and animal domestication, resulting in more permanent settlements of communities. It is also known as the new Stone Age in some parts of the world. These island settlements of the Neolithic period are rare, so these findings are of great interest to archaeologists.
