This Roman villa site is located on the island of Sveti Klement (St. Clement), in the Bay of Soline, among a series of islands in the central Adriatic that were strategically and commercially important throughout antiquity. The remains are located along the shore, on the edge of a fertile field still under cultivation. Two ancient structures are still standing above ground and some parts of the villa complex are today submerged, as the sea level rose since antiquity. The name of the bay – Soline – indicates the existence of Roman salt works, which were operational into the 16th century and have been confirmed by aerial imagery and underwater investigations. The economy of the villa would have been connected with the production of salt and/or garum (fish sauce) alongside other agricultural cash crops, notably wine and olive oil.
Sveti Klement Island, with its agricultural land, deep bays with good anchorage, and resources for salt production and stone quarrying, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Late Bronze Age and Iron Age tombs were found in several locations, but no settlements of those periods are known so far. Two Roman-period sites have been documented near the island’s two fertile fields where settlement continues today. Greek pottery discovered in excavation indicates that the Soline site was part of the network known at the nearby islands of Vis and Hvar, which had colonies of Greek settlers from the early 4th century BCE.
The centrality of the Adriatic Sea for travel and exchange between Mediterranean and European societies conditioned the life and economy of the islanders since antiquity. The ancient settlement in Soline bay is our focus of research and documentation, but knowledge of the landscape and seascape of St. Clement is essential for our understanding of the way of human life, human-environmental relationship, and of historical contacts and change. The long-term research objective of our project is to answer broad questions, including: How did the Greeks and Romans socialize the central Dalmatian seascape? What resources did they use and how did they design their settlements? How have human activities changed the island landscape through a long time period from antiquity to the present day?
The archaeology of islands and coastal landscapes is an established methodological perspective, which calls for an interdisciplinary approach and for the application of modern archaeological methods and theories. Our project is interdisciplinary and international in scope. Teams of professionals, students and volunteers from the disciplines of archaeology, architecture, art history, geography, geology and history have participated so far. In addition to the core of Croatian and American participants, Austrian, German and Spanish teams have conducted geophysical surveys and digital documentation of the site. Our project is contributing to the preservation of Croatian cultural and archaeological heritage as well as local community development. In 2008 the Croatian Ministry of Culture declared the site Protected Archaeological Heritage. This official status resulted from our cooperative Croatian-American archaeological research and documentation carried on in 2007 and 2008.
Summer 2020 on-site investigations were cancelled due to Covid-19, but two University of St. Thomas students conducted remote research projects. Mechanical Engineering major Elizabeth Kaiser received a Spring Collaborative Grant for her research on “Environmental Impacts and Engineering Responses: Roman Ports and Salt Works,” and Environmental Studies and GIS double major Jacob Slaughter received a Sustainability Scholar summer grant for his work on “Sea level rise in Soline Bay.”
Spring Collaborative Research grant: Elizabeth Kaiser (Mechanical Engineering major), Summer Sustainability Scholar grant: Jacob Slaughter (Environmental Studies and GIS double major), University of St. Thomas.
The twelfth season of the international and interdisciplinary investigations of the Roman villa in Soline Bay on Sv. Klement Island took place from June 5-17, 2019. The excavation continued in the production area of the villa. Probe 21 was the western extension of Probe 20 from the previous year. What seemed to be the NW corner of the perimeter wall of the production area was found that year in Probe 20. Then it was also uncovered that the northern perimeter wall continues further east, where more basins may be found. The objective of extending the probe to the west in 2019 was to explore possible architecture west of the western perimeter wall and the layer that contained numerous coins and fresco fragments, reached at the very western edge of Probe 20.
Students: Mitchell Heesch (Classical Civilization Major, Art History and History minor), Madeline Olson (Art History major, Museum Studies minor) and Mara Williams (Biology major), University of St. Thomas
Professional and Volunteer Team Team:
The twelfth season of the international and interdisciplinary investigations of the Roman villa in Soline Bay on Sv. Klement Island took place from June 4-19, 2018. The excavation continued in the production area of the villa. Probe 20 was the northern extension of Probe 19 from the previous year, where we excavated two basins covered with fine waterproof mortar. The full extent of the shallow basin was uncovered in Probe 20 and another such but smaller shallow basin was found structurally connected to it on its eastern side. The investigations of this season confirmed that these basins were structurally and functionally connected with the production spaces and installations uncovered between 2014 and 2017. This complex consisted of three built components: 1) two shallow basins of different sizes and one deep basin, all covered with fine, waterproof lime mortar; 2) a round stone base for a press (wine or olive oil); 3) a square basin with the interior covered in waterproof mortar with crushed ceramic (opus signinum) and an imbedded stone bowl for settling impurities.
Students: Meg Boevers (History Major), Noah Gregg (History major, Museum Studies minor), Benjamin Linke (Geology major, Geography minor), Alexandra Mohn (History major), Alice Ready (Geography major), Emma Rinn (Geography major), Lily Ward (Biology major), University of St. Thomas
Professional and Volunteer Team:
The eleventh season of the international and interdisciplinary investigations of the Roman villa in Soline Bay on Sv. Klement near Hvar took place in June 2017. The objective was to continue uncovering and connecting partially excavated, multi-phase spaces of the production area of the villa. A new Probe 19 was excavated in the extension of Probe 18 from 2016, which contained a round stone structure, most likely a base for a press, built on top of an earlier wall and a floor. We documented in Probe 19 that this round structure functionally connected to two basins, both covered with fine, waterproof mortar inside and over the edges. One basin was large and very shallow (0.10 m), while the other was small and deep (0.75 m). The large basin continued northward, outside the edge of the probe. The two basins might have belonged to an earlier phase and might have had even a different function (production of fine salt?).
Students:Filip Vukoja, University of Zagreb, Kenzi Coborn (Geography major), William Frost (Mechanical Engineering major), Matthew Schultenover (History major), Jacob Wood (Geography major), University of St. Thomas.
Professional and Volunteer Team:
The tenth season of the international and interdisciplinary investigations of the Roman villa in Soline Bay on Sv. Klement near Hvar took place in June 2016. The objective was to continue uncovering and documenting architectural features in the production area of the villa. Two probes were excavated to the north and west of the standing wall B. Probe 17 had 9 stratigraphic units of soil layers and no architectural remains. It confirmed that there were no built spaces outside of the west perimeter wall documented in the previous seasons. Probe 18 contained another segment of this west perimeter wall, which still continued north, outside the probe.
Students:Quinn Blattner (History major), Mara Cavanaugh (History major), Courtney Eickhoff (Geography major), Emily Heimerman (History major), Margaret Misey (Geography major), University of St. Thomas
Professional and Volunteer Team:
In the ninth season of the collaborative investigations we continued excavating in the production area of the villa, and expanded and connected some previously excavated trenches. Probes 15 and 16 uncovered segments of the architectural features previously documented in Probes 2, 9, 11 and 14, which were excavated in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. The middle section of an E-W wall, found in Probes 2 and 9 that abutted wall B, was confirmed in Probe 15. This wall ended in the joint with the N-S wall uncovered already in Probe 14. Only the foundations of these walls were found at 0.60 m (2 Roman feet) wide and constructed of roughly cut stones, set in lime mortar. These walls seemed to be the west and south perimeter walls of the production area. A layer of collapsed wall and roof material with evidence of burning was documented north of the E-W wall. It contained numerous fragments of wall plaster, some with polychrome painting in red, yellow and black.
Students:Nikolina Kordić, University of Zagreb Taylor Gordon (Geology major, History minor), Pierce McDowell (History major), Andrew Ring (History major), Abigail Smith (History major), Meghan Walter (History major) and Caitlin Woodard (Geography/Environmental Studies major, History minor), University of St. Thomas.
Professional and Volunteer Team:
In the eighth season of the joint Croatian-American interdisciplinary investigations the objective was to continue the excavation of the production area of the villa. Probe 14 (extension of Probe 11 from 2013) extended over roughly 14 square meters and contained another segment of the N-S wall uncovered in 2013, which extended further north, outside the probe. A poorly preserved mortar floor was found along its eastern side. The wall was 0.60 m (2 Roman feet) wide and built of fairly regular stone ashlars, set in mortar. The mortar floor had a subfloor of rough stones in thick mortar. Numerous fragments of wall plaster, some with traces of polychrome paint (red, yellow, black), were found in the layer above the mortar floor, together with stones from a collapsed wall and ceramic roof tiles.
Students: Benjamin Duclos (History major), Emily Heimerman (History major), Richard Rossing (Biology and English major and Chemistry minor) and April Terres (Geology major), University of St. Thomas.
Professional and Volunteer Team:
The joint Croatian-American-Austrian investigations continued excavating in the target areas of the 2012 season. Three probes were excavated to the bedrock. In Probe 11 (extension of 8 from 2012) segments of three intersecting walls (N-S/E-W), built of roughly cut stones set in mortar and preserved a little above their foundations, enclosed three spaces, which extended beyond the probe. A floor of waterproof mortar (opus signinum) was documented in the space in the NE corner of the probe. It had a round central depression (D=50 cm), which sloped down to an imbedded stone bowl (D=32.5 cm) at its bottom. The floor in opus signinum was comparable to such features found in previous years in this area (Probes 4 and 8) and indicated the location of a production sector. Most importantly, we found the evidence of an earlier building phase in Probe 11.
Students:Christopher Del Basso (Fordham U), Doris Lentz and Ferdinand Mittermaier (U Graz); Tonia Zanko (U Zadar, Croatia), Jeffrey Hartmann (Education major and M. Ed.), Matthew Rappeport (Geology major, History minor), Michaela Smith (History major), Laura Thompson-Woodland (History major), and Mai Vang (History major), University of St. Thomas.
Professional and Volunteer Team:
In the sixth campaign of the Soline Project, we continued international collaboration in the interdisciplinary exploration of the Soline site and of the island as a whole in its geographical, historical and environmental context. We resumed small-scale excavation based on the results of the test trenches in 2011 and of the magnetometric surveys in 2010 and 2007. The objective continued to be documenting the layout of the villa and the chronology of building and settlement. Additionally, a small-scale field survey in the vicinity of the villa and underwater survey in Soline Bay provided valuable data. Dr. Tina Neuhauser from the University of Graz led the Austrian collaborative team of her students for the second season. Beside participating in the excavation, the Austrian team conducted digital documentation of the strata and of features and special finds uncovered in the test trenches using a total station.
Students:Lisa Aldrian, Ferdinand Mittermaier, Silvia Zenz (University of Graz). Jaime Grundman (History major), Jeffrey Hartmann (Education major and M. Ed.), Caitlin Steele (Psychology major), Laura Thompson-Woodland (History major), Nicholas Yannarelly (Geography major), University of St. Thomas.
Professional and Volunteer Team:
In the fifth campaign of the Soline Project from June 14-30, we continued our interdisciplinary exploration and international collaboration of documenting the topography of the site and the chronology of building and settlement. An Austrian team led by Dr. Tina Neuhauser, Karl-Franzes University, Graz, with her two students, Florian Dinius and Silvia Zenz, collaborated on the project and undertook digital survey of all visible architectural features (standing and uncovered in test probes) with a Total Station. Dr. Branimir Šegvić, a geologist at the University of Darmstadt, Germany, conducted a geological survey and collected samples of clay, soil and stone at the site and at selected locations on the island (quarry in Taršće Bay, lime kiln in Soline Bay). He also took samples of lime mortar from the standing and excavated walls and floors.
Students participating: Florian Dinius (University of Graz), Michiel van Veldhuizen (Brandeis University), Silvia Zenz (University of Graz). Andrew Herkert (Art History major & MA), Andrew Jacobs (History major), Channing James (Biology major), Joseph St. Clair (Classical Civilization major), Laura Thompson-Woodland (History major), University of St. Thomas.
Professional and Volunteer Team:
As in the previous campaigns, the fourth season of research during June of 2010 was limited to non-invasive methods and small, targeted test trenches. At the start, the tall grass had to be cut and several areas of the site, previously unexplored, were cleared of vegetation. Dr. Felix Teichner, archaeologist from the Goethe University in Frankfurt, and Dr. Jesus Ignacio Jimenez Chaparro, archaeologist from the University of Oviedo, Spain, surveyed the site using a Total Station. They set up a site grid and created a topographical plan of all visible architectural remains and test trenches. All the special data was geo-referenced to the topographical system of Croatia. They also conducted a magnetometric survey over the total area of 1050 square meters, including the area surveyed in 2007. The results confirmed the previous analysis and showed a complex layout of structures underground with evidence of multi-period occupation and at least two phases of building. The majority of the visible architecture, oriented in the north-south direction, belonged to late antiquity. The magnetometry revealed another architectural complex, oriented NW-SE, which apparently ran diagonally under the standing «long wall» (wall B) and should belong to an earlier phase (the Early Empire?). There was another structure of a different orientation and close to the present shoreline. The German Archaeological Institute supported the work of Drs. Teichner and Chaparro.
Students: Cynthia Burton, Andrew Herkert (Art History Major and MA), Renee Huset (Geography major), Sarah Leonard (History Major), Joseph Talarico (Biology major and History minor) and Matthew Weishan (Geography major), University of St. Thomas
Professional and Volunteer Team:
The investigations remained selective and diagnostic. The objective was to obtain the maximum relevant data from new probes and small-scale expansions of the previous excavations in order to plan future systematic research and eventual preservation and protection of the entire villa site. The 2008 excavation of the structures on the north side of Building A was expanded to the east. New structures were found in that area, which extended further eastward into the wooded terrain. Two small probes were dug on the west side of the standing wall (wall B), with the objective to reach a floor and to relate wall B to architectural features still underground, which were indicated by the magnetometric survey in 2007. The foundation of wall B was reached on the bedrock, 0.85 m below the present land surface. A floor was not found. In the probe at the north end of wall B a corner of another structure abutting the wall was uncovered. Rich finds of chronologically diagnostic pottery fragments dated from the Hellenistic period in the 2nd century BCE to the late Roman period in the 6th c. CE.
Students: Madison Bruber (History Major), Jonathan Estes (History Major) and Sarah Leonard (History Major), University of St. Thomas
Professional and Volunteer Team:
The investigations conducted in the summer of 2008 comprised revision of excavation and architectural survey in three spatial segments of the villa: a standing ancient structure (named Building A), a later structure attached to Building A on its north side, and structural remains along the shore (previous Novak’s trench). Aerial survey and photography of the site was done later in the season. Building A had three walls still preserved up to 2 meters in height, but it was completely overgrown with brush and small trees, which had to be removed before any archaeological work. The most important discovery in Building A was the original sub-floor and the in situ remains of the mosaic that once decorated the floor. The wall construction was determined to be from the late Roman period, 4th-6th century.
Students: Ericka Ashley (History major) and Madison Bruber (History major), University of St. Thomas; Abbie Hietzman, Gustavus Adolphus College
Professional and Volunteer Team:
In the summer of 2007 we received a grant from the Archaeo/Community Foundation in support of exploratory surveys at the villa site: 1) geodetic survey (Croatian surveyor); 2) geophysical/magnetometric survey (Dr. David Monsees, Washington, DC); 3) architectural survey of the standing structures (Dr. Vlasta Begović). The local community of Vlaka and the Hvar Heritage Museum (whose jurisdiction the site is under) were in need of systematic survey and non-destructive, sub-surface reconnaissance in order to investigate and protect the resources located in this active agricultural and tourist area. The long-term objective of the project was to provide systematic documentation and conduct proper exploration and preservation of this significant cultural resource.
Professional and Volunteer Team:
Special thanks to the families of Colnago, Matijević and Šimunović and the community of Vlaka for their generous support and hospitality.
