In Croatia, a 7,000-year-old underwater road has been discovered

Underwater archaeologists stumbled upon it at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea, which once connected an ancient settlement to the island of Korčula.

The discovery was reported by the University of Zadar on its Facebook page.

A paved road made of stones, four meters wide, was found during excavations near the island of Korčula. The road currently connects the submerged prehistoric settlement of the Hvar culture to the coast of Korčula. Researchers noticed "strange structures" at a depth of about 4.5 meters in the Gradina Bay (western coast of Korčula).

Archaeologists discovered meticulously laid stone slabs, which were part of a four-meter-wide communication route connecting the man-made island to the coast. 

The university published new footage of the underwater passage, which was constructed with fitted stones and measured almost 3.6 meters in diameter. Radiocarbon analysis of preserved wood revealed that the entire settlement dates back approximately 4,900 years before our era. In the underwater ruins, flint blades, stone axes, and fragments of grinding stones were also found. 

These artifacts shed light on the mysterious Hvar people who settled on the islands and the coast of the northeastern part of the Adriatic Sea about 7,000 years ago. Experts believe that the Hvar people, one of the first groups of inhabitants on the island, lived in this area during the creation of clay pottery and displayed additional ingenuity by constructing a stone road to the artificial island.

The island of Korčula is known for ancient settlements dating back to the Neolithic period. However, further exploration of the waters near the island provides a new understanding of how settlements on the island and its vicinity could connect different groups of people. The ancient submerged Soline fortress was discovered in 2021 by archaeologist Mate Parica from the University of Zadar in Croatia when analyzing satellite images of the waters around Korčula.

Earlier, it was reported that Vitaliy Kozub, a research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, confirmed the presence of a cultural layer on Obolonsky Island, which requires further investigation. This was announced by the head of the NGO "Pochaina," Annabella Morina.

According to her, the authorities resisted the official visit of scientists for a long time, but they eventually gained access. Vitaliy Kozub personally discovered and confirmed the remains of the cultural layer on the island. Without any tools, they found ancient ceramics in the area where the soil was eroded by water.