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Castro de São Caetano (Longos Vales)

Castro de São Caetano (Longos Vales)

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Unique Croatian wetlands thought to be full of rare Bronze-Age artefacts

Submitted by Andy B on Sunday, 15 February 2004  Page Views: 2192

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Archaeologists have made what, they believe, may be one of the most significant archaeological finds of the last 50 years. Staff at the Institute for Archaeology and Antiquity, at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, supported by the British and Slovene Academies, have identified the Valley of the River Cetina, in Croatia, as one of the most important archaeological wetlands in Europe.

Dr Vince Gaffney and Dr David Smith are particularly excited by the exceptional preservation on the site, giving them a major opportunity to map the early history of everyday life within the region.

Very little is known about early settlement in the Balkans but the Cetina Valley shows signs of a series of preserved wooden dwellings that may be comparable to the famous Swiss lake settlements. Early investigations have found a remarkable variety of objects which appear to have been thrown into the river deliberately, including swords, helmets, axes and many stone and metal objects some of which have been, literally, picked up from the river bed.

Dr Gaffney has described the finds at Cetina as being amongst the most remarkable of his career.

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"Unique Croatian wetlands thought to be full of rare Bronze-Age artefacts" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Assessing the later prehistoric environmental archaeology - Cetina Valley, Croatia by Andy B on Tuesday, 24 March 2015
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Assessing the later prehistoric environmental archaeology and landscape development of the Cetina Valley, Croatia

This paper describes preliminary work on the environmental and archaeological potential of the Cetina River Valley, Croatia. Two seasons of fieldwork and assessment have suggested that the valley contains a preserved landscape, much of which is waterlogged. It is clear that there is the potential to address many local and regional questions concerning land use, subsistence and environmental change in an area where previously only limited environmental archaeology has been undertaken. One pressing issue is how to prospect for both cultural and environmental archaeological deposits within this regional landscape. This is especially true in cases where little ‘base-line data’ exists. This paper outlines the current practice and suggests a number of new approaches to prospecting for environmental ‘hotspots

https://www.academia.edu/11613800/Assessing_the_later_prehistoric_environmental_archaeology_and_landscape_development_of_the_Cetina_Valley_Croatia
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Uni team hails artefacts find in Croatia by Andy B on Tuesday, 24 March 2015
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Submitted by vicky on Tuesday, 13 January 2004
Birmingham University researchers have helped to unearth one of the most important archaeological sites discovered in the last 50 years - in a Croatian riverbed. Swords, helmets, jewellery, and axes were discovered at the Valley of the River Cetina site, which experts say could hold the key to more than 8,000 years of Balkan history.

Project leader Dr Vincent Gaffney, director of the Institute for Archaeology and Antiquity at the university, said the finds dated from 6,000 BC [editors note - I think this should be 600BC] and included more than 90 swords, a Roman dagger and 30 Greco-Illyrian helmets.

Timbers visible through the water also provided evidence of late Neolithic or early Bronze Age settlements in the area.

Dr Gaffney said: "It is quite unique to have a virgin site with this level of preservation offering environmental, metalwork, stone and timber artefacts all on one site.

"The Cetina Valley is certainly the most remarkable site that I have, and will ever, have the privilege of being involved in - a once in a lifetime discovery for any archaeologist."

Dr Gaffney said the site was of major strategic and geographical importance.

"The gorge with its mountains provided a natural barrier, but we also know that it was a border between the Venetian and Turkish empires, and between the Roman empire and the Slavic kingdoms.

"Also, as many parts of Croatia have little water, this rich, green valley would also have been important as a major water source."

The Birmingham University team were due to return to the site in May this year to carry out further surveys.

Source: IC Birmingham 13/01/2004
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