Post medieval shipwreck from the early 17th century at the Mijoka shallows off the island of Murter

Since 2006 the Croatian Conservation Institute's Department of Underwater Archaeology has conducted underwater rescue archaeology of an early 17th century post medieval shipwreck. The locality is situated in the waters of Murter, at the edge of the Mijoka shallows, at a depth of from 37 to 40 metres. The find was reported in 2001, but it had by then already been entirely devastated by local divers. The ship's structure was destroyed, and all of the visible material looted, with only an iron anchor remaining visible on the seabed. Expert investigation revealed, however, that there was still a layer of sand on the seabed containing very valuable archaeological finds. The remains are of a sunken ship that had departed from Venice on the customary trade route, transporting a cargo destined for trading at Adriatic and eastern Mediterranean ports. Four archaeological campaigns followed, starting in 2006, which have yielded abundant and very interesting archaeological material.

The merchant cargo consisted of raw materials, intermediate goods, and consumer goods, decorative merchandise and goldsmith's material manufactured in Central and Northern European craft production centres such as Nuremberg and the glassware workshops of Murano. Based on the signatures of craftsmen on objects such as small ivory sundials or counter jetons, the shipwreck has been dated to the beginning of the 17th century. In June of 2010 the CCI's Department of Underwater Archaeology conducted the final research campaign at this locality in the frame of the Šibenik Waters Reconnaissance Programme. The material that has come to light in this campaign is consistent to that found previously — small ivory sundials, brass goldsmith's balances with accompanying weights, brass padlocks, and a large number of glass and glass paste pearls of various colours. Several incrusted silver coins were also found. These are two types of Polish silver half groschen dated to almost a century before the other finds at the site, and several silver Hungarian denarii. Because of the incrustation, covering and bonding several pieces, the coin's series will only be established following conservation procedures. One gold Hungarian forint bearing the image of a ruler in armour and the minting year of 1587 on the obverse side was found during the latest exploration of the site. The reverse side bears an image of the Mother of God with infant Jesus in her lap in the centre with the inscription PATRONA:VNGARIE. This money was minted during the time of Sigismund Báthory, who ruled from 1581 to 1589.

Vesna Zmaić