Starigrad field a report by the Department of Historical and Cultural Antiquities

Even though the Croatian Royal Council has a summer break from July 1st to September 5th, this hasn’t stopped its Department of Historical and Cultural Antiquities from seizing the day and work on the protection and preservation of cultural heritage of the island of Hvar. Our team focused on the space of Starigrad Field and Stari Grad town, both of which are under the UNESCO protection.

The chosen cultural and archeological locations, around 30 of them, can be found throughout two municipalities – Stari Grad and Jelsa which spread over the middle of the island of Hvar. This space holds an immensely important historical and cultural heritage, containing locales and ruins dating back all the way to the Neolithic, with a special significance for the Greco-Roman city of Pharos (Pharia) and the surrounding field Hora (Ager). These are classified as the UNESCO heritage site categories II., III. and V. and with measures of direct and buffer zones of protection.

A map with the direct (red) and buffer (blue) zone of protection by UNESCO

The leader of the project was Marija Matijašević, holding a master’s degree in art history, which she finished at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zagreb in the module of Conservation with the subject of Conversion of historic buildings for tourist purposes on the island of Hvar, under the mentorship of dr. sc. Franko Ćorić. This ended up being most appropriate due to her vast knowledge of the archeological and cultural sites, their renovation history, protection measures and other important parameters. The goal of the project our Department of Historical and Cultural Antiquities spearheaded was the assessment of the condition of individual localities within the narrower and wider protection zones and the impact of the economy, tourism and other factors on the sites themselves, as well as their further protection. Several professional members and volunteers participated in the project. Preparations lasted throughout July, while fieldwork and data processing took place during August of 2021.

To handle the scope of the project, the project was divided into four sections and divided thematically into ​​the Stari Grad (town), Stari Grad field (Ager), Roman villas and a defensive series of three Greek towers with cyclopean walls.

Stari Grad

The settlement itself is directly related to the Greek colonization of the eastern Adriatic coast at the time of IV. century BC. A handful of written evidence about the Stari Grad exists (its original name being Faros or Pharos - Latin Pharia). These range from archaeological finds to historical sources such as that of a historian and chronicler Diodorus of Sicily who wrote about the founding of the city as a Greek colony in the 1st century BC. The most important sources are perhaps the archaeological ones; among them are various tables and stone fragments mentioning colonization, as well as the system of government itself and the conflicts with the local population they encountered (the Jadasins). One such source is the Hvar (Faros) psephism found in fragments. It dates to 3rd century BC and gives us some insight into the parcelization and construction of the social system of the ancient Pharos. At that time, it can be assumed that there was peace and coexistence between the local population and Greek settlers. Later on, there were major armed conflicts amid which the local population called Illyrians from the mainland for help and were defeated in several battles. The sources mention a governor of Lisos who defeated several thousand Illyrians, some of whom sank in ships, while he captured others. Most numerous sources come from the time of Roman rule, which kickstarted a time of reform and the conversion of urban spaces and the construction of new civil buildings which included temples and buildings such as city villas (villa urbana). The area of ​​ Stari Grad retained its original outline, the hypodamus characteristic of Greek town planning, and the Roman city plan with the indicated cardo and decumanus. In preservation and presentation, large parts of Faros have been excavated and opened through its archeological park, while many remains are found in the foundations of today’s buildings. Among them, the most interesting are the mosaics from the villas of that time, as well as the remains of the walls built in the cyclopean style. The entire area of ​​the Stari Grad, which contains the remains of Faros belong under the direct protection zone, Z-3827. The biggest devastations on the site are visible for two primary reasons. The first is the tourist-economic activity. The second is residential where minor adaptations occur, violating protection provisions. Previous adaptations and inappropriate interpolation through the use of concrete are also a big problem, mostly in the period from the 1960s to the 1990s. The biggest recent devastation lies in inappropriate illegal construction of a hotel and apartmens in the zones of protection. Of the aforementioned zones, the best secured area is the archaeological zone, which is preserved, adequately protected and presented to visitors.

Starigrad field

Starigrad field in its broader sense includes the lowland bordered between the towns of Stari Grad and Vrboska, as well as the hill on the south side and the settlements of Dol and Vrbanj. In its narrower sense it includes a strictly parceled field between today's Stari Grad and Vrboska. The old name for Starigrad field is Hora (ΧΩΡΑ) in Greek (Ager in Latin), which means an area of ​​primarily agricultural and economic property managed by the Greek polis (city-state). The oldest record of monuments from antiquity is found in the Hvar Statute from 1331, which describes the field, then called the field of St. Stephen (Campus Sancti Stephan). The field itself was formed through a series of parcelizations, of which 72 have been preserved on approximately 1376 ha and were formed in the period between the 4th and 3rd century BC using a rolled angle i.e. omphalos (navel). It is considered to be the best preserved Greek parcelization of space in the Mediterranean and enters under the protection of UNESCO, categories II, III and V, in the register of cultural goods under the code Z-3827, cultural landscape Starigrad field.

Remnants of the original parcelisation of Hora (Agera), source JUAZU-SG

During the inspection of the site in the Ager area, a considerable number of recent interventions and adaptations in the field were noticed. These primarily consist of concreting existing or building new dry-stone walls with inappropriate materials and techniques. The use of heavy machinery for construction or agricultural interventions such as field clearing can often be observed. The biggest devastation is the construction of an airfield a few decades ago. Fortunately, its spread is localized and limited. Major devastation includes the construction, adaptation and interpolation of facilities, either new or upgrading existing ones, which are stimulated by a direct increase in tourism in the wider area, thus leading to the opening and expansion of restaurants and cafes, often in the name of a family business on localities under protection.

Examples of concreting of drywall and inappropriate construction inside of the Ager (Starigrad field)

Other sites in Starigrad field include Dračevica, a nature and archaeological site. Classified under protection measures Z-3827, cultural landscape of Starigrad field, protected cultural property, UNESCO protection zone criterion 235 no. 1240, the site represents a wider nature good with a surface water source (of a reduced volume in summer, but inexhaustible) and visible remnants of natural rock. Among other things, it's a place of rich natural biodiversity and an ornithological center. At this Neolithic site, with the exception of large natural stones, no other remains are visible on the surface. The last archeological research was conducted in 2011.

A surface water source and neolithic site

Our volunteer next to the best preserved trim in Ager

Antique Villae Rusticae

Unlike the villa urbana, which is a Roman villa within an urban center or an urban complex, villa rustica refers to a country-rural building in ancient Rome, often built as part of Latifundia (large land estate). What makes the set of three ancient villas inside of (and right next to) the Ager field itself unique, is their use of space. They are among a few examples where the villa did not destroy existing parcelling by building a latifundia estate, instead being incorporated into the existing parcelization with respects to the relationship between landowners. Two villas were built in the Ager area, while the third is located along its southwest end.

Entering Ager from the eastern Vrboska side, we first come to the locality of Mirje - villa rustica. The typological name of the villa lets us know that it is an ancient Roman residential and commercial complex outside the city (as opposed to the villa urbana). It is a part of the protected cultural ensemble Z-3827 cultural landscape Starigrad field. It has been under UNESCO protection since 2008. The villa has been developed during the Ist AD century onwards, ie. it develops until the period of late antiquity, after which it is abandoned. After a field visit in the summer of 2021, it can be concluded that access to the site is not adequately maintained. The site consists of several phases of construction, the most visible of which are the foundations on which the mounds and dry-stone walls were built. The best-preserved part is on the north side - a late antique wall 4.5 meters high. Next to it are the remains of the foundations of the domus where the mosaics were found. The wall was reconstructed using unsuitable materials such as concrete supports, concrete remediation of the wall bonding and the use of iron reinforcement that can be seen in the holes in the wall intended to support the beams for the floor structure. The site also has a visible bilingual presentation board in Croatian and English. In the initial cleaning and reconstruction, roads and metal constructions were made in the shape of a bridge over the ditch. The size of the site is unmaintained and difficult to access. Garbage left by tourists is also visible.

Within the Faros’s Hora (Agera), between Vrbanj and Stari Grad, there is another villa rustica - Carevac. The foundations of the walls with contrefort have been preserved. Remains of mosaics and various stone inscriptions have been found in earlier excavations. Worth mentioning is the inscription mentioning Villicus, the superintendent of slaves on a Roman farm. The site is located in and around what is currently a private vineyard, which is why its access is limited and the site lacks adequate presentation and features. Due to the use of the site for agricultural purposes, part of the remains of the foundations and walls located in the vineyard are being neglected, while others that enclose it and are being overgrow by bush.

Remains of the foundation of the villa with visible contrefort

The last and best preserved of the three Roman villas is located on the site Kupinovik - villa rustica, a classic and well-preserved country-farm building whose construction dates back to the Ist century BC or the beginning of the Ist century AD. with clear upgrades in later centuries all the way to the period of late antiquity. The villa is located in the southwestern part of Ager, near the present town of Dol. The site itself has preserved foundations, as well as the inventory used for the processing of olive oil. It’s notable how the system on the site used stone wheels and kinetic energy transmission systems as a mechanism for starting wheels and crushers for processing pressure columns, oil channel systems, etc. The site is rich in remnants of decorative inventory such as pillars, architraves and paving. It’s important to mention the architrave (beam) with an inscription mentioning Gaius Cornificius Kara, councilor of Pharos (Pharosa). The inscription tells us that this is a secondary use, and that the original was certainly part of a public building such as a temple or forum. The villa is extremely well preserved and presented with a text in two languages. The biggest problem are the agricultural activities near the site, which destroy the ambient of the site. Another major problem is the vegetation that grows around the site and the trees that destroy the remains of the walls and foundations. The third problem is the lack of site control and adequate landfills, which leads to a larger number of inappropriately disposed plastic and garbage at the site.

Greek Towers

The three square-shaped towers located at the entrances to Starigrad field form a unique defensive unit with the aim of monitoring the fields and their access roads. These three sites were built in IVth century BC in the Greek style of cyclopean walls identical to the walls at Pharos. The localities are Tor, Maslinovik and Purkin kuk, of which the most preserved locality is the first mentioned Tor. The importance of these towers along the ramparts of Faros tells us about the spread of cyclopean wall building style to the Adriatic, which gradually expanded to the mainland, as seen by the Daorson example a century later.

Tor, a square tower built in the style of cyclopean walls without binders dates back to IV. century BC at the time of the construction and settlement of Pharos. Previously, its exact dating was not known, and it was assumed to have been built between the period Vth and IIIrd century BC. However, thanks to archaeological finds of pottery and coins at other identical tower sites, as well as a stylistic analysis showing an identical building style at all three sites of Greek towers (as well as the Pharos city walls), we can now definitively conclude its dating to the 4th century BC. The site consists of a Greek tower and an Illyrian gomila (stone pile) next to it. There are two theories. One says the stone pile is older and the other that it is younger than the tower itself. Tor symbolizes a uniquely preserved Greco-Illyrian site that is interconnected with the fortification structure near the Old Town (Ager / Hora). It served for the wider supervision of Jelsa and Vrboska bays. Apart from being an individually protected archeological cultural asset (Z-7416), it is also located in the "buffer zone" of the extended protection of the UNESCO area of ​​Starigrad field. Significant measures of reconstruction of the tower were carried out during the late XIX and early XX century during the time of Sir Niko pl. Duboković when the collapsed wall was reconstructed. The problem of tourist valorization of Tor, as a point that would complete the whole of the old Jelsa core, comes with the interruption of the route passing by the church of Our Lady of Health due to the construction of a new Jelsa-Poljica road bypass. The path to the site features a slight ascent and then turns extremely steep. Due to its access to Tor, a part of the Illyrian stone pile was devastated to make a footpath. Access to the tower itself is limited due to the lack of access ladders. Fortunately, the Greek tower is in good condition and well maintained. The Illyrian stone pile (gomila) next to the tower is in poor condition, and the mound has been vandalized by visitors. Stone blocks are used to build small monuments resembling "tumuli". The Ministry of Culture was supposed to start research in 2020, but the funds were transferred to the next period. Also worth mentioning is the site on the other side of the slope - Gradina / Galešnik from a later historical period.

Greek tower Tor with a nearby Illyrian stone pile

Maslinovik is a square Greek tower from IVth century BC. It’s located northwest of the Tor tower and northeast of Starigrad field. The tower had the same purpose as the previous ones, using smoke signals to warn of a sea threat. During archaeological excavations, Greek pottery from the IVth century BC. was found. Along the south side of the tower was a secondary field settlement that served as the al-dom of the local population. During its construction, stone blocks from the tower were used. The tower has been partially reconstructed. Its height is partially just under 2 meters. Around the tower and nearby buildings (houses, poets and pens) stone blocks from the Greek tower itself were used as building amtterials, that represents a further possibility for reconstruction in the future.

Volunteers, data processing and the project

After completing the field work and collecting all the data and photo documentation, complex processing and compilation of records and studies on the current situation at the sites was done. Following that, the results will be sent to the Ministry of Culture, Public Institution Agency for Management of Starograd field, and the municipalities of Stari Grad and Jelsa.

In addition to later field work, the preparatory work done in July heavily centered on the study of historical sources for all the sites covered by this project, about 30 of them in total. The project itself recorded the current situation in August 2021 and recorded all the devastation within the last few years. For this reason, we asked the project manager Marija Matijašević pl. Lipold to share her opinion on the biggest problems for Ager and whether UNESCO protection is good or bad for the site itself through the emergence of tourism:

UNESCO protection is good in theory, but its application in practice reveals various shortcomings. Although it should provide a category of protection, it also increases the tourist presence and activity on the sites themselves, which leads to a much larger scope of devastation. Due to the cost-effectiveness of tourism in such protection zones, the construction or expansion of facilities that destroy sites occurs regularly. Ultimately, UNESCO is not a relevant authority to the local population, at least not to the majority, and a number of locals seek the exploitation of protected sites for commercial purposes without much regard for the cultural heritage, which is not private property, but a public good for all of us and in this case the whole world.

We also asked the head of the Croatian Royal Council, Ante Brešić pl. Mikulić, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Split, on his stance on activities and projects such as this one:

The main goal of projects like this one is not only for the benefit the local community but all of us, because cultural heritage, although it can have its own local and regional segments, is the creator of all of our overall identities as a nation and as inherited from our ancestors. Such projects are a kind of a bridge of cooperation between the local community and experts beyond the often-limited systems of government. This nonetheless proved to be extremely useful in previous projects of the Croatian Royal Council, during work in the earthquake-affected areas of ​​Banovina and Zagreb. I believe that there will be more and more of such projects, at least from our part and as much as our funds allow. We hope that such similar project will spread to the rest of our homeland, which is truly rich not only in its people as a potential and natural resources, but also in cultural ones that are worthy of preserving for the future generations.

The project itself involved several volunteers and experts, mostly art historians and archaeologists, but also local residents, which may pave a way to a bright future of cooperation between the local community and the experts working together with the goal of preserving cultural heritage.

Ascent to one of the sites

The project was done exclusively on a volunteer basis within 62 workdays of 8-10 working hours per day, amongst which 31 days were spent on field work, while the rest on data compilation, preparation and processing, as well as writing studies. All funding was provided by volunteers and the Croatian Royal Council, NGO. What is perhaps most interesting to the general public is that in an official capacity, a project of this complexity would cost approximately 14,000 - 20,000 Euros (without the cost of equipment). However, the project as a whole did not cost the Croatian and European taxpayers a single euro! All results are available to the local community completely free of charge.

Croatian Royal Council

2021

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