August 30, 2023 – The third campaign of underwater archaeological research began at the major archaeological site in the Kupa River in Sisak, with the aim of studying the nautical aspects of prehistoric Segestica and ancient Siscia.
The previous two campaigns gave unexpectedly good results, writes Index, and the volunteer action grew into a respectable international project. For 2000 years, the Kupa River has passed through the settlements that were the predecessors of today’s Sisak, saving evidence and traces of all the historical periods.
The head of the research, Anton Divić, an underwater archaeologist from Nav Archos, said that the research continued this year at the place where a monoxyl was found last year, a boat hollowed out of a single piece of trunk. The monoxyl has been there since between the first and second century BC, that is, before the arrival of the Romans.
French Institute Involved in the Project
“We are continuing our research at the location of the Old Bridge, where we expect the remains of the first bridge over the Kupa and the ancient aqueduct. We found the remains of another smaller monoxyl, whose age will only be determined by further analysis. Although the research conditions are worse than last year due to the heavy rainfall, this did not interrupt our work,” said Divić.
The findings so far confirm that throughout history the Kupa river has been an important factor in the lives of people in the city through which it passed.
The director of the French research laboratory Center Camille Jullian, Giulia Boetto, expressed her pleasure that her laboratory could be included in the project, considering that Kupa is a particularly interesting archaeological and nautical site important for researching the history of not only the city of Sisak, but also the nautical field in the Mediterranean.
“The inhabitants’ love and enchantment with Kupa is clearly not specific to our period only”
Director of the Sisak City Museum, Marijan Bogatić, who is in charge of the research, announced the continuation of the project. The mayor of Sisak, Kristina Ikić Baniček, also visited the site.
“The love and fascination of the inhabitants with Kupa is clearly not specific to our period, but applies to earlier periods as well. I believe that research will put Sisak on the map of valuable archaeological sites,” she said, adding that it was a pleasure to host top domestic and French experts in underwater archaeology.
Partners in the project are the Croatian Restoration Institute, the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, and the Sisak Diving Club.
