ANCIENT SHIPWRECK NEAR SUTIVAN 

An ancient shipwreck carrying sarcophagi and other stone material was discovered at a depth of 31 to 34 meters near Sutivan on the island of Brač in the autumn of 2008. Twenty objects are visible on the seabed, arranged in two rows: seven are sarcophagi, two are sarcophagus lids, nine are stone blocks, one is a cylindrical column, and one is a visibly perforated stone vessel. The ship was most likely 15 to 18 meters long and 5 meters wide with a carrying capacity of approximately 50 tons. Archaeological surveys of the shipwreck unearthed fragments of kitchen pottery dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century and the location at which it was found makes it possible to assume where the ship’s galley and prow would have been located. The survey also unearthed a stamped oil lamp and a bone playing die.  Archaeological research indicates that the vessel in question had been a trading ship transporting stone material from the island of Brač to the central or north Adriatic and that it sank in the second half of the 2nd century.