A year or so ago we had a couple of reports on the discovery of an Illyrian shipwreck which, since that time, was apparently being connected to Illyrian piracy. A lengthy followup piece in Science Daily (drawing on a piece from the University of Oslo's Apollon magazine) provides an interesting update. Further investigation of the site -- the ancient Desilo -- suggests that it was a major trading site/port. Located some 20 km in from the coast on the Neretva river, the archaeologists have found remains of a harbour, sunken ships, and plenty of broken amphorae, all of which don't really lend themselves to the 'pirate base' interpretation.

According to the archaeologists, Marina Prusac and Adam Lindhagen (inter alia):

“There is much to suggest that far more is hidden in the mud. We’ve only scraped the surface so far.”

“There certainly were pirate activities along the coast, but we thought it rather odd that the pirates were so far inland and so near the important Roman colony of Narona. In our opinion Desilo might have been a trading centre.”

"Desilo is situated at the innermost point of a quiet bay where it was natural to transfer goods to smaller boats, so the place is perfect for an inner trading harbour. We knew that if we found a harbour it would represent a rare example of a meeting point in this impenetrable landscape"

On the remains of a wall of a polygonal structure which is being interpreted as a trading post:

“The wall was solid and stable. The other side was not so well constructed and most likely functioned as a dam. There were a number of mooring holes placed at the same height on the wall, almost like a horizontal band.”

“This find can only be interpreted as indicating the presence of a settlement that presumably existed for several hundred years or even longer before the trade between the Illyrians and the Romans started.”

“Thanks to the clay and the fresh water the objects are surprisingly well preserved. Salt water would have destroyed the wood.”

Analysis of the pottery suggest the amphorae came from the Dalmatian coastal area:

“Imports from the Roman colony Narona must therefore have been far more extensive than we previously thought.”

“In exchange for wine the Romans may have bought salt, metal, leather and slaves. The price could have been the same as in the north. According to Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.), the Gauls were happy to swap a slave for a 25-litre amphora of wine.”

“We don’t know why the boats were sunk and the pitchers destroyed. It’s absurd to think that the Romans sank almost a thousand amphorae containing their own wine. The amphorae may have been dumped when they’d been emptied. But animal bones, horse teeth, Illyrian pottery and weapons like axes and spear tips have also been found in the sea. So it’s possible that they made ritual offerings to the sea – a well-known phenomenon in Scandinavia during the Iron Age. If we can confirm that this is the case, then this is the first example we have heard of from the Illyrian area.”

Apollon Magazine adds this interesting bit:

While Professor Vasilj was of the view that all the boats were sunk at the same time in a Roman campaign against Illyrian pirates, the Norwegian archaeologists have found indications that the boats were sunk over a period of almost a hundred years. Their evidence is based on the dating of the wine amphorae.

Not sure why they don't seem to be thinking of the semi-regular storm-in-the-harbour situation a la the Pisa Shipwrecks ... actually, it would be interesting to see if there is any correlation between sinking of Pompeii ships and these ones, no?

Previous coverage:

Bosnian archaeologists discover fabled ships (IOL)

We also have a brief item from Science Daily, no longer there, but preserved at RC ...

cf:

A Maritime Pompeii (Newsweek)

Source:

Unique Archaeological Discovery In Balkan: World’s First Illyrian Trading Post Found (Science Daily)

The world’s first Illyrian trading post found (Apollon ... a few photos)