Beneath the bustling tourist veneer of Bernardin and Portorož on Slovenia’s Adriatic coast, archaeologists have unearthed remnants of an ancient harbour, replete with masts and over 3,000 ceramic fragments, pointing to a small yet significant maritime hub dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD.
The site, known as Fizine, has been under investigation since 2017, revealing not only a harbour with mooring facilities but also an array of imported pottery from late antiquity, signifying the area’s vibrant trade links.
Among the exceptional finds are two ancient masts, made from fir and spruce, equipped with an oak pulley—a rarity in Mediterranean archaeology, offering unique insights into the seafaring technologies of the time.
These artifacts, alongside other significant discoveries, will be conserved and eventually displayed at the Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum in Piran, enriching our understanding of the late Roman and early Byzantine maritime traditions in the Adriatic.
