U gradu Crikvenici obavljena su, tijekom srpnja i kolovoza 2004. godine, zaštitna probna arheološka istraživanja. Na poziv Grada Crikvenice i Ustanove u kulturi “Dr. Ivan Kostrenčić”, Institut za arheologiju provodio je zaštitna arheološka istraživanja na lokalitetu Crikvenica - Igralište, pod vodstovm dr. sc. Goranke Lipovac Vrkljan.
Tijekom istraživanja na lokalitetu Igralište, utvrđeno je već ranije predmnijevano postojanje kulturnog sloja razdoblja rimske antike. Radi se o nalazu obilja ulomaka keramičkog materijala, unutar koga prevladava uporabna i graditeljska keramika. Ističe se nalaz većeg broja ulomaka amfora u odnosu na ostali keramički materijal. Zapaženo je da se u određenom trenutku, cjelokupni keramički materijal položio poradi sekundarne potrebe njegova korištenja. Ispod ovog sloja keramičkog taraca, ustanovljeni su veći dijelovi zapečene, crvene, kompaktne zemlje, za koju pretpostavljamo da se radi o vatrištu (dijelovima ložišta?). Uz ovu glinastu strukturu, osim veće prisutnosti gara, nalaženo je mnoštvo amorfnih keramičarskih oblika, znatna količina troske kao i manji komadići drva. Nalazi žbuke, upućuju na pretpostavku da u blizini postoji i arhitektura. Prema podacima koji su prikupljani tijekom slučajnih graditeljskih radova, na istom je lokalitetu, tijekom proteklih sedamdesetak godina, pronalaženo mnoštvo ulomaka uporabne i graditeljske keramike, kao što je nađena i arhitektura ziđa. Posebna je zanimljivost i nalaz opeke sa žigom, čija se pojava veže na vrlo ograničeni prostor Hrvatskog primorja. Prema nalazima koji su otkriveni tijekom zaštitnih probnih istraživanja 2004. godine na lokalitetu Crikvenica - “Igralište”, moguće je predmnijevati postojanje određene keramičarske radionice unutar antičkog naselja Ad Turres, na prijelazu I./II. st. po Kr.From 19 July to 10 August 2004, the Zagreb Institute for Archaeology, lead by Goranka Lipovac Vrkljan, Ph.D., Associate researcher and Project Manager of “Liburnia Limes-Archaeological Topography”,conducted rescue excavations by cutting several trial trenches at the Crikvenica.- Igralište (Playground) site in the Crikvenica Municipality, in the Primorje-Gorski kotar County.
Data on the existence of an antiquity station and the settlement Ad Turres can be found in several historical sources such as Tabula Peutingeriana, Itinerarium Antonini and Cosmographia by placing it along the Roman route leading from Aquileia to Senia, in the area between Tarsatica (Rijeka) and Senia (Senj). The ar chaeological Crikvenica-Playground site is situated in the northern periphery of the town of Crikvenica, in the Vinodol Valley, Crikvenica Municipality. As part of the trial excavation, a 5 x 4 m trench was cut at a corner point between the NK Crikvenica Football Club and the secondary football field, and in the south-western area of the planned parking lot near the Town Sports Hall in Kotorska street. First, the approximately 50 cm thick surface layer of construction rubble followed by a layer of deposited clay had to be torn off. Both layers had no archaeological nor cultural content, suggesting that neither permanent nor temporary settlements were established in this area in that period.
Soon thereafter, in the next stratigraphic item, SJ 005, the first indicators of archaeological material were unearthed. These were fragments of Roman coarse pottery and structural clay products, mostly bricks. The deeper we went, the richer the finds in the layer. Due to financial and time restrictions, in the course of the second week of the trial excavation we had to narrow the size of the investigated area within Trench A to half, which we called the Micro-trench B. The entire material found was fragmented. Amphorae finds prevail. Apart from amphorae, fragments of pottery were found. Particularly frequent are fragments of dishes, bowls and little mugs. No less important are finds of thin walled pottery. This is extraordinarily fine pottery, often decorated. Concerning structural clay products at the Crikvenica-Playground site, a larger number of fragments with different uses was found. These are in the first place finds of tegulae, imbrices, etc. One fragment bears a mark on it. At the Roman walking level, SU 008, tightly packed, red and orange, rich earth was uncovered. Its entire sur face was filledwith soot and wood fragments. We concluded that it might have been a mould for firing ceramics (kiln)
