Early Roman barge from the Ljubljanica River at Sinja Gorica

Abstract

Preventive underwater archaeological surveying in the bed of the Ljubljanica River, conducted at Sinja Gorica in 2008, revealed the remains of an Early Roman wooden barge from the beginning of the 1st century AD. Detailed documentation of the 4.5m long and 2.8m wide section of the boat followed in October 2012 and included photogrammetric three-dimensional modelling. The construction characteristics and size revealed a boat of the Mediterranean shipbuilding tradition, with an elongated oval shape and a flat bottom and vertical sides, constructed using the shell-first technique and planks fastened with iron clamps, while the hull was reinforced with floor-timbers in a manner not yet published in the relevant literature. The barge, made mostly of beech wood, was built soon after AD 3 according to the dendrochronological analysis. The wood is very poorly preserved. The barge was presumably used to transport cargo between Nauportus and Emona