February 2023

Osor has been at the centre of infrastructural modernisation since the summer of 2022, resulting in all local roads being opened up for new sewerage system. Construction work is accompanied by large-scale rescue excavations, led by the Croatian Conservation Institute, as the historic Osor remains are visible under every road surface. They were the reason for travelling to Osor right at the start of the project, as new excavation results are also a benefit for the project team and enable a better understanding of the town’s long history. At the same time, underwater excavations were taking place alongside the construction work, so it was not only possible to document the Osor Channel on video, but also to discuss excavation results with colleagues from the Department for Underwater Archaeology in Zagreb. Ceramic finds, plant, wood and sediment samples from the Osor Channel will be analysed by University Primorska and Croatian Geological Survey as part of the project. Sara Popović from Arheoprojekt, Zagreb has taken drone aerial photographs of the Kampa peninsula, providing the project with another remote sensing dataset for integrated prospection. The Kampa peninsula was also surveyed in order to better assess the potential for geophysical prospection in autumn 2023.

3. March 2023