During the Roman Empire, maritime trade was the fastest way of trade. Maritime trade routes covered the entire Mediterranean, including the very active Adriatic Sea. The eastern coast of the Adriatic was more commercially developed than the western part due to its abundance in islands and safe harbours for the sheltering ships.
Merchant ships that sailed the Adriatic at the time were known as the navis oneraria. These were stocky ships, up to 30 meters long, with a carrying capacity of up to 100 tons and 5 to 10 members per crew. Apart from them, the so-called tank ships sailed the Mediterranean, carrying huge ceramic vessels with a volume of 1200 to 1400 litres.
Ancient Epidaurus (today’s Cavtat) was the main port of the Konavle region. According to the research, near Cavtat 2 ships have permanently completed their ancient trade expedition.
By implementing the DUNEA’s project, after two years of preparations and constructions, visitors can finally virtually immerse and interactively visit the rich underwater archaeological sites in the depths of Cavtat maritime region. In addition to the above mentioned shipwrecks, visitors can dive into the seabed of Greece and Italy, a total of 6 additional underwater archaeological sites that were excavated during the BLUEMED project. Also, there is a flora and fauna section for anyone who wants to know more about the biodiversity of explored regions. Finally the back room is an audio / visual installation of the seabed with representation of a shipwreck that carries Lamboglia 2 amphorae.
The BLUEMED project has been implemented in cooperation between DUNEA (The Regional Development Agency Dubrovnik-Neretva County), Konavle Municipality, Museums and Galleries of Konavle, Konavle Tourist Board, Epidaurum Diving Center and partners from Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Greece.
