Summer Archaeological Field School in Croatia – The Nadin-Gradina Archaeological Site

Nadin-Gradina lies in the Ravni Kotari region of Croatia, a Mediterranean environment along the Adriatic Sea. It sits perched on a limestone ridge just 13 km from the coast and only 23 km to the southeast of the coastal city of Zadar. It measures 32 ha in area, about a quarter of which is enclosed by a megalithic fortification wall. Based on early writings and inscriptions, Nadin appears to have already been a sizeable center in the Late Iron Age, and that it was transformed into a Roman municipium (Nedinum) in the first century CE. Nadin’s occupational history was likely very dynamic, with probable phases of growth and decline: (1) a fortified Late Iron Age settlement (~400-150 BCE); (2) Roman colonization (~150 BCE-500 CE) followed by Late Antiquity abandonment; (3) reoccupation during the Late Medieval period (~1000-1400 CE); and (4) a 16th century Venetian/Ottoman outpost. Wall segments from the Ottoman fort remain standing today, but a print discovered in modern Nadin also depicts a small village, including what appears to be a mosque or minaret, suggesting the Ottoman component may have been more substantial. The small contemporary village of Nadin lies near the southwestern limits of the known archaeological site.

The hilltop site of Nadin, Croatia
The hilltop site of Nadin, Croatia
EF gate
Excavation of the paved road leading up to Nadin’s megalithic fortification wall, likely associated with the Roman transformation of Nadin about 2000 years ago (2015 excavations)

D excavation
Students taking measurements during excavation (June, 2015)

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