The Gnali’ Shipwreck

Summary

The shipwreck near the islet of Gnali’, not far from the coastal town of Biograd na Moru, is one of the most significant post-medieval sites in the Mediterranean. According to recently recovered information, this ship was built in 1569 in Venice and lost in 1583 near the Gnali’ Island, in today’s Croatia, on a trip from Venice to Constantinople, the Gagliana grossa was a large Mediterranean merchantman with a long history. Found in the early 1960s, this shipwreck was looted, salvaged, and partially excavated. Between 1967 and 1973 archaeologists recorded and recovered the cargo and ship structure exposed, and planned its full excavation. Forty five years later, the excavation restarted with new technologies and new questions, aiming at completing the work started in 1967 and fulfill the wishes of its original excavators. This paper is an introduction to its story.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Recent Developments in Ship Reconstruction

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-70,03