Medieval riverboat found in the Grado Lagoon

Medieval Histories

10 years ago

Medieval boat is lifted from the ground near the river stella - Foto: Turco Massimo

Medieval riverboat from the 10^th century has been discovered in the river Stella near the Grado Lagoon close to Udine in Northern Italy

Medieval ship from River Stella near Friuli © Anaxum

The river Stella was one of the most important inroads to the Roman city of Aquileia. For some years an international group of scientists, archaeologists, historians and others have worked to map the historical river and its fluvial delta. During this work a number of exciting finds have been made; many from Roman Antiquity, but also from the Middle Ages.

Already in 1981 a group of divers discovered a unique boat from late Antiquity, which had sunk together with its full cargo of tiles and amphorae. Since 2012 a group of archaeologists – the Anaxum Project – have worked to register this find and do a full report on the cargo.

Working the area, the archaeologists struck luck in 2012, when they found what appears to be an abandoned medieval riverboat from the 11^th century. Preservation of the boat is still going on and publication of this find is pending.

However, at this point we know that

the boat has been dated to the 11^th century (Radiocarbon).
It measured app. 8 m x 1.86 m
Its construction differs from the late antique boat found in 198. In fact, it seems to represent an intermediate type between boats

It appears to have been used both in the river as in the lagoon

The find helps to understand the historical context of the River Stella, which appears to have been a dynamic trade rout connection the lagoon with the commandery at Precenicco, which was inhabited by the Teutonic order from 1210 – 1623. They used the location to organize part of the maritime traffic to the Holy Land in the time of the crusades.

The plan is to build an Eco-Historical Museum around the finds, which have been made not far from the natural park of Riserva Naturale Foci dello Stella. Exactly where this museum will be located is at present unknown.