17 March 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ancient City Cistern Found Near Croatia’s Iconic Fountain

An island-speckled coastline and ancient walled towns place Croatia among the world’s best-beauty cities. But there’s even more to this authentic country just begging to be explored: Unique finds.

Archaeological discoveries were made while renovating the stone pavement surrounding the sizable Onofrio’s Fountain in the center of Dubrovnik’s historic district. These discoveries included the remnants of a sizable city cistern that is thought to have been there since the 14th century before the water supply system was built.

One of the iconic landmarks of the city of Dubrovnik, the Great Onofrio’s Fountain was built in 1438 and brought water to the city from a series of springs 12 kilometers away. It was designed by the Italian Onofrio della Cava.

Originally adorned with sculptures, the fountain was severely damaged in the 1667 earthquake, leaving only 16 carved masks with their mouths dribbling drinkable water into a drainage pool still visible.

Although it was known from archival documents, the cistern was not documented during previous works at this location. Just 30 centimeters below the stone pavement, the vault of a large city cistern was found, reports HRT.

Photo: Juginfo

“The first preserved information about the existence of a public cistern here dates from the late 14th century. It is also known that it came under the jurisdiction of the St. Clare monastery at the end of the 15th century and was even completely renovated on this occasion,” said Nela Kovačević Bokarica, archaeological supervisor.

Until now, the city cistern, which preceded the Dubrovnik aqueduct, was only known from archival documents. It was a public cistern. The surface extends further south and east of this site, and it is presumed to be about 5 meters deep.

Considering the location of the works, the archaeological findings were expected, so there will be no breach of the deadlines for the completion of the works.

Photo: Juginfo

“We are currently working on changing the project design precisely because of such shallow finds in terms of the thickness of the layers that need to be beneath the new pavement to ensure its stability and durability,” stated Mihaela Skurić, director of the Dubrovnik Restoration Institute.

The old cistern will be covered and protected with geotextile before the stone pavement is reinstalled. This discovery is yet another confirmation of Dubrovnik’s rich history and social organization.

Related Articles

Antibiotic bacteria that fight E. coli and other dangerous bugs found in the Roman Baths at Bath in England, “Bath’s waters may really be good for you”

9 June 2024

9 June 2024

The popular Roman Baths in the city of Bath in southwest England are home to a diverse range of microorganisms...

Rare Bronze Age Metalworking Hoard Discovered in Wiltshire, Including an Anvil

20 February 2025

20 February 2025

A remarkable discovery has been made in Urchfont, a village located in Wiltshire, England, where a Bronze Age hoard of...

In Pontefract, archaeologists have discovered Neolithic remains

18 June 2021

18 June 2021

Archaeologists working on the site of the former Carleton Furniture factory at Mill Dam Lane in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England,...

New Dead Sea Scrolls in The Horror Cave

16 March 2021

16 March 2021

On Tuesday, Israeli archaeologists revealed dozens of recently discovered fragments of Bible text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were based...

The sword, thought to be a replica, turned out to be an authentic 3000-year-old Bronze Age sword

22 January 2023

22 January 2023

A sword in Chicago’s Field Museum that was previously thought to be a replica has been revealed to be an...

The ruins found in Nara could be the Imperial House of Female Emperor Koken

1 July 2021

1 July 2021

Archaeologists unearthed one of the largest building remains ever found at the former site of the Heijokyu palace in the...

In Cyprus, an important early Christian site has been discovered

12 September 2021

12 September 2021

An important Christian settlement was discovered with mosaics bearing clear inscriptions in Greek during the excavations carried out by the...

Remains of first Islamic madrassa found in Turkey’s Harran

1 December 2021

1 December 2021

The remnants of a 12th-century madrassa (Islamic institution of higher instruction) have been discovered in the archaeological site of Harran,...

Hidden 13th-century carving of ‘face of Christ’ discovered in Ballymore, Ireland

12 May 2022

12 May 2022

At Ballymore, in the county of Westmeath, Ireland, sunlight led to an interesting and special discovery. The sunlight revealed that...

Visit Baalbek’s Famous Temples with a Free 3d Virtual Tour

10 April 2021

10 April 2021

Baalbek, which has traces of settlement since 9000 BC, was one of the cornerstones of ancient civilizations. The famous Baalbek temple...

Analysis of Butchered Bones, Somerset Pit Reveals Bronze Age Cannibalism

17 December 2024

17 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered the bloodiest massacre in early Bronze Age Britain and evidence of Bronze Age cannibalism. It is the...

Remains of painkillers were found in 4500-year-old vessels during excavations at Küllüoba Höyük in Turkey

20 September 2022

20 September 2022

In the excavations of the Early Bronze Age Küllüoba Höyük (Kulluoba Mound) in Eskişehir, where the first urbanization structure of...

Human history in one click: Database with 2,400 prehistoric sites

10 August 2023

10 August 2023

The role of culture in human spread: Digital data collection contains 150 years of research. Human history in one click:...

Coin hoard found in fireplace ‘belonging to Scottish clan chief’ murdered at infamous Glencoe Massacre

17 October 2023

17 October 2023 1

Coins believed to have belonged to a Scottish clan chief murdered in an infamous 17th-century Glencoe massacre, have been found...

A new magnetic survey of the ancient Assyrian capital of Khorsabad has revealed a 127-room villa twice the size of the U.S. White House

26 December 2024

26 December 2024

Archaeologists in northern Iraq have conducted an extensive magnetic survey using an exhaustive magnetic survey at Khorsabad, once the ancient...