The sunken town of Sipar

Sipar

Sipar, the archaeological site, is in the north-west part of Croatian Istria, about four kilometers north of the city of Umag, on a small peninsula (of about 0.5 ha), linked to the mainland by an eighty odd meters long bank. During the high tide, the sea rises above the level of the bank, and the peninsula turns into an island. As a result of the sea-level rise since the emergence and existence of Sipar, a part of today’s peninsula lies under the sea, and therefore it is not possible to determine the exact extent of the site.

According to archaeological sources, the area surrounding Sipar was inhabited in the early iron age. During Roman times, it developed into a civitas, a settlement with the characteristics of a well-organized Roman town. Sipar is believed to have been destroyed around 876 CE in fierce battles between Duke Domagoj of Croatia and the Venetians. After the destruction of Sipar, the nearby town of Umag began to develop.

Sipar was first mentioned in preserved written documents together with other Istrian coastal towns (civitates) as Sapparis and Siparis in The Ravenna Cosmography. In later documents it was called urbs Sipiares by John the Deacon in the late tenth and early eleventh century, in his list of Istrian towns ravaged by the Narentines in 876.

Castle Sipar was probably built around the year 1000, next to the already destroyed Siparis, when it allegedly served as a lighthouse for a time. At that time, the nearby Umag suffered several robber attacks, and it is not excluded that the castle was built by pirates who, when they conquered Siparis, lived there and prepared their future attacks. The castle was in good condition until 1943, when the Germans demolished its upper part with artillery for strategic reasons.

Date of visit: 24.03.2019

Sources

• Zakić, M. B. (2019). Sipar, arheološka istraživanja i zaštita lokaliteta od 2013. do 2015. godine*. Portal Hrvatskih Znanstvenih I Stručnih Časopisa – Hrčak. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://hrcak.srce.hr/232712
• The sunken town of Sipar | Colours of Istria. (n.d.). Colours of Istria. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://coloursofistria.com/en/activities/the-sunken-town-of-sipar