RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS NEAR POREČ: THE ANTIQUE SITE OF RADI AND THE DISCOVERY OF A NEARBY PREHISTORIC CAVE

U razdoblju od 5. do 23. listopada 2009. godine na položaju Radi - VU 303, u blizini sela Garbina, jugoistočno od grada Poreča obavljeno je zaštitno arheološko istraživanje. Uvidom u stare katastarske knjige u katastarskom uredu grada Poreča, ustanovljen je toponim, vjerojatno talijanskog porijekla - Radi. Mještani sela Garbina nisu bili upoznati s toponimom, što nimalo ne čudi budući da se radi o doseljenicima unazad zadnjih pedeset godina. Do početka istraživanja lokalitet se imenovalo radnom oznakom VU 303. Istraživanje se obavljalo pomoću kvadratne mreže, s kvadrantima veličine 2,5 x 3 m. Preliminarni rezultati ukazuju kako je riječ o arheološkom nalazištu, koje se može datirati u razdoblje kasnijeg rimskog carstva, od 2 - 4. st. Riječ je, vjerojatno, o aglomeracijskom objektu, izrazito devastiranom, vjerojatno još u razdoblju ranog srednjeg vijeka. Okolnim obilaskom terena nedaleko lokaliteta, u vrijeme istraživanja, autorica teksta, uočila je šupljine u matičnoj stijeni, kao i dosta ulomaka prapovijesne, metličaste keramike, svježe otkopane djelovanjem divljih životinja. Pokazalo se da je riječ o, skoro do stropa, zatrpanoj pećini, trenutno smještenoj na trasi izgradnje porečke zaobilaznice što bi moglo ubrzati i njeno istraživanje. Topografski gledano, smještena je nedaleko tri brda, poznata po prapovijesnim gradinama, Velikog Sv. Anđela, Malog Sv.Anđela i Mordelle.From 5 to 23 October 2009, a protective archaeological investigation was conducted at the location Radi - VU 303, near the village of Garbin, southeast of the town of Poreč. The investigation started after the location VU 303 had been marked as a possible archaeological site due to a large number of tegulae and imbrices observed during the survey of a section of a future gas pipeline. The investigators laid out a grid of squares. Ten squares were investigated and twenty-four stratigraphic units were recorded. Preliminary results allowed for the dating of the site in the later period of the Roman Empire, from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD. At the moment, we cannot be sure of the purpose and character of this site, although architectural remains were observed, which are greatly devastated and not sufficiently investigated, thus yielding few data about the site. At the beginning of 1969, the company Agrolaguna from Poreč planted a field of hazelnut trees, which devastated the site in question. The field was cultivated until some twenty years ago. Some architectural remains continue to the west, and future investigations might reveal the purpose of the structure. Ceramic and glass finds recovered at the site are indications that the site holds mostly coarse kitchenware and only some fine pottery examples, and that the glass items are mostly in fragments. What is surprising is the number of particular finds, such as twenty bronze coins, which should help in dating the site more precisely, after laboratory treatment. While the investigations of the site of Radi were going on, I made a survey of the area northeast of the site where unusual fissures were observed in the ground and on the rocks, which could be read as indications of the possible presence of a cave. I observed fragments of prehistoric pottery with brushed surface decorations scattered around, probably unearthed by foxes or badgers which had dug holes there. The speleologist Nenad Kuzmanović, who has priceless knowledge of caves and pits, and also experience in archaeological investigations relating to them, confirmed my suspicions about the presence of a cave. The constructing of a ring road around Poreč, which passes close to the cave site, might bring about new insights into the purpose of the site of Radi VU 303, and also lead to more revelations about the prehistoric cave