Pašman Channel from prehistory to late antiquity

Pašmanski kanal je svoj današnji izgled dobio zahvaljujući promjeni morske razine. Ključno izdizanje morske razine dogodilo se prije otprilike 26 000 godina, kada je neposredno nakon glacijanlnog maksimula došlo do globalnog zatopljenja. Morska razina se počela naglo izdizati, pa je u gornjem paleolitiku bila niža za 65 do 25 m, dok je u mezolitiku bila već 25 do 10 m niža od današnje morske razine. Ipak, izdizanje koje je najvažnije za Pašmanski kanal dogodilo se u neolitiku i eneolitiku, kada se morska razina nalazila od 10 do oko 4 do 5 m niže nego li danas. Iako su tada gotovo sve uvale bile poplavljene, kanal na središnjem dijelu još uvijek nije bio potpuno plovan. Tek u brončanom i željeznom dobu, kad je morska razina niža od današnje za 2 do 3,4 do m, kanal postaje potpuno plovan, a samim time i prometan te otvoren za trgovinu sa Italijom i Grčkom. U antici je morska razina bila niža od današnje za 1,5–2 m, o čemu svjedoče ostaci mnogih potopljenih objekata pod morem, čiji su tragovi i danas vidljivi iz zraka. Klimatski uvjeti i vegetacija također su se mijenjali tokom svih povijesnih razdoblja, kako na globalnoj, tako na regoj i lokalnoj razini. S obzirom da se Pašmanski kanal nalazi na razmeđi Jadranskog mora, gdje prevladava blaga klima, te Alpi i Velebita koji djeluju kao barijera i sprečavaju prodor hladnog zraka sa sjevera, područje Pašmanskog kanala bilo je neka vrsta refugija za biljni i životinjski svijet, ali i lovačko sakupljačke zajednice kojima je ovo područje pružalo sve potrebne resurse za život. Svaka zajednica u određenom je razdoblju birala određene položaje za naseljavanje ili iskorištavanje prostora. Koliko je taj prostor bogat resursima (voda, plodna tla, šume, mogućnosti lova, ribolova itd.) potvrđuje kontinuirano naseljavanje od duboke prapovijesti pa do modernih vremena. Ovaj rad daje uvid u klimu, vegetaciju i privredu te razmatra topografiju od paleolitika do kasne antike. On pokušava odgovoriti na pitanja kao što je moguća lokacija nalazišta iz određenih razdoblja, koja iz nekog razloga nedostaju na ovom području, ili razlozi zašto se neke vrste nalazišta u određenim razdobljima nalaze na određenim položajima.The Pašman Channel got its present appearance due to a change in sea level. A key rise in sea level occurred approximately 26,000 years ago, when global warming occurred directly after the glacial maximum. The sea level started to rise rapidly, so in the Upper Paleolithic it was lower by 65 to 25 m, while in the Mesolithic it was already 25 to 10 m lower than its present level. Nevertheless, the uplift which was most important for the Pašman Channel occurred during the Neolithic and Eneolithic period, when the sea level was 10 to about 5 or 4 m lower than it is today. Even though almost all the bays were flooded at the time, the channel was still not entirely navigable in its central part. Only in the Bronze and Iron Ages, when the sea level becomes lower by 3.4 to 2 m than today, does the channel become fully navigable, therefore busy and open to trade with Italy and Greece. In antiquity, the sea level is 2 to 1.5 m lower than today, as evidenced by the remains of many sunken objects under the sea, whose traces are still visible from the air today. Climate conditions and vegetation have also changed throughout all historic periods, both on a global, regional and local level. Considering the Pašman Channel is wedged between the Adriatic Sea, where the mild climate prevails, the Alps and Velebit, acting as a barrier and preventing cold air from penetrating from the north, the Pašman Channel area has been a kind of refuge for wildlife as well as for hunter-gatherer communities, to whom this area provided all the resources they needed to thrive. Each community has, over a period of time, chosen specific positions for settlement or exploitation for their own reasons. The extent to which this area is rich in resources (water, fertile soil, forests, hunting opportunities, fishing, etc.) confirms the settlement of these areas with continuity from deep prehistory to modern times. The aim of this paper is to give insight into climate, vegetation, the economy and to examine topography from the Paleolithic to Late Antiquity. This paper seeks to provide answers to questions such as the possible location of sites from particular periods, which for some reason are missing in this area, or the reasons why certain types of sites are located in certain locations at certain periods