Fort in Murter through prehistory, antiquity and the early Middle Ages

Sjevernodalmatinski otok Murter nalazi se u sjeverozapadnom dijelu Šibensko-kninske županije. Otok je odijeljen od kopna Murterskim kanalom koji je premošten krajem 18. stoljeća. Najraniji tragovi ljudske aktivnosti sežu u razdoblje neolitika, međutim njima se u međuvremenu zagubio trag. Koncem brončanog doba na današnjem položaju Gradine javlja se naselje koje traje kroz čitavo željezno doba te djelomično i kroz rimski period. Od drugog stoljeća povišeni položaji počinju se napuštati. Svjedok kontinuiranom životu grobni su nalazi sa susjednog otoka Mali Vinik, kao i s položaja Zdrače južno od Gradine te brojni drugi sitni nalazi, ponajprije keramički koji su rasuti po čitavom lokalitetu. Antičko naselje javlja se u zapadnom podnožju Gradine gdje su i danas vidljivi brojni arhitektonski ostaci, a arheološkim istraživanjima pronađen je velik broj raznih arheoloških artefakata, kao i arhitektonskih ostataka. Antički i kasnoantički pisci Gaj Plinije Sekundo, Klaudije Ptolemej i Anonim iz Ravene u svojim djelima spominju Colentum kao otok ili pak kao otočno naselje (polis). Numizmatički i ostali sitni arheološki nalazi sugeriraju kako rimski Colentum svoj život nastavlja i tijekom razdoblja kasne antike nakon čega je on vrlo vjerojatno kratkotrajno prekinut. Svjedok da je ovaj prekid bio kratkog vijeka svakako je spolija uzidana u južni zid današnje crkve Gospe od Gradine, a koja na sebi sadrži prikaz križa s proširenim krakovima te se datira u 6. stoljeće. Na prostoru današnjeg groblja nalazila se starohrvatska nekropola na kojoj su zabilježena dva ukopa, kao i grobna arhitektura koja indicira na postojanje trećeg pokojnika. Nalazi pronađeni u grobovima datiraju se u 9. i 10. stoljeće. Najraniji brodolom murterskog akvatorija datira se još u 6. st. pr. Kr., a najkasniji seže sve do 18. st. te su nam oni svjedok duge plovidbene tradicije na murterskom prostoru, a arheološki artefakti pronađeni na istima pomažu nam u boljem shvaćanju svakodnevnog života prijašnjih stanovnika otoka.North Dalmatian island of Murter is located in the northwestern part of the Šibenik-Knin County. The island is separated from the mainland by the Murter Canal. Island was connected whith mainland by the end of the 18th century. The earliest traces of human activity date back to the Neolithic period, however, these earliest artifacts have been lost. At the end of the Bronze Age, a settlement emerged in today's Gradina position, which lasted throughout the Iron Age and partly through the Roman period. From the second century onwards, elevated positions began to vacate. Witnesses to the continuous life are grave finds from the neighboring island of Mali Vinik, as well as from the Zdrača site south of Gradina, and numerous other small finds, especially ceramic ones, which are scattered throughout the site. City from Roman period was active on west side, where numerous architectural remains are still visible, and archaeological research has found a large number of various archaeological artifacts as well as architectural remains. The ancient and late antique writers of Gaius Pliny Secundo, Claudius Ptolemy and Anonymous of Ravenna in their works mention Colentum either as an island or as an island settlement (polis). Numismatic and other small archeological findings suggest that the Roman Colentum continued its life through the period of late antiquity, after which it was very likely interrupted for a short time. The witness that this interruption was of short duration is built into the southern wall of the present-day church of Gospa of Gradina, which contains a cross with extended arms and dates to the 6th century. The site of today's cemetery housed an old Croatian necropolis with two burials recorded, as well as a burial architecture indicating the existence of a third deceased. The finds found in the graves date from the 9th and 10th centuries. The earliest shipwreck of the Murter aquatorium dates back to the 6th century BC. The latest ones date back to the 18th century and are a witness to a long navigation tradition in the Murter area, and the archeological artifacts found there help us to better understand the daily life of the island's previous inhabitants