K. Palágyi Sylvia szerk.: Balácai Közlemények 2005/9. (Veszprém, 2005)

BEGOVIC DVORZAK, VLASTA: Villa maritima on Brioni Islands/Istria (Croatia)

VLASTA BEGOVIC DVORZAK VILLA MARITIMA ON BRIONI ISLANDS / ISTRIA (CROATIA) The maritime villa in Verige bay, Brijuni, Istria is a typic example of an extroverted, terraced, panoramic villa with whole range of monumental porticoes touching the sea and peristyle courtyard around which buildings are grouped. The villa encompasses three varied kinds of landscape - a naturally sheltered bay, slopes of a three hills and gentle surrounding meadows. The-sea became an internal desired space embraced by „floating" porticoes. Villa form a complex in total harmony with its setting. Thanks to a more than hundred years of archaeological excavations, hydroarchaeological explorations, by analysing of aerial photos and from the analysis of plant macrofossils it became possible to define an approximation of the entire complex and establish the stages of the rise and decline of the villa. On this site the late republican, early imperial phases and late antiquie, early Middle Ages phases became more than less clear. The islands of Brioni are the example of an early-imperial successful economy based on intense viticulture and oleoculture. The capacity of the found cellae oleariae and cellae vinariae in the Roman villas on the islands tell us of the considerable production of wine and olive oil. There are several villae rusticae on Brioni islands founded at a series of sites - Verige bay, Madona Bay, Kolci Hill, St. Nicholas Bay, Vanga, Javorika, Brioni harbor, Ribnjak bay. (Fig. 1) They were built on natural plateaus (partly carved), in carefully chosen position above bays, with an accompanying dock. The property of Brioni brought a solid income thanks to the quarry and the exploitation of salt too. Villa rustica in Verige bay envolved into a magnificent maritime villa with luxurious contents, such as temples, diaeta (library), palaestra, bath - enclosed by the system of porticoes and cryptoporticoes, with an embankment of stone built along the entire bay. (Fig. 2) Archeological excavations and explorations of villa maritima were carried out by A. Gnirs (Österr. Arch. Inst.) from 1900 until 1914, S. Mlakar from 1952 until 1980 (Arhaeological museum Pula), A. Vitasovic from 1976 until 1979 (National park Brioni), V. Begovic Dvorzak , M. Pavletic, J. Smic and A. Vitasovic (Ministry of Culture and National Park Brioni) from 1985 until 1995. Hydroarcheological explorations were carried out by M. Órlic and M. Jurisic (Ministry of Culture) from 1985 until 1998 and H. Bender (Passau University) from 1995 until 1998. The luxurious villa on islands of Brioni has for some time been associated with the Italian senatorial family of the Laecanii, who owned an amphora and building supplies factory across the narrow straits from Brioni. There are strong links between the history of the villa, the island's diversified economy, and the rise in political power of the Laecanii, and the periods of property and expansion in the estate's architectural history have a bearing on the relationship between imperial policies and senatorial profits based on economies of scale.