Pjaca Archaeology: New Research and New Insights
Stari Grad Museum
August 10th – November 01st, 2025
Opening: August 10th at 9pm
In recent years, Stari Grad on the island of Hvar (ancient Pharos, Φάρος) has become the focus of extensive archaeological and interdisciplinary research. For the first time, at the heart of these investigations is St. Stephen’s Square (Pjaca), the most important public space in today’s Stari Grad. Pjaca reflects the key identities of the contemporary community, while also preserving traces of a dynamic, centuries-long past.
Pjaca was excavated as part of the “Stari Grad Agglomeration” project in 2021 and 2022. Analysis of material finds and interpretation of results continues through the HRZZ AdriaCos project in collaboration with Croatian and international institutions. The research covered an area of about 150 m², offering a valuable cross-section of the town’s history, from architectural remains to small artefacts, and revealing the vibrant life that unfolded in Pjaca from prehistory to the present day.
The earliest finds date to the Early Iron Age. Small artefacts suggest that a settlement of the indigenous population extended into the area of today’s Pjaca, and that its inhabitants were in contact with the Greeks before the founding of the Greek city.
From the Greek period, various architectural remains have been uncovered, including storage areas with buried pithoi (large containers for provisions) that were part of residential blocks, as well as remains of multi-phase Greek houses. Numerous small finds – pottery, coins, parts of garments, and toiletry items – bear witness to everyday life in a vibrant city with developed crafts, trade, social institutions, religious customs, and early literacy in the region.
Traces of Roman Pharos have also been documented in Pjaca, including architectural remains of several structures and a street with a central drainage channel (cardo). Plastered and painted wall sections, along with various floor types (simple plastered floors, finely plastered surfaces with embedded pebbles, mosaics, and opus spicatum) reflect structures of differing purposes and periods. Many everyday objects were found, as well as items related to specific occasions.
In Late Antiquity, the city’s perimeter was reduced, as clearly evidenced by the remains of a Late Antique wall along the southern edge of the square. Despite this contraction, Stari Grad retained its importance as an early Christian centre, as confirmed by new finds of sacral architecture with an apse, illustrating the continuity of Christian activity in Pjaca from Late Antiquity to the present.
In the Middle Ages, the area around the churches was also used for burials. A total of 44 graves were uncovered, dating from both the early and late Middle Ages, and possibly from the early modern period. Among the modern-era finds, along the northern edge of Pjaca, are remains of an older pavement, known as inkunjadura (cobblestone), a fine example of Baroque heritage. In front of the bell tower of St. Stephen’s, remnants of a well structure were also documented. This find from the most recent times concludes the current overview of significant discoveries. Yet Pjaca has not been fully explored and undoubtedly still hides many secrets of Stari Grad’s past, waiting for the right moment to come to light.
Marina Ugarković