Desilo

Desilo is a small valley in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near the Neretva river and the Croatian border. Archaeological investigations in a small lake there in 2007 led to interesting finds of Illyrian boats. Desilo was in antiquity probably connected with Neretva via Lake Hutovo Blato. References to Neretva can be traced as far back as ancient times. In the era of ancient Bosnia and Herzegovina, Neretva was known as Narenta, Narona and Naro(n) , and was home to the ancient Illyrian tribe of Ardiaei and Daorsi. The river Neretva provided them life, turning them into town builders, ship makers, seafarers and fishermen that were renowned in ancient times.

In the spring of 2007, Professor Snjezana Vasilj PhD of the University of Mostar excavated 2 Illyrian boats in Desilo, covered with stone-blocks and fragments of Roman wine amphorae. After intense excavations in the area of Hutovo Blato in the autumn of 2008, archaeologists from University of Oslo, Norway together with Dr. Vasilj found the very first traces of an Illyrian trading post from at least the 2nd-1st centuries BC. The find is unique in a European perspective and the archaeologists have concluded that Desilo was an important trading post of great significance for contact between the Illyrians and the Romans. Surprisingly large finds have been made in a short period of time. The archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a settlement, the of a harbour that probably functioned as a trading post, as well as many sunken boats, covered with fragments of wine pitchers – so-called amphorae – from the 1st century B.C. The archaeologist Adam Lindhagen, who has a PhD from the University of Lund and has specialised in Roman wine amphorae, says that this is the most important find of all time from the Illyrian areas.

...
Wikipedia