A Man and the Sea – Fishing in Ancient Times Through the Holdings of the Archaeological Museum in Zadar

The exhibition A Man and the Sea – Fishing in Ancient Times Through the Holdings of the Archaeological Museum in Zadar is conceived as a smaller exhibition to present fishing tools and techniques that were used in ancient times and, actually, have not changed considerably until modern time (stick attached to a line ending in a hook, harpoon and fizgig, nets, weights and floats, fish traps, etc.). In the Eastern Adriatic, fishing had developed since prehistory and represented an important part of everyday life of every social community, which is witnessed by many, until now poorly studied archaeological finds, often found in coastal sites. Visitors will also be acquainted with mythology and various depictions of sea- related deities, products and commercial activities (fish ponds, salt production, sea gourmet food). The exhibition A Man and the Sea – Fishing in Ancient Times Through the Holdings of the Archaeological Museum in Zadar will be opened at the Fishermen’s Museum in Vrboska, Tuesday, 13 th July 2021, at 08:30 a.m., with commemorative lecture of senior curator Dušanka Romanović. Guest exhibition at the Fishermen’s Museum is a result of collaboration between the Archaeological Museum in Zadar and the Jelsa Municipal Museum, as a host of the Fishermen’s Museum in Vrboska. After the opening, at 09:30 p.m., the Dance of the Sails will be held at the Port of Vrboska, organized by the Association Lantina and the Vrboska Tourist Board. The exhibition was shown to the public for the first time at the Archaeological Museum in Zadar in November of 2016 and will remain open until 11 th August 2021. So far, the exhibition has been hosted hosted by the Museum of Nin Antiquities in August of 2017, the Dubrovnik Museums in April of 2018, the Archaeological Museum of Istria in May of 2018, the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb in February of 2019, the Maritime and History Museum of Croatian Littoral in April of 2019, the Museum of the Town of Kaštela in March of 2021, and the Vučedol Culture Museum in April of 2021. The exhibits presented are part of the Archaeological Museum in Zadar holdings and mostly come from the ancient port in Zaton, that had operated in the period from the 1 st to the 4 th centuries, ancient Nin area (Aenona), and, to a smaller extent, from various localities in Zadar and its surroundings. The author of the entire exhibition and accompanying texts is Dušanka Romanović, senior curator of the Archaeological Museum in Zadar. The smaller scope of the exhibition is presented by seven large boards and replicas of fishing tools and gear (cast nets, dragnets, fishing rods, etc.). Texts and photographs on the boards cover various topics (Fishing in Ancient Times, Sea and Mythology, Fishing Tools and Gear, Sea Resources). The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated, 112-page catalogue in Croatian and English. Bilingual free leaflet for visitors contains a short overview of the exhibition.