Ancient Villa in Banje Cove, Rogač

In Banje Cove in Rogač on the island of Šolta, in Split-Dalmatia County, right beside the beach, lie the remains of an ancient villa rustica. They are interesting to walkers along the sea because they show how people lived at this place in the distant past.

Under and inside a house, remains of ancient walls and a cistern of finely coursed stone, lined with a thick layer of waterproof plaster, were visible. Most of the remains were demolished when the former holiday home was built. Today an ancient wall 17 m long and about 0.5 m high is visible, south of the holiday home. During excavation for the foundations of a restaurant, wall foundations, a late antique capital, pottery fragments and small areas of mosaic floor were found. Locals say that walls were also in the sea, which points to a landing place, and to the west graves in amphorae were found. Investigations in 1986 showed that here was a late antique villa rustica from the 3rd and 4th centuries, and in 2011 a mosaic and part of a bath complex with a hypocaust were uncovered. By its position and the mosaic, the villa was probably luxurious.

The site is a protected cultural property and is entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-5931.

Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: DGU (centre of the settlement).