The Elafiti archipelago of Dubrovnik is situated in the south of the Adriatic Sea and is surrounded by a crystal-clear sea. The rocky coast is richly indented and features many islands and islets. The archipelago is blessed with a lush subtropical plant cover and a mild Mediterranean climate. Over the centuries, it has preserved its architectural heritage. The Elafiti islands have been a favorite destination for entertainment, pleasure, and business for Dubrovnik nobles since ancient times.
The southernmost island group of Croatia is located between the Lapada peninsula in the southeast, Mljet, and the Pelješac peninsula in the northwest. The archipelago is protected by Veliki and Mali Vratnik, which are situated in the Koločep and Mljet channels. The Veliki Vratnik passage is 700 meters wide and 51 meters deep, situated between the islands of Jakljan and Olipe. There is a lighthouse on the island of Olipa. The Mali Vratnik Pass is 300 meters wide and 19 meters deep, located between Olipe and Cape Vratnik.
The best navigation direction from the Vratnik passage to Gruž can be monitored from the heights of Polacica and Sutvrač on Lopud. These locations, with their little churches built on high ground, represent strategic positions important for controlling traffic routes, waterways, and island communications.
The archipelago consists of 13 islands and islets, or 8 islands and 5 islets, not counting ridges, rocks, and ridges. The islands and islets are Daksa, Koločep, Sv. Andrija, Lopud, Ruda, Sipan, Mishnjak, Jakljan, Kosmeč, Golec, Crkvina, Tajan, and Olipa.
Koločep outer rocks include Mishnjak, which is only 13 meters high and named after a rodent. The name of the island of Jakljan – Insula Liciniana is derived from the name of Emperor Licinius (around 250-325). There was a church on the islet of Crkvina. Tajan got its name from its position, and it means an island that closes or hides a bay. The name Olipa is derived from the word ‘alupa’, which means wing or extreme position.
There are only three inhabited islands in the southernmost and most beautiful part of the Adriatic Sea, which are Koločep, Lopud, and Šipan. It is believed that the name of the archipelago comes from the Greek word “elaphos, elaphitides,” which means a land rich in deer. In mythology, the deer symbolizes lush forests and groves dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis or Roman Diana, the protectors of hunting. Gaius Plinius Secundus Maior mentioned the Deer Islands in the 1st century in his work “Naturalis Historia” in the 37th volume and referred to them as the Elaphites, the land of the deer.
Another explanation for the name’s origin is its association with the Elaphe “quatuorlineata”, a non-venomous snake found on all the Elaphite islands.
No traces of deer were found on the Elafite Islands, but cow-suckers can be found more often along the borders and dolci. The Elaphites cover a total area of 90 km2, out of which the islands themselves make up 30 km2. The islands have a population of approximately 700 people. These islands are important natural reserves of biological and landscape diversity, with a relief that has a Dinaric direction from northwest to southeast.
Cretaceous rocks consist of limestone and dolomite. In the valleys, there are karst fields and ponds, which are the most densely populated areas. However, the fertile land is scarce. The water in the area is predominantly oily and impermeable, reddish-brown, and poor in above-ground water but rich in underground water with salty springs.
The outer sides of the island are steep due to abrasion, scratches, pits and caves, while the inner parts are more gentle, with numerous sheltered coves where idyllic settlements are located. Among the caves, the one on Ruda stands out, as well as Šipanska half-cave Šupljara or Medvjeđa Cave on Cape Prtuša.
The Elafite islands have several peaks, with the highest being Velji Vrh on Šipan at 234 meters, followed by Katine Staje on Jakljan at 222 meters, Polacica on Lopud at 210 meters, Olipa on the island of the same name at 206 meters, and Križ on Koločep at 125 meters.
The climate on the Elafite islands is Mediterranean, also known as an olive climate, with warm and dry summers and mild and wet winters. The temperature variation is not large, and the summers have plenty of clear skies. The islands are under maritime influence, which means more precipitation, higher temperatures, and less wind. Winter is mild and wet, while summer is warm and dry. The average annual temperature is 16.2 °C. The warmest months are July and August, and the coldest is February. The islands have a lot of sunny hours, around 2,584, or an average of 215 sunny days per year.
The sea surrounding the Elafite islands is warm and influenced by currents, with no inflow of fresh water. It moderates the high temperature in summer, which reaches up to 25 °C on the surface and warms the air in winter. Salinity is highest in summer and lowest in winter. The water is transparent up to 16.6 meters deep, and in some areas, it can be seen up to 50 meters deep.
The settlements on the islands are situated in sheltered bays, which protect them from winter gales and southerly winds but expose them to the summer mistral. The average amount of precipitation per year is around 1,260 mm, and snowfall is rare.
THEN AND NOW
The Elaphites archipelago has a rich and ancient history. The first traces of human settlement date back to prehistoric times, with Illyrian mounds and forts found on Šipan. Pottery was discovered in Polačica on Lopud, while coins from the Hellenistic era were found in Koločep. The islands were inhabited by the Illyrian Plereji tribe, which was later conquered by the Ardijes and Enhellenians in the 3rd century BC.
Greek influence is evident in many island names, such as Elaphites (elaphos means deer), Gypanon (eagle’s nest), Skopelos, Mali and Velki Skupio (beach), Aigialos, Igo and Igalo (shore, beach). The Roman Empire also left its mark, with names such as Lakljan (named after Emperor Licinius), Prusa (named after Pertundo), Laba and Labes (named after the rock), Šunj (named after bisci-une, or snake), Secan, Castanus is known to have Roman origins.
Today, remnants of the Roman era can still be seen on the Elaphites. These include the stone remains of a rustic villa on Šipan, tombstones and stone reliefs on Lopud, and the strait between Šipan and Jakljan known as Pompey’s Gate. Fragments of ancient ceramics have been discovered in various locations, including a field on Šipan, the road from Dubrava to Dol, and Biskupovo and Kala Duha.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Roman inscription “MENVS HIC VIR” (This is my choice) was built into the house of Đura Margaretić in Šipanska Luka.
Several artifacts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, including fragments of an amphora, a bronze hook, a bronze needle for mending nets, weights for nets, and pots of marble sarcophagi, were discovered in Donji Čel on Koločep. In 1969, the ancient site of Igalo in Donji Čelo was investigated, revealing a large rectangular building with a length of 60 meters and a width of about 10 meters. The walls, which are 60 cm thick with partially preserved plaster, reach a height of 1 to 2 meters in some areas. The explored remains of the Roman building were likely part of a larger complex. A significant amount of amphorae, amphora lids, and pithos were discovered as movable archaeological material, leading Marin Zaninović to conclude that there were basement rooms for storing wine or oil (cella vinaria or cella olearia).
During the civil war, after the collapse of the prog triumvirate in 49 BC, fights occurred between Caesar’s and Pompey’s supporters, which affected Dalmatia. Salona and Epidaurus were loyal to Caesar, while others supported Pompey. Due to its loyalty to Caesar, Epidaurus was made a colony. When Pompey’s legate Mark Octavius attempted to conquer all of Illyricum after the battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, he besieged Epidaurus. Caesar’s general Vatinius was in the port of Brindisi with his fleet when he learned about the siege of Epidaurus. He decided to prevent Octavius from conquering it, taking refuge in the port of Tauris, and intending to ambush Octavius. Octavius followed him, attempting to defeat him. Although Vatin’s fleet was weaker, he still won by sneaking through a difficult-to-see strait and eluding Octavius. Octavius then left the Adriatic and went to Africa. A. Hirtius writes about this conflict in De Bello Alexandrino, and it is often mentioned that the battle took place near the island of Scedra, south of Hvar. However, this is less likely due to the location of the island of Scedra and the lack of a port. Hirtius writes that the battle took place during stormy weather. Scedro is heavily exposed to waves on the open sea, while Šipanska Luka, near which Vatinije took shelter, is protected from southerly winds. The southwestern entrance of Šipanska Luka has been called Bocca di Pompeo since ancient times, and the bull, Taurus, is depicted on the coat of arms and seal of the island.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Elaphites, a group of islands, are assumed to have been a part of Dubrovnik since ancient times. The Slavs migrated to the Elaphites in the 7th century, and an Avar-Slavic bronze belt ornament with a griffin from the 8th century was discovered on the southern part of Sutulija hill in Šipan. The first pre-Romanesque, early Christian sacral buildings were constructed on the islands between the end of the 8th and the beginning of the 9th century. These buildings are characterized by lezene – vertical shallow wall protrusions in the form of pilasters without bases and capitals, which are connected by blind arches into blind arcades. They are single-nave, quadrangular, dome-type with semicircular or rectangular apses from the outside or inside and a barrel vault. They have a free floor plan and are oriented in the west-east direction. These buildings were built using a primitive processing technique of rough, simple, uncarved stone of irregular shape, and smaller dimensions, and were bound with plaster. They are covered with thin stone slabs.
Additionally, Austrian writer Hedwig Gräfin Schaffgotsch wrote a book called “Paths of Destiny: 1938-1946,” in which she describes her stay in Šipanska Luka with her husband. The book was published by the Croatian-Austrian Society from Zagreb. In 2009, British writer and sailor Andrew Smyth wrote the novel “Caesar’s Passage,” which was set in Šipan. While sailing to the Elaphites, he found inspiration for the novel in the battle between Caesar and Pompey. The book was printed in London in 2002, but unfortunately, it has not been translated into Croatian.