72
divers, unfortunately, remained active. It was only in 1970
that they were once more caught in the act and punished
by the seizure of their gear and finds.
In 1969, the Republic Cultural Monument ProtectionDe-
partment of the time in Zagreb, with the support of the
Republic Cultural Activity Advancement Fund, assumed
the coordination of underwater archaeological activities,
concentrating mainly on the seafloor. Henceforth, orga-
nized campaigns commenced in the area of all larger ur-
ban settlements on the Croatian coast. The person most
responsible for this was the Republic Department’s direc-
tor at the time, Vlado Mađarić, and archaeologist Dasen
Vrsalović, who responded to his summons and very qu-
ickly devised a system to research, safeguard and preserve
the Croatian undersea heritage.
Besides coordinating undersea archaeological activity,
increased emphasis was placed on cooperation between
all interested institutions, including the development of
programs, uniform documentation, personnel training,
procurement of equipment and other elements vital to
the system’s proper functioning. This gradually created
the conditions for the relaunch of research at Gnalić. In
the meantime, in 1971, through Ksenija Radulić’s advo-
cacy, the Municipal Council of Biograd na Moru establis-
hed the Biograd na Moru Heritage Museum, following
the tradition of the previous regional museum collection,
in which the finds from Gnalić could be stored. The con-
cept for the first display was devised by Sofija Petricioli.
The fourth research campaign followed in September
1972, and the fifth in September 1973. This renewed
research continued to be organized by the Cultural Mo-
nument Protection Department in Zadar under Ksenija
Radulić’s supervision. Archaeologist MarijanOrlić, appo-
inted by the Republic Cultural Monument Protection
Department, was in charge of the technical aspect of the
undersea tasks. In both campaigns, the organized docu-
mentation and extraction of finds continued, while test
trenches confirmed on multiple occasions that the rese-
arch was nowhere near its end. On 16 and 17 October,
the members of the research teams actively participated
in the shooting of a 27-minute documentary for the se-
ries “Secrets of the Adriatic,” entitled ‘The Gnalić Galley’,
produced by Belgrade Television, and aired on 26 March
1973.
Judging by the existing documentation, research at the
Gnalić site was declared a priority in 1973, with the
allocation of a sum of 70,000.00 Yugoslav dinars. Repu-
blic Cultural Activity Advancement Fund, Milan Prelog
in particular advocated the financing of research. The
results confirmed that the objectives set at the very be-
ginning by Ksenija Radulić were more than justified.
In the final report for 1973, she stated the opinion “that
the value and quantity of data for the history of material
culture in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries
make this site valuable at the global level”, and she once
more confirmed “that integral research into the ship and
Godine 1969. tadašnji je Republički zavod za zaštitu spo-
menika kulture u Zagrebu, uz podršku Republičkog fonda
za unapređivanje kulturnih djelatnosti, preuzeo koordina-
ciju podvodnih arheoloških djelatnosti, koncentrirajući se
poglavito na podmorje. Time su započele organizirane ak-
cije na području svih većih urbanih središta na hrvatskoj
obali. Zasluge za to valja prije svega pripisati tadašnjemdi-
rektoru Republičkog zavoda Vladi Mađariću i arheologu
Dasenu Vrsaloviću, koji se odazvao na njegov poziv te u
kratkom roku osmislio sustav istraživanja, zaštite i očuva-
nja hrvatske podmorske baštine.
Osim na koordiniranju podmorske arheološke djelatno-
sti, inzistiralo se na suradnji svih zainteresiranih ustanova,
razradi programa, ujednačavanju dokumentacije, osposo-
bljavanju kadrova, nabavi opreme i ostalim elementima
važnim za pravilno funkcioniranje sustava. Time su postu-
pno stvoreni i uvjeti za ponovno pokretanje istraživanja na
Gnaliću. U međuvremenu, 1971. godine, zalaganjem Kse-
nije Radulić Skupština općine Biograd naMoru na tradiciji
je dotadašnje područne zbirke osnovala Zavičajni muzej
Biograd na Moru kako bi se u njega smjestili nalazi s Gna-
lića. Koncepciju prvog postava izradila je Sofija Petricioli.
Četvrta istraživačka kampanja uslijedila je u rujnu 1972.,
6. Ksenija Radulić u kadrovima iz dokumentarnog filma
Galija
Gnalić,
snimljenog 1972.
6. Ksenija Radulić in scenes from the documentary “The Gnalić Gal-
ley”, shot in 1972
