Pannonian Sea and couple other questions...

I wonder if anyone has any information on when Pannonian Sea dried out. I am from Bosnia, and I’ve heard stories that there were some ‘chains’ found on the surrounding mountains, and Osmanagic (Bosnian Pyramid) was looking after the same chains and spheres (there are some in Bosnia that are similar to the spheres in south America) when local population near Visoko told him of pyramid-looking mountain. Those chains according to the story were placed there to hold ships.

As far as I can remember, Pannonian Sea should be dated much earlier then human history, which does not make sense with the claims of the chains.

Another interesting fact is that many fortresses on Dalmatia are places well above current sea level. Current history believes that most of the fortress were built by Romans or some other Illyrian tribes (without providing any clues of the tools used etc.) but no single record is found why docks are placed so high above the sea level and far away from sea.

Any ideas?

Originally posted by vietifulJoe
I wonder if anyone has any information on when Pannonian Sea dried out.

The answer seems to be the Pleistocene:
en.wikipedia.org...

Those dates are 1.8 million to ~10,000 years ago. So homo sapiens was around at that time.

I am from Bosnia, and I’ve heard stories that there were some ‘chains’ found on the surrounding mountains, and Osmanagic (Bosnian Pyramid) was looking after the same chains and spheres (there are some in Bosnia that are similar to the spheres in south America) when local population near Visoko told him of pyramid-looking mountain. Those chains according to the story were placed there to hold ships.

I have seen the spheres in South America, and they weren't used to hold ships.

As far as I can remember, Pannonian Sea should be dated much earlier then human history, which does not make sense with the claims of the chains.

Correct. By 10,000 years ago, the sea would have only been the size of a lake.

Another interesting fact is that many fortresses on Dalmatia are places well above current sea level. Current history believes that most of the fortress were built by Romans or some other Illyrian tribes (without providing any clues of the tools used etc.)

This pattern occurs in other places where there are Roman forts. They always place them up high because that makes them harder to attack, easier to defend, and easier to see the country side.

but no single record is found why docks are placed so high above the sea level and far away from sea.

Any ideas?

I don't see any evidence of docks.

[edit on 19-5-2006 by Byrd]

Hi Byrd,

I did not say that those spheres were used to dock ships, but just that he was looking for chains AND spheres at the same time. (according to his writing)

Sorry, I mistakenly said docks, while meaning the chains. So far there is evidence that ‘chains’ are on any of the mountains, but story is not based only from my birthplace, but is well spread across whole Balkan region.

Also, number of forts are all placed around 40 km away from the Adriatic Sea, which makes me wonder if the level of the sea was moved since their creation. Osmanagic wrote about this in his book. I don’t believe to many things that he wrote, but some of this stuff might have connection to some stories I’ve heard.

Thanks for info on Pannonian Sea. I should use wiki before asking the question.

I don't think there is any evidence that sea levels in the Adriatic have changed significantly in the last 6,000 years. Maybe a few metres either way but not to the extent of spreading 40km inland..... But the presence of hill forts inland is nothing strange at all - all the British hill forts are well inland. Hill tops are the best places to defend, as well as offering good line of sight. Visocica was used by the Romans as a signal post because fires lit there could be seen from a long way away (up or down the valley).

Higher sea levels probably existed back in the last Interglacial, the Eemian (about 115,000 years ago), when we think temperatures were warmer than today and there was less polar ice. Obviously the geography of the region has changed considerably since then.

As for the chains - why is it assumed that they must have been used for tying up ships? My guess it that (if they exist) they have a much more recent origin and different purpose altogether.

Be nice to see photo of one though, and know the exact context in which they are found.

Originally posted by vietifulJoe
Sorry, I mistakenly said docks, while meaning the chains. So far there is evidence that ‘chains’ are on any of the mountains, but story is not based only from my birthplace, but is well spread across whole Balkan region.

Do you have some links that I can look at (even in your language... pictures would tell me something even if I can't read it.)

Also, number of forts are all placed around 40 km away from the Adriatic Sea, which makes me wonder if the level of the sea was moved since their creation.

The Romans themselves wrote about how they set up forts and where they set them up. If these are Roman, then there's some record of them.

I think there's another answer for their placement, simply because in order for a sea to evaporate that much since Roman times, there would have to have been a very severe and long drought in the area. Given that it's an intermountain area, you'd end up with something more like the Dead Sea here in the US (a dry, salty bed where little vegetation can grow.)

Now, the climate DID change in your area during 15,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago. Things got warmer and rain patterns shifted. 5,000 years is long enough to dry out a shallow sea, but what's left is very salty and alkaline and not many plants grow there. It takes a long time to get good soil covering it.

The only book I have on people of that age (10,000 BC to 5,000 BC) only covers the Mediterranean area. But you might check university web pages online to see which of your local universities have books about the geology of the region.

It looks like it was well studied, though there's not that much information in English.