In September of 2008 remains of a Roman cargo ship from the 1st century
AD were found in Sinja Gorica. According to experts, this is an extremely
important discovery of international significance. The construction of the ship
showed that it was made with a building technique in which iron clamps were
used. This, in fact, represents the missing link in research of the building
technology of Mediterranean-type vessels and the development of shipbuilding in
general.
The river Ljubljanica had always played an important role as a navigable
waterway by which they used to transport cargo to and from Ljubljana. The
discovery of a cargo ship from the time when Ljubljana was called Emona and Vrhnika
Nauportus only further confirms that. In 1840 and 1898, for short periods of
time, even steamboats sailed up the river. In the past Ljubljanica was one of
the main transport routes in this part of Europe. Today, it is –
archeologically speaking – one of the most interesting European rivers; in its
riverbed it hides well preserved witnesses of the past times. So far, Ljubljanica
has shared with us over 6,000 artifacts.