Osvrt na problem postojanja dalmatinske flote u vrijeme Marcelina i Julija Nepota
A review of the problem of the existence of the Dalmatian fleet in the time of Marcellinus and Julius Nepos

Summary/Abstract: Local historiography has paid little attention to the question of the existence of the Dalmatian fleet during the time of Marcellinus and Julius Nepos and nor offered any systematic analysis. World historiography has shown a little more interest in this question. Most historians have a priori accepted the existence of the fleet, while, in modern historiography, Penny MacGeorge has offered a less accepted interpretation stating that Marcellinus did not own a fleet of warships. In this paper, for the first time, all avaliable sources containing data on naval activities under the control of Marcellinus and Julius Nepos are presented in one place. Through analysis of military operations, the conditions in which they took place as well as the historical context of the Mediterranean world at that time, a possible reinterpretation is offered. Marcellinus' relevance as a military and political factor in the turbulent period of the second half of the 5th century could only be ensured by military forces equally powerful on land at the sea. Marcellinus was able toprotect from devastation his interests in the Roman Empire as well as the province under his rule, only with the possibility of fast transport of troops by ships. Sources on the maritime activities of Julius Nepos are less abundant, and yet they indicate that there is a hugh possibility of the Dalmatian fleet continuing to exist even after the murder of Marcellinus. Julius Nepos took over the imperial power after sailing to the port of the city of Rome, and he also escaped by ship once he lost power. Additionally, the natural resources of the province of Dalmatia along with the probable Salona shipyard created good conditions for shipbuilding. This paper offers a possible solution according to which during Marcellinus' reign there was a strong flotilla stationed in Dalmatia, which, after his assassination, began to gradually lose its strength. However, in 475 AD, it was large enough to transport the troops that accompanied the future Emperor. The original material contained no data on the naval activities of the governors of Dalmatia for years after 475 AD, which may indicate that the naval force was declining.

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