The area around present day Stari Grad was settled by the
Neolithic tribes of the
Hvar culture who occupied the island between 3500 and 2500 BC, and who traded with other settlements around the
Mediterranean. Remains of their pottery and other
artifacts have been found, along with that of the
Illyrian tribe that succeeded them. The settlement lay at the lower end of Stari Grad Bay, defended by two strongholds on the north and south hillsides overlooking the harbour (Glavica and Purkin Kuk). In 384 BC, the town was formally founded by
ancient Greeks from the island of
Paros in the
Aegean Sea. They gave the name Faros (ΦΑΡΟΣ) to their new settlement, an independent state permitted to mint its own money. The nearby plain was marked out with roads at right angles, and divided into fields of standard size. The Stari Grad Plain today represents one of the best-preserved examples of ancient Greek agriculture throughout the Mediterranean.
Illyrian king
Agron ruling 250–231 BC. extended his rule over many cities in the
Adriatic and established Illyrian control over
Pharos. In 218 BC, the
Romans defeated the Illyrian army at Pharos during the
Second Illyrian War, and the town was destroyed by the Roman army, but remained under Illyrian control. The town came under permanent Roman control
by force in 168 BC, following the defeat of
Gentius during the
Third Illyrian War. An inscription from the 2nd century BC, refers to the Farians and their delegation to the Greek island of Paros and the oracle at Delphi. It makes mention of the Roman senate and the people (who are) well disposed and benevolent towards the city of Faros from the times of their ancestors. Further inscriptions, mosaics, tombstones, stone reliefs, fine pottery, jewellery, coins, villae rusticae in the Plain tell the story of life in and around the ancient Roman town. The first church was built in the 5th century, in the southeast corner of the town, close to the city walls, on the foundations of a prior Greek house. In the 6th century, a new church was built on the same site, a twin basilica with a baptistry dedicated to St Mary and St John. In the 7th century, following the fall of
Salona, the capital of the
Roman province of Dalmatia, many of its people sought refuge in Faria and other Roman towns in the nearby islands, as noted by the historian
Archdeacon Thomas of Split (1200–1268) in his
Historia Salonitana. Roman Faria was taken over by the Slavs at the beginning of the 8th century. At this point, the town received the name we know it by today –
Hvar (the letter F not being part of the
old Slavic alphabet). During the 10th century, Hvar came under the
Narentines. Pirates from
Omiš on the mainland were raiding the coastal settlements, and new villages grew up in the foothills – Dol, Vrbanj and Pitve. In 1278, the people of Hvar chose to put themselves under the protection of the
Venetian Republic. As part of the contract, they undertook to expand the existing settlement on the south side of the island as a more suitable base for the Venetian fleet. This is the site of the present day
town of Hvar. The old town of Stari Grad, also referred to as "Old Hvar", remained the centre of the most densely populated part of the island, the area surrounding the agricultural plain. During the 16th century, the town was attacked by the
Turks, the first time repulsing them, but in 1571 they lost, and much of the town was burnt down. Following that loss, Stari Grad was slowly rebuilt from the ruins. During the 17th and 18th centuries, prosperity once again grew from sea-trade. The old waterfront (Stara Riva) was extended and the town underwent a major architectural and urban transformation, resulting in the town structure we see today. In 1797
Napoleon overthrew the Venetian Republic, and Hvar briefly became part of the
Austrian Empire. When the French also took over Austria, they conferred the status of an
autonomous province on the town of Stari Grad. With the fall of the
Napoleonic Empire, Stari Grad became part of the
Dalmatian Kingdom, within the larger political body of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. The 19th century was peaceful, and a time of prosperity for the entire island. However, the advent of
phylloxera destroyed the island's grapevines, and the town's sailing vessels could not compete with the new steam ships. Large numbers of people moved away to start a new life elsewhere. Today, Stari Grad is again rebuilding itself, this time with tourism as the main focus. == Culture ==