The history of the city of Dubrovnik dates back to the seventh century when a small island named Laus (meaning a rock in Greek) becomes the first settlement. The island, separated by a narrow sea passage, provided greated security and facilitated easier protection. The settlement was in the seventh century populated by the refugees fleeing the Slavs and the Avaris, from the town of Epidaurum , located in the area of today s Cavtat. To this day, the remains of Epidaurum are still under the sea. Later, on the shores of Laus a settlement on the coast emerged in dubrava (oak forest mainly featuring dub – small Mediterranean oak).This is where the Slavic name of Dubrovnik comes from, the name which eventually prevailed over the Roman name Ragusa. Dubrovnik developed into a rich merchant republic.