ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪvhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti θɹˈiː, pɪˈɛɹ bᵻlˈɑːn dᵻskɹˈaɪbd ɪn hɪz wˈɜːk ɑːbzɚvˈeɪʃənz ðæt pˌɪsɐsfˈæltoʊ, ɐ mˈɪkstʃɚɹ ʌv pˈɪtʃ ænd bɪtˈuːmɛn, wʌz jˈuːzd ɪnðə ɹᵻpˈʌblɪk ʌv ɹˈæɡjuːsə nˈaʊ duːbɹˈɑːvnɪk, kɹoʊˈeɪʃə fɔːɹ tˈɑːɹɹɪŋ ʌv ʃˈɪps.
In 1553, Pierre Belon described in his work Observations that pissasphalto, a mixture of pitch and bitumen, was used in the Republic of Ragusa (now Dubrovnik, Croatia) for tarring of ships.