New prehistoric finds from karst caves in Croatia
Lecture Series »World Archaeology Seminars«
»New prehistoric finds from karst caves in Croatia«
Neven Šuica, Hrvoje Cvitanovic | SPELEOLOGICAL CLUB URSUS SPELAEUS, KARLOVAC
During the modern speleological research in Croatia that began in 1949, hundreds of prehistoric, antique and medieval finds were found in the caves and caverns. The cooperation between speleologists and archaeologists is well-established, resulting in the involvement of all relevant institutions and the protection of the archaeological sites on a national level. Today, over 1,000 archaeological cave sites are known in Croatia, with a number of significant remains, including pottery, metals and organic materials. Only a smaller number has been fully or partially explored by archaeologists. Among the more famous sites, we must mention the prehistoric site of Bezdanjača near Vatinovac in the region of Lika, which hid its secret for more than 3,500 years until speleologists descended into it and discovered a unique burial site with more than 200 interred individuals. The lecture will focus on recently explored caves in the region that were investigated by members of the Speleological Club Ursus Spelaeus in cooperation with archaeologists.