Badanj Cave (
Bosnian: ''Pećina Badanj'') is located in Borojevići village near the town of
Stolac
Stolac is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Herzego ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
. This rather small cave has come to public attention after the 1976 discovery of its cave engravings, that date to between 12,000 and 16,000
BC.
Thanks to local natural benefits and preferable composition, topography, climate, hydrography and vegetation and rich hunting grounds have long attracted prehistoric settlers: the region has been settled since antiquity.
The site is rock shelter or overhang recessed beneath a cliff that descends to the right bank of the river
Bregava
The Bregava ( sr-cyrl, Брегава) is a sinking river in Bosnia and Herzegovina that passes through the town of Stolac. It is a left tributary of the Neretva river.
The river Bregava and its buildings - bridges, mills and stamping mills ove ...
.
Two chronologically distinct strata of
Palaeolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός '' palaios'', "old" and λίθος '' lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone to ...
occupation were identified beneath the surface layer. Of particular significance was the discovery of a particular carving of the Badanj site, as it ranks among the oldest works of art in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
. The carving is cut into the diagonal surface of a large polished block of stone, and probably represents a horse seen from the offside flank that has been hit by arrows. Only the rear half of the body survives, with flanks typical for a horse and part of the body; the rest of the drawing has been partly damaged.
The Badanj carvings include depictions of animals and symbols, as is typical of
Mediterranean prehistoric art. The site was dated to the late
Upper Palaeolithic. The cave is part of ''The Natural and Architectural Ensemble of Stolac'', submitted by the Stolac municipality, and the Herzegovina-Neretva county to be recognized a
UNESCO heritage site in 2007 and inducted into
UNESCO's tentative list. It has also been designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2003.
See also
*
List of caves in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Following is a list of caves in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most of the country's caves belong to Dinaric Alps system and are karst caves, with complex karstic features and endemic biodiversity.
See also
* List of karst springs in Bosnia and ...
References
Further reading
* Ivan Lovrenović 2001. ''Bosnia: a cultural history''. New York. New York University Press. p. 13
Badanj Cave
Badanj Cave ( Bosnian: ''Pećina Badanj'') is located in Borojevići village near the town of Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This rather small cave has come to public attention after the 1976 discovery of its cave engravings, that date to betwee ...
Bregava
The Bregava ( sr-cyrl, Брегава) is a sinking river in Bosnia and Herzegovina that passes through the town of Stolac. It is a left tributary of the Neretva river.
The river Bregava and its buildings - bridges, mills and stamping mills ove ...
Geology of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Prehistoric sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Archaeological sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Karst caves of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Caves containing pictograms
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