6 the Early Holocene Occupation of Caves in the Balkans Frank

130 6 The Early Holocene Occupation Of Caves In The Balkans Frank Falkenstein Introduction in the Dinarian and Istrian zones. The frequent but The Balkan called landscape between the short time occupation of caves in the mountain area Alps and the Black Sea coast is stretching across the seems to be connected with transhumant livestock countries Bulgaria, Albania and the new states of husbandry. In the Bronze and Iron Ages occupation former Yugoslavia. A large part of this region is activities in caves must be regarded as exceptional. covered with tertiary folded mountains, which are Different from the Alpine area and the low mountain disrupted and margined by fluvial basins. The ranges of central Europe, the Balkan area seems to mountain ranges predominantly consisting of lack caves, which can be identified as special places limestone from the Jurassic and Cretaceous period for sacrifice and burial. Likewise, the absence of a compose a transition zone between the developed rock art in caves and abris is notable. Mediterranean and a sub continental climate. Numerous rock paintings in the Magura Cave in Notably the southern parts of the mountainous Bulgaria seem to represent a long term but singular region, situated in the Mediterranean clime, have local tradition of Metal Ages. created karst formations with numberless caves, which most frequently occur in the Dinarian and Methodology Istrian karst alongside the Adriatic Sea. That is the reason why in these areas by far most of the caves This contribution is dealing with the have been investigated by archaeologists, whereas in socioeconomic function of caves in the Mesolithic the continental areas of the western Balkan and in and Neolithic periods of the Balkan area in its Bulgaria only a couple of cave stations have been broader sense. In approaching this topic, it would be excavated. But the state of research is likewise very helpful to compare the archaeological material dissatisfying because the excavations of cave sites of caves with that of open-air settlements in order to are often not or insufficient published. The show their similarities and differences. Mesolithic period representing the most ancient From the methodical point of view, a wide culture of man in the Holocene is sparsely found range of natural, topographical, and archaeological within the Balkan area. The bigger concentration of aspects can be analyzed, such as the wider natural Mesolithic sites can be observed along the Adriatic settings of cave sites, access to special environments, coast, where settlements are frequently encountered local topography as well as sedimentary processes in caves. This general pattern of occupation behavior within the caves, various archaeological features and continued up to the Neolithic period. The Early finds coming from settlement activity, burials, or Neolithic Impresso culture is predominantly known ritual acts. from cave stations. Considerable stratigraphies Unfortunately, the conditions for such revealing several cultural layers demonstrate investigations are far from optimal. The caves of our sequences of long and dense occupations. survey area are in the majority of cases prospected Particularly caves close to the shore of the Adriatic by thin layers - hardly approving a laminar Sea have been occupied intensively till the Late observation of features. The archaeological finds are Neolithic Hvar culture. In contrast, caves in the inner often selectively recorded, and topographic Balkan area played a minor role as dwellings. The information about the surroundings of caves is Early Neolithic Starčevo culture of the central scarce. The efforts of the excavators generally aim at Balkan area is nearly exclusive represented by open- the cultural classification of layers within the land settlements. And for the Early Neolithic of stratigraphies of caves and less at reconstructing Bulgaria multilayer settlements situated in lowlands their wider socioeconomic use and function. An can be regarded as the characteristic occupation aggravating circumstance is the fact that open-air pattern. In the developed Copper Age the importance sites are poorly preserved in the mountainous karst of caves as permanent settlements decreased as well 131 landscape and therefore the original settlement The Mesolithic of the Balkan and Adriatic pattern is at best partial reconstructible. areas emerged from the younger Palaeolithic cultural Albeit the subsequent inquest comprizes 44 substrate as hunter gatherer groups adapting to the cave sites with traces of Mesolithic or Neolithic changed Post-Glacial environment. occupation, only a handful intensely investigated Thereby the identification of the Mesolithic sites are yielding results of the required quality. remains in most regions of the Balkans is The well known Early Holocene cave sites problematical. Most frequently found are sites in the between the eastern fringe of the Alps and the Black peri-Mediterranean area of the eastern Adria, where Sea are very unequally dispersed over different they range in Istria, Dalmatia, and Montenegro from mountainous zones of the Balkan area. Just beyond the islands to the littoral and up to the hinterland the area of our consideration lies the Trieste karst in (Malez 1979, 294-295; Müller 1994, fig. 78). Only a northeast Italy, where groundbreaking investigations few Mesolithic sites could be detected in the inner of cave archaeology have been undertaken by mountainous zone of the Balkan area (Srejović 1989, Emanuela Montagnari Kokelj and her colleagues fig. 1, 485-490). From the chronological point of (see Kokelje 2002). A focus lies on the karst view an Early Mesolithic Sauveterrien is landscapes of Dalmatia and Istria in Croatia (Fig. distinguished from a Late Mesolithic Castelnovien, 6.1). Particularly on the east Adriatic Islands, along characterized by microlithic industries (Müller 1994, the cliffy coasts, and in the coastal hinterland 196-197). A concentration of Mesolithic open-air numerous caves have been investigated [1-25] (all sites extends along the Serbian and Romanian banks numbers in square brackets refer to the catalogue of of the Danube in the microregion of the Iron Gate cave sites, see below). A smaller number of cave (Srejović 1989, 482-485; Boronéant 1996). sites, and some of them of great importance, is Unfortunately, this zone is already situated at the situated in the low mountain range of Herzegovina periphery of our considerations. [26-9] and Montenegro [30-4]. Likewise, some Even if there are hardly any radiocarbon Neolithic cave sites are located in the mountainous dates available for the Early Mesolithic, the Late zone of Albania [35-40]. From Bulgaria very few Mesolithic in the east Adriatic hinterland can be caves with Neolithic occupation [41-4] are known limited by data gained in the Odmut Cave site [33] and they were barely investigated in recent times. between approximately 6500 and 5500 B.C. In the From other regions of the Balkan area, which are first half of the 6th millennium B.C. a broad likewise rich of caves, we miss evidence of a overlapping between the indigenous Mesolithic systematic occupation of caves in the Mesolithic and culture of Castelnovien and the Early Neolithic Neolithic periods. Impresso culture can be presumed (Müller 1994, figs. 76, 197). East Adriatic Zone With the Early Neolithic Impresso culture a farming population appeared for the first time The east Adriatic zone is bordered by the practising crop cultivation, livestock husbandry, and Adriatic Sea in the west and by the ridges of the producing pottery. The Impresso culture is mainly Dinarids in the east, which frame the watershed to spread along the coastal belt of the eastern Adriatic the Danube area (Fig. 6.1). The Dinarids form a Sea and in its nearby hinterland (Batović 1979, map range of fold mountains comprising of limestones 7; Müller 1994, fig. 3). In particular Johannes Müller and dolomites with distinctive karst formations. recently devoted a comprehensive study to the While the karst mountains are falling steeply into the material, the chronology, and the economy of the sea in southern Dalmatia, central and northern Impresso culture (Müller 1994). Regardless of its Dalmatia, and the Peninsula of Istria are featuring inner development the Impresso culture is treated wide limestone plateaus and coastal plains of alluvial here as a chronological entity. According to the origin. Countless rocky islands are stretching radiocarbon dates the absolute chronology of the offshore the east Adriatic coast. The karst islands culture ranges from ca. 6100 to 5500 B.C. (Müller and the coastal mountain range exhibit caves, 1994, 182-185, fig. 76). rockshelters, and dolines delivering traces of The transition to the Middle Neolithic in the occupation from the Palaeolithic up to the historical east Adriatic zone took place about the middle of the periods. 6th millennium B.C. and is marked by the appearance of the Danilo culture. This culture evolved from the Chronology Impresso tradition, but shows some new cultural attributes (Batović 1979, 525-574, map 8; Müller 132 1994, 187-195). As the pottery shapes reveal, an Natural caves are abound in all altitudes in uninterrupted development characterized the the karstic massifs. For this reason the position of transition to the Late Neolithic Hvar culture, which occupied caves above sea level could yield clues could have extended from the late 6th millennium to about forms of land use in both the Mesolithic and the first half of the 5th millennium B.C. With the the Neolithic periods. Cave sites are scattered across Hvar culture the indigenous genesis of the east different altitudes starting from the sea level up to a Adriatic Neolithic comes to an end (Batović 1979, height above 800 m, but two aggregations are 633). roughly perceptible (Fig. 6.1). One focus lies on coastal caves with altitudes mostly beneath 100 m Topography And Geography and sporadic up to 200 m ASL. The second and larger group of caves spans between 300 and 700 m The comparatively good state of research in ASL; here an intended connection to the the east Adriatic area permits a quantitative mountainous subsistence area is obvious.

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