cave log

Cave Map:

ba03_zelena.pdf
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Location:  Mostar
Entrance Orientation: S
Entrance Altitude: 600 m asl 
Cave Formation: Horizontal

Main Research Years: 1995

Occupation Eras and Dates:


Sources:
Benac, A.  1956.  Prehistoijska gradina Zecovi kod Prijedora - Lad Gradina [rehistorique de Zecovi pres de Prijedor.  Glasnik Zemaljskog Muzeja U Sarajevu XI, 147-166.

chronicles

Cave Description: The cave is above the source of the river Buna, which is locaated South-east of the town of Mostar, in thecave there are two distinct caves,  ‘big Zelena’ and ‘little Zelena’.  The front of the cave is wide and then it narrows towards the back.  The front and rear chambers of the cave are marked by a large stone, this also marks the inhabited and uninhabited parts of the cave.

Research Chronicles and Data: Most prehistoric activity seems to have taken place in ‘big Zelena’.  Two trenches (E and F) were dug in the front part of the cave, in front of the large stone, but they were void of any archaeology and just contained layers of pebbles and dust. Trenches A and C at the very rear of the cave provided the best evidence of prehistoric activity, while trenches either side of the rear large stone had less.  The large stone, for this reason, seems to mark a division of usage within the cave, although there does not appear to be a fixed focal point of the cave.

The area behind the large stone slopes gently to the southwest.  The depth of the cultural layers is 0.6-0.7m in trench A and 0.8-0.95m in trench C, cultural layers in trenches B and D are less than 0.4m. Trench C which was located behind the central rock had the largest ash pile.

Stone and bone tools were very rare finds,  a stone pestle was discovered and 10 fragments of millstones in the different layers.  The lack of lithic debris, as well as stone and bone tools, indicates that this was not a normal domestic habitation site, however ceramic fragments do indicate a continuous usage of the site.

In trench C, three strata were identified due to classification of pottery types-  I, II, III.
I-  0-0.25 m; coarse ceramics with no decoration in light or dark grey
II- 0.25-0.40 m; Black ceramics, very smooth (rarely dark grey or brown), mostly high bowls with accentuated curves.  Decorated with shaped garlands, half circles and stripes of different ribbons are incised or hollow. We also find red inserts and red painted bands. We usually find, next to these objects, the coarse ceramic such as that, decorated.
III-  0.40-0.95 m; richest cultural layer; Impresso ware with rich diversity of decoration; find also monochrome objects but in lesser numbers.

Cave Uses: Agropastoral (A.a) - The excavator interprets this cave as a temporary habitat used during winter days or when torrents swelled at the foot of the hill. However, the large amount of ash and the even spread of it across the cave indicates seasonal agropastoral usage in the regular burning of animal dung.