TRAGOVI BRONČANODOBNOG SLUŽENJA PEĆINOM SEPAROVAČOM KOD DONJE KLADE
Separovača rock-shelter: Traces of Use in the Bronze Age

Summary/Abstract: A test trench that was excavated in the small rock-shelter Separovača, located near the village of Donja Klada in the north Adriatic littoral, yielded a number of prehistoric pottery fragments. On the basis of analogy with finds from other similar sites in the area, they were estimated to date from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age (here covering approximately the second half of the second millennium and the beginning of the first millennium BC). The finds were badly fragmented and dispersed throughout a disturbed cultural layer some 80 cm thick. This prevented more precise dating of the occupation (or occupations) of the site. The recovered remains (pottery, animal bones and sea shells, traces of hearths), as well as the constricted area of the rock-shelter, suggest its sporadic use as a temporary shelter. Neither by its size and shape, nor by its aspect (entrance facing north) does Separovača invite use as a shelter. Most of the similar unattractive rock-shelters in the area yielded virtually no trace of human occupation in prehistory. In this specific case, its use can be better understood if the local topography is considered. The nearby cove with its fresh-water spring provides a convenient shelter for smaller boats. The steep slopes, though rocky and barren, can nevertheless support goat-herding and some rudimentary agriculture. Traces of a small settlement on the slope above the cove testify that these limited resources were recognized and utilized in prehistory. The rock-shelter itself was never the main focus of human activity; rather, it was a less important element of the local archaeological landscape, welcome as a temporary shelter or a possible hiding place.

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