Heritage by Country / Bosnia and Herzegovina
Badanj - Palaeolithic Discovery
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About the site
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borojevici, near Stolac
Type: Ancient Site
Epoch:
Theme: Antiquity
World Heritage:
The archaeological site of Badanj is a semi-cave by a shallow recess in a cliff that rises steeply on the right bank of the Bregava.
Beneath a thin surface layer, two chronologically distinct strata of Paleolithic settlement were identified. The site has been dated to the Upper Palaeolithic period, between 13,000 and 2,000 Before Christ. It was discovered in 1976. The carving found by the cave was the first of its kind to be discovered on the eastern Adriatic coast.
The discovery of a drawing carved into the rock at the Badanj site is of particular significance since it is one of the oldest examples of art in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The drawing is partly damaged. It is cut into the diagonal surface of a large polished stone block that has broken off from the stone massif forming the cave. The drawing is located by the south-western edge of the rock, and probably represents the figure of a horse seen from the offside flank that has been hit by arrows. The Badanj carving includes an animal figure and symbols typical of Mediterranean Palaeolithic art.
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