The period of the
first millennium B.C is marked in Škocjan by some of
the most exceptional archaeological relics in central
Europe. We can link these relics mostly to the religion
(cult activities) that was probably the main driving
force behind the affluence of the inhabitants of the
Škocjan area. The most important sites in this area
include the Tominčeva Cave, Mušja jama,
the burial ground beneath Brežec and the Skeletna Cave.
When giving an overview
of the archaeological sites in the Škocjan Caves Regional
Park and their importance, we have to emphasize the
elements that distinguish Škocjan and its immediate
surroundings in various archaeological periods. It
is therefore appropriate to determine what is that
special identity or unique feature that is evidenced
by the early human settlement of this area. What is
surprising even when superficially reviewing the sites
is their large number. On a relatively small area in
the immediate vicinity of Škocjan and the entry of
the Reka River into the underground, which in the east
also includes the area of the fertile Vremska Valley
and its surroundings, we can find over 30 archaeological
sites, mostly in caves.
Among the numerous
sites in this area, some of the most important ones
must be mentioned.
Archaeological finds discovered
in the Tominčeva Cave and Roška
špilja date back to
the Copper Age and Early Bronze Age (approximately
between 3,000 and 1,700 B.C.). The finds from this
cave demand modern evaluation. This holds especially
true for the copper axe and dagger with handle from
the Tominčeva Cave that are not typical settlement
finds characteristic of that period. Such finds occur
much more frequently in the wider area of Central Europe
compared with the so-called individual (e.g. aquatic)
finds that modern archaeological research more commonly
links to the sacrificial activities of the Bronze Age.
Given the subsequent use of the Tominčeva Cave as a
burial site and in the Late Antiquity, evidently as
Christian sacral area (evidenced by the discovery of
the Christogram dating back to 4 – 5 century A.D.),
this is probably no coincidence. The modern understanding
of the functional use of the Tominčeva Cave is thus
more inclined towards its sacred role from the earliest
traces of human inhabitation.
The
Velika jama na Prevali or the
Mušja jama is a 50-metre
deep abyss to the south of the village of Škocjan.
Discovered in the rubble on the bottom of the
abyss was an extraordinary quantity of
mainly bronze and rare iron artefacts that were for
the most part broken, some of them even partly
melted due to their exposure to the fire. Of
over 1,000 finds, the predominant artefacts are
weapons: spearheads, axes, swords, helmets
and fragments of bronze vessels have been found in
great numbers. They date back to the period between
the 8th and 12th centuries B.C., evidently the
remnants of sacrificial rites and cult rituals
performed above the Mušja jama by the inhabitants
of the area. It is believed that some artefacts
are of the Mediterranean origin whilst the others
are of the Pannonian origin. There was a religious
site of trans-regional importance above the Mušja jama in the above-mentioned period. Finds testify
to the breadth of its scope, reaching an area
stretching from the Pannonia plains to central
Italy. The prosperity of the community that inhabited
the area of Škocjan and its surroundings is the
result of the control it exercised over such
an important religious site.
The Mušja jama, an over
50-metre deep abyss. Discovered in the rubble
on the bottom of the abyss was an extraordinary
quantity of mainly bronze and rare iron artefacts,
mostly weapons. They date back to the period
between 8th and 12th centuries B.C., evidently
the remnants of sacrificial rites and cult
rituals performed above the Mušja jama by the
then inhabitants of the area.
There was a religious site of
trans-regional importance above the Mušja jama in the
above-mentioned period, its scope reaching an area
stretching from the Pannonia plains to central Italy
and Greece.
The most important burial site from that period
is the one beneath Brežec with 325 urn graves.
Older graves from the 10th and 11th centuries B.C.
contained iron artefacts (blades, axes), which
is proof of the presence of this metal as early
as 200 years prior to the widespread use of iron
in the Central Europe. Most of the graves beneath
Brežec date back to the 8th and 9th centuries B.C.
Exceptional funerary goods in men's graves are
swords that were only rarely discovered in graves
dating from this period. The period of burying
the dead beneath Brežec mostly coincides with the
age of artefacts discovered in the Mušja jama.
The
importance of Škocjan probably decreased during
the Iron Age since the indicators of human presence
after the 7th century B.C. are rarer. However,
life in these parts did not entirely fade away,
which is testified to by a grave with a ceramic
ribbed situla from Škocjan from the 6th century
B.C. and some exceptional finds such as the little
treasure hoard from Škocjan, including numerous
items of jewellery, such as necklaces, bracelets,
pendants and amber beads dating back to 400 B.C.,
discovered by accident beside the southern wall
of the Škocjan hill fort.
The second simultaneous find of exceptional
importance was discovered in the Skeletna Cave. On
the upper rim of the bronze vessel found in one of
the graves, there is an engraved inscription in early
Venetian letters .o..s.tiiare.i., which represents
the oldest text found in Slovenia. This find ties Škocjan
to the Venetian territory of North-East Italy in the
4th century B.C. and is indicative of the early use
of writing that was in those times used mainly for
cult purposes.
The engraved inscription .o..s.tiiare.i.
discovered in the Skeletna Cave represents the oldest
text found in Slovenia.
The period of the first millennium
B.C. is thus the period marked in Škocjan by exceptional
archaeological relics without rival in the territory
of Slovenia and far beyond it. We can tie these relics
mostly to the cult sphere that was probably the main
driving force behind the affluence of the inhabitants
of the Škocjan area. The settlement was not interrupted
with the onset of the Roman authority in the Škocjan
area; however, the archaeological indicators attesting
it are much scarcer. Among rare finds, only a few deserve
special mention, namely the dedicatory inscription
to Emperor Augustus from Škocjan and an early Christian
Christogram found in the Tominčeva Cave.
Prepared by: Borut
Peric, Samo Šturm
Sources and literature:
Turk, P. 2003, Arheologija, Park Škocjanske
jame, Monografija, str. 44-44
