Professional paper
The earliest occupation of Rača Cave on the island of Lastovo in the context of the Late Neolithic of the eastern Adriatic coast
Ivan Drnić
; Archaeological Museum in Zagreb
Kristina Brkić Drnić
orcid.org/0009-0004-4382-0858
; The Centre for History and Culture of Sisak-Moslavina County
Ana Đukić
orcid.org/0000-0001-5826-3725
Abstract
This paper discusses the earliest phase of occupation in Rača Cave, located in the southeastern part of the island
of Lastovo. To date, Rača Cave is the only known Neolithic site on the island. Although it was the subject of earlier
excavations carried out in the 1940s and 1950s, recent archaeological research conducted by the Archaeological
Museum in Zagreb, in collaboration with affiliated institutions since 2021, has provided new data and archaeological
material. Analysis of the pottery assemblage, which includes sherds decorated in the characteristic style of the
Hvar culture, places this horizon within the Late Neolithic period of the eastern Adriatic coast. This chronology
is further supported by radiocarbon dating. In addition to pottery, the excavations have yielded numerous other
archaeological finds, including stone artefacts, which are also examined in this study.
Keywords
Lastovo, Rača Cave, Late Neolithic, Hvar culture, pottery, stone artefacts
Hrčak ID:
343512
URI
Publication date:
17.1.2026.
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