Original scientific paper
Appendix on Prehistoric Hillforts and Mounds in and around the Stari Grad and Jelsa Plains on the Island of Hvar
Branko Kirigin
Nikša Vujnović
Vedran Barbarić
orcid.org/0000-0001-6258-0168
Abstract
The article discusses hillforts, potential hillforts, and around
fifty mounds located within and around Stari Grad and
Jelsa Plains on the island of Hvar. This area covers 10 to 15%
of the island’s surface and contains the largest fertile plain
among all the Adriatic islands. These are the only visible monuments,
which generally could have belonged to the Bronze
and Iron Ages, i.e. the period before the foundation of the
Greek city of Pharos at the site of modern Stari Grad town, at
the very edge of the Stari Grad Plain. Although some have been
known since the time of the Hvar Statute (14th century), only
one mound, namely, one of the smallest ones, has been archaeologically
explored thus far, while minor excavations have
been conducted on the largest one, Purkin Kuk. In addition,
preliminary trenches have been excavated on only one hillfort.
As hillforts, and especially mounds, in Dalmatia appear over a
period of approximately 2500 years and their abundance in the
analysed area is significant, the aim was to show that these sites are a clear indicator that the central northern part of the
island of Hvar was inhabited during the periods in focus and
that hillforts and mounds were of great importance to the indigenous
population. Despite numerous uncertainties encountered
during the study, an attempt was made to provide the
most comprehensive insight into this issue to date.
Keywords
hillforts, mounds, Stari Grad Plain, Jelsa Plain, the island of Hvar, Bronze age, Iron Age.
Hrčak ID:
344324
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2025.
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