February the 28th, 2025 – Another incredible archaeological discovery for Croatia as Šćedro island has given up a secret that has us rethinking local history.
As Morski writes, the recent results of archaeological research on Šćedro island, a beautiful emerald located just south of Hvar, have totally blown the profession away.
An archaeological discovery has shed new light on Šćedro island after research was carried out inside Ratina špilja (cave) on the southeastern part of the island. It has caused a rethink of the history of human existence on the island. Evidence of life on Šćedro island from the late Neolithic period has now been confirmed. This archaeological discovery has proven that human life existed on the island as many as 3,000 years before we once thought.
Back in 1923, famous Hvar-born archaeologist Grga Novak discovered the first traces of human activity in Ratina špilja after coming upon various small ceramic fragments which dated from the Iron Age. However, when researchers from Kantharos (with the support of the Friends of Šćedro Island Association and the Municipality of Jelsa) launched new excavations, they had no idea that their findings would fundamentally change our picture of prehistoric life on this island.
During a short excavation in the excavation measuring only 1.5 x 1.5 metres, an impressive 250 fragments of ceramic vessels, 97 fragments of animal bones, 109 shells and sea snails, and 4 flint artefacts were discovered. Charcoal samples were taken for radiocarbon dating, which will further confirm the age of the finds.
The biggest surprise of the research being carried out on Šćedro island is certainly the ceramic finds, which have been analysed in detail. 67 fragments have diagnostic elements that indicate characteristic hemispherical bowls with a ring-shaped rim and partially smoothed walls. These vessels are decorated with incised geometric motifs, which unambiguously connects them to the very horizon of Hvar’s culture, precisely dated way back to the 5th millennium BC (5000 – 4300 BC).
Such formations and decorations are best known from Grapčeva špilja on the island of Hvar, one of the key Neolithic sites in the entire eastern Adriatic region. The latest archaeological discovery shows that Ratina špilja on Šćedro island was also inhabited at the same time as some of the most important prehistoric sites in the region. That opens up a number of new questions about the island’s role in the prehistoric network of settlements and ancient trade routes.
Another significant aspect of the research is the origin of the raw material used for lithic artefacts (stone and flint tools). Preliminary analyses indicate that the material was probably transported from other Adriatic islands and mainland areas, possibly also from locations across the wider Adriatic.
This confirms the thesis that even back during the Neolithic period, there were at least some developed trade and maritime networks connecting Hvar, Korčula, Pelješac and the wider eastern Adriatic. Šćedro, located in the middle of these important maritime routes, appears to have been a key hub for the communication and trade of prehistoric communities.
Although the current research has only covered a small part of the cave, the quantity and significance of this archaeological discovery suggests that the Šćedro island cave site was either continuously inhabited or used for a long time as a seasonal shelter. The next phase of the research involves expanding the excavations to the access plateau, which together with the cave, the proximity of the sea and the fertile soils make this micro-location an excellent place for the life of prehistoric communities. Additional research could also confirm the existence of a later phase of the Hvar-Nakovan culture, the traces of which still remain insufficiently explored.
This archaeological research not only changes our understanding of Hvar culture, but also provides a deeper insight into the life of prehistoric communities on the entire eastern Adriatic coast.
