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Late
Neolithic - Hvar culture
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Layers
that we attribute to Hvar culture, which we identify with the Late
Neolithic of Vela Cave, are up to 0.6-1.0 m thick. These layers
were encountered at a depth of approximately 1.6 m in the central
part of the cave, directly overlying the strata with Vela Luka painted
pottery. Accumulations that belong to this latest Neolithic phase
yielded a huge number (several hundred thousand) of potsherds, worked
stones, bones and plentiful food remains, indicating extraordinary
intensity of all kinds of human activities. We still do not know
which reasons were responsible for abrupt population increase and
a more frequent use of the cave. An assumption involves climatic
change (warming) which was favorable to population increase, and
which once again encouraged intensive exchange of goods.
Like in all other Neolithic-Eneolithic cultures, reconstruction
of material and spiritual culture of specific periods is based on
potsherds. Some of the vessel shapes and techniques are strongly
connected with the previous phase, i.e., the Vela Luka painted pottery
culture. Black burnished objects, carinated shapes, production technology,
as well as some of the decorative motifs, are simply a carry-over
from that phase. The same is true for various variants of light
colored burnished vessels. Similarity is so obvious that it strongly
suggests ethnic continuity. As opposed to that, the Middle Neolithic
painted pottery has little influence on the Late Neolithic developments.
Light colored background surface and resistant dyes are no longer
used.
We divided the Late Neolithic of Vela Cave into four stages of development.
The first or early stage is related to the earlier phase by a number
of decorative motifs and other attributes (hanging triangles filled
with incised lines, plastic appliqué, Danilo rhyta). From
the very beginning, however, this stage exhibits virtually all of
the attributes characteristic of the later, classic stage. Differences
are visible in initial simplicity of shapes and in relatively numerous
simple decorative techniques, most important of which is incision.
Painting and “grooves” will become fully developed during
the second or classic stage. This period marks the qualitative peak
of life in Vela Cave with regard to relative frequency of decoration
and burnishing, vessel shapes, decorative techniques and distinctive
decorative motifs. The most characteristic objects of this stage
-- and of this culture as a whole -- are black, highly burnished
bowls, decorated by countless variants of spiral motif, which is
executed by incised outlining of a non-polished, red painted decoration.
Decorative effect can be enhanced by filling of the decorated zone
with tiny incisions, or by covering of a larger surface with red
paint, in sharp contrast to the remaining glossy black burnished
surface. The third or late stage marks the beginning of the end
of Hvar culture, which is foreshadowed by increasingly frequent
appearance of very carefully executed channeling on highly burnished
black vessels. The dominant shape is a deep bowl with cylindrical
or concave neck, often with a subcutaneously pierced lug. This is
accompanied by simplification or disappearance of other decorative
techniques as well as reduction and simplification of all decorative
motifs. Black burnished wares are still very common and just as
carefully made as in the previous stage. During the fourth, final
stage, drastic simplification of shapes, techniques and motifs takes
place. There is a marked reduction of fine burnishing and an overall
drop in number of finds.
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| Stage |
No: |
Coarse |
Polished |
ZSpf |
Plzd |
Dln |
LSpf |
Kre |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
| IV. |
303 |
217 |
86 |
11 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
9 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
| III. |
647 |
485 |
162 |
12 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
13 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| II. |
519 |
367 |
152 |
17 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
35 |
25 |
8 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
| I. |
133 |
66 |
47 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
15 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Total: |
1582 |
1135 |
447 |
48 |
24 |
13 |
10 |
24 |
70 |
41 |
10 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
%
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100 |
/ |
/ |
/ |
/ |
/ |
/ |
/ |
4.4 |
2.6 |
0.6 |
0.2 |
0.4 |
0.2 |
Table 5
- vessel shapes and decorative techniques by stages of development
of Hvar culture in Trench a - b x 12’ - 13’
(ZSpf - S-profile bowl, Plzd - hemispherical bowl, Dln - deep
jar, LSpf - S-profile jar, Kre - flint, A - incision, B - grooves,
C - painting, D - outlined area filled with painted incisions,
E - channeling, F - appliqué) |
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Layer
I is characterized by initial poverty, but also by the highest relative
frequency of burnished potsherds, almost two thirds of which are
decorated by incision. Frequency of burnishing and decoration drops
in Layer II, but the intensity of occupation increases noticeably,
and new decorative techniques are introduced. In Layer III, intensity
of occupation increases further, but frequency of decoration and
burnishing continues to drop. Number of flint artifacts increases,
as attested by a total of 12 recovered objects. The end of Hvar
culture is marked by qualitative and quantitative decline of pottery
production, while the level of lithic industry, represented by 9
artifacts, remains unchanged. Table 5 shows that, in represented
squares, 28.3% of all potsherds are burnished, while 8.47% are decorated,
slightly over half of them by incision.
Changes that can be observed during the second half of Hvar culture
(in particular, during its late stage) include a growing importance
of cattle in the diet, a new type of spherical bowls with cylindrical
necks, appearance of channeling, an increasing importance of stone
tools, carefully retouched flint arrowheads, etc. These changes
may be explained by frequent contacts (or even partial mixing) with
continental populations. There is no need to infer major changes,
since most of the pottery production, decorative styles, importance
of fish in the diet, etc., continue from the classic stage.
The main characteristic of Hvar culture (in particular, during its
early and classic stages) is massive production of exceptionally
well made dark burnished pottery, decorated by incision, grooves,
freehand painting, or painting outlined by incision. Red ‘crusted’
paint is often used, while motifs include a variety of regular and
distorted spirals, series of hanging triangles and semicircles,
successions of slanted zigzag lines, etc. Decoration usually appears
in a zone below neck, delimited by parallel horizontal lines. The
most common vessel shapes include simple and carinated bowls, S-profile
bowls, spherical vessels with cylindrical necks, vessels with conically
elongated lower parts, oval jars with cylindrical necks, as well
as common large vessels, made in a customary coarse ware manner.
“Hvar style” of decoration represents the final stage
in development of spiral motifs which are fairly simple at first,
and which grow ever more complex. At its climax, this very decorative
style becomes completely stylized, with an ostentatious use of red
paint that is frequently contrasted with the black burnished background.
This style declines as the end of Hvar culture draws near. Simple
decorative techniques are used once again, motifs revert to the
original ones, but now simplified to the extreme, divorced of all
artful pretensions.
Numerous examples of red painted spiral (and other) ornaments offer
an avenue of investigation of the Early Neolithic spiritual culture.
Utilitarian function of most of these heavily decorated vessels
is highly questionable. We presume that they must have played some
role in a cult that is still poorly understood. Inhumation of two
individuals (a male and a female) from layers attributed to the
late stage of Hvar culture testifies of a belief in afterlife and
underscores a ritual use of the cave.
Over fifty sites attributed to Hvar culture have been registered
along the eastern Adriatic coast and its hinterland (Batovic, 1979,
575). Finds from the fourth phase of Vela Cave are more or less
comparable to finds from all of those sites. Its relative chronological
relationship with neighboring continental cultures has been well
established by previous research, particularly with regard to its
classic stage. Serious investigation of its relations with sites
on the opposite Adriatic coast still remains to be undertaken.
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