The Cave of Vlakno

a Sketch of Adriatic Prehistory

Abstract

Located in the centre of the island of Dugi otok, the Cave of Vlakno, having an interior surface of 40 m2, made an ideal living space for small hunter-gatherer communities during the Upper Palaeolithic and Early Mesolithic. The trial excavations of the cave began in 2004 and have reached a depth of 5 m so far, uncovering cultural layers that date back 19,500 years in relative continuity. Considering that the stratigraphic sequence showed no evidence of hiatus and taking the found tephra deposits as clear chronological and stratigraphic markers, Vlakno makes an ideal site for studying the Pleistocene-Holocene transition as well as the response of the Epigravettian communities inhabiting the eastern Adriatic coast to climate and environmental changes. The patterns indicate a gradual transition to Mesolithic culture profoundly influenced by the Epigravettian tradition.