Historical overview
The oldest archaeological materials in the Prehistoric Collection at the AMS date to the Palaeolithic, or Old Stone Age. This is also the oldest archaeological period of human cultural development, when the earliest deliberately made human handicrafts appeared. The most important raw material used by humans in this time was flint, from which they made various tools and weapons. Besides flint, useful items were also made from animal bones, while a variety of shells, bones and even teeth were used for adornment. Human activity in that era was based on hunter-gatherer economy, and life mainly proceeded in caves, which served as permanent or seasonal dwellings.
The Middle and Late Palaeolithic are represented in the AMS. Thus, from the Middle Palaeolithic period, the Collection contains Middle Palaeolithic materials yielded by earlier excavations in Mujina Cave near Trogir, which can be dated to approximately 45,000-39,000 years BC and attributed to the Mousterian culture. The Late Palaeolithic is represented by finds from the western cave in Brina near Drniš, which can be roughly dated to 20,000-18,000 years BC, and in the cultural sense we can talk about the Gravettien culture. The most numerous Palaeolithic materials in the AMS can be found in its last section and which were found in Kopačina Cave on the island of Brač. The finds from Kopačina have been gathered as a result of the still ongoing archaeological excavations that began in 2006. The materials may be placed in the period from approximately 15,000-10,000 years and culturally attributed to the Late Epigravettian.
The Neolithic, or New Stone Age, is represented in the AMS prehistoric collection in its early, middle and late sub-divisions. The Neolithic is bound to the term Neolithic revolution. Global climate change at the beginning of this period caused glacial melts and increased sea levels, resulting in a change of flora and fauna from ice age to warm age. This led to the cultivation of wild grains and domestication of wildlife (sheep, cattle, goats and pigs). Thus, humans then began to lead sedentary lives, meaning that they established the first permanent settlements, which is one of the most important outcomes of the Neolithic Revolution. By raising animals and producing food, humans created food surpluses that had to be stored. Thus, the mass production and use of ceramic vessels to prepare and store food first began during the Neolithic. The sedentary lifestyle led to the first significant instances of specialized human activities, so that the appearance of fired-clay vessels was accompanied by the first use of a variety of stone tools and weapons. Stone axes of various types, shapes and makes were among the most common and typical Neolithic implements. Even so, flint tools and weapons still played a vital role. Settlements, whether in caves or outdoors, depended on the geomorphological features of individual areas. What both types of settlements had in common was that they were primarily located near rivers or other sources of water. They could also be found near seashores, or in the vicinity of clay beds or flint deposits. Thus, the human economy in the Neolithic had a foundation that was entirely different from that of the Palaeolithic, as it rested on agriculture and animal husbandry. Hunting still retained its importance, particularly among populations that preferred to live in caves.
The Early Neolithic in the AMS collection is represented by materials from the Markova Cave on the island of Hvar, Krčina Cave in Mihovilovići near Klis, Danilo near Šibenik, Tamnica Cave near Sinj and Mala Cave in Sutina, near Muć. These materials are associated with the Impressed/Cardial ware culture, which was widespread throughout the eastern Adriatic seaboard. According to the new chronology, the Early Neolithic can be placed from approximately 6000 to 5500 BC.
The Middle Neolithic is represented by finds from Danilo, near Šibenik, from the site of the Muša-Kremen site between Trilj and Sinj in the Sinjsko Plain and from Mratovo near Oklaj. The culture that existed throughout the Eastern Adriatic seaboard during the Middle Neolithic has been named after the Danilo site, i.e., the Danilo culture. According to the new chronology, it endured from approximately 5500 to 4800 BC.
The Late Neolithic is represented by materials from Markova Cave, Grapčeva Cave and Pokrivenik Cave on the island of Hvar and Turska Cavern at Sumpetar near Omiš. Markova and Grapčeva Caves are the most significant sites, with excavations there yielding materials from the Hvar variant of the Late Neolithic Hvar-Lisičići culture, which was also widespread throughout the Eastern Adriatic seaboard. Turska Cavern is the only cave site on the mainland territory of Split-Dalmatia County – not counting surface finds of three smaller ceramic fragments from the small cave in Sutina near Muć – where still ongoing systematic archaeological excavations have confirmed this culture’s existence. The late Neolithic dates to the period roughly 4800 to 4000 BC.
The Neolithic was followed by the Eneolithic or Copper Age. This was the time in their history when humans first began to more widely use metallic items, specifically copper. Only the introduction of agriculture and the establishment of permanent settlements in the Neolithic were as significant in social and economic terms as the beginning of the use of metal. Copper first began to be gathered from the surface, and when surface deposits were depleted people began to dig deeper into the ground, leading to the creation of the first mines. Copper ore was first worked by cold forging. The heat attained by forging led to insight about the effect of heat on the material’s flexibility, and consequently to the first smelting of copper. People quickly realized that they needed a mould into which molten copper could be poured after smelting to get the desired shape. The first, single-piece ceramic and stone moulds were made. Further metallurgical refinement of copper objects led to the transition from single-piece to two-piece moulds. The moulds enabled the first serial production of objects in history. Copper products thus increasingly replaced stone and bone objects. The horse was domesticated for the first time in this period, which had virtually inconceivable repercussions for the mobility of individual communities. Due to the turbulence of this period in the context of these changes, caves were preferred over outdoor locales as habitats, at least in Central Dalmatia. According to the new chronology, the Eneolithic period endured from approximately 4000 to 2500 BC.
Noteworthy finds from the Eneolithic include the hoard of copper axes and hand-axes from Gripe in Split and the ceramics from Markova and Grapčeva Caves. The end of the Eneolithic in Central Dalmatia was marked by the appearance of the Cetina culture, which originated near the source of the Cetina River, the region’s main artery throughout the prehistoric era.
The Bronze Age was the next phase of human history, marked by the mass production and use of bronze items. Upon mastering all metallurgical activities in copper production, the metalsmiths of the time made revolutionary discoveries at the end of the Eneolithic that led to more massive bronze production. Specifically, when crafting copper products, pure was normally used. However, impure copper with admixtures of other metals (e.g., arsenic or antimony) was also used. Products made of impure copper demonstrated greater strength when used and could be used for a longer period. Once irreparable damage occurred, the product was melted down once again and poured into a mould to create an entirely new product. Therefore, copper ores containing arsenic and antimony were used in the production metalsmithing cycle, and the admixtures were not separated in the technological process, rather they were intentionally retained to obtain the best possible and firmest product. So the first bronze objects are said to have been made of arsenical or antimony bronze, which was a transitional phase. Mass production of bronze peaked when copper began to be mixed with tin to create the firmest alloy, today called true bronze. Since tin deposits existed at only a few places in Europe, its exploitation and transport necessitated the formation of a network of prehistoric routes on which trade with the most distant regions proceeded, because everyone needed tin to make better, more durable bronze products.
As in other regions, the Bronze Age in Dalmatia is also has sub-divided into the Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age. All of these periods are represented by archaeological materials in the AMS collection. Chronologically the Bronze Age in Dalmatia has been placed in the period from approximately 2500 to 800 BC.
The Early Bronze Age is represented by materials attributed to the Cetina culture. These are ceramic, bone, stone and bronze finds that discovered and collected during systematic excavations, mostly of stone mounds, along the Cetina River by AMS archaeologist Ivan Marović, who gave this culture its name. It was the first human culture in this area to use genuine bronze objects. The members of the Cetina culture mostly lived in caves and outdoor settlements situated in fertile depressions, numerous and typical in Dalmatia. They buried their dead, either their corporeal or cremated remains, under stone grave mounds, tumuli (sing. tumulus). The most important settlement site of this culture is Škarin Samograd Cave near Drniš, where extremely significant Cetina culture remains were discovered in excavations.
The most important materials that represent the Middle Bronze Age in Central Dalmatia, which succeeded the Cetina Culture, also originated in the Škarin Samograd Cave near Drniš and the Dugiš stilt-house settlement on the eponymous islet on the Cetina River at the village of Otok, near Sinj. These materials belong to the Posušje culture, which had its source in the vicinity of Posušje in Western Herzegovina.
The Late Bronze Age period is represented by an abundance of bronze materials, among which the most noteworthy are the hoards from Gornje Sitno near Split, Dabar near Marina and Balina Glavica near Drniš, as well as the grave unit from Trcela in Vranjic near Split. The most notable ceramic materials were gathered during excavations on the islet of Dugiš on the Cetina River and at Rat hillfort above Ložišće on the island of Brač. It is vital to recall that the first ethnic groups began to form in the Late Bronze Age, and this included Central Dalmatia. These groups flourished the most here in the subsequent period, the Iron Age.
The Iron Age was the final period of the prehistoric era. Its name derived from the fact that iron, as a metal harder than bronze, was massively used in the production of items of everyday use, mostly tools and weapons. Given the ongoing development of metallurgy, it was only a matter of time when metalsmiths, applying all of knowledge accumulated in the production of metal objects, would realize that iron ore could be processed and the finished products used in everyday life. A considerable portion of the iron archaeological iron objects discovered in Central Dalmatia is made of iron ore that originated in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had it in abundance. Bronze products were still made, and so that during this period bronze production accounted for a substantial portion of overall metallurgical activity. The Iron Age in Central Dalmatia can be roughly dated from 800 BC to the 1st century AD.
In the Iron Age, Delmataeans became the dominant ethnic group in Central Dalmatia after establishing dominance over neighbouring tribes and creating a powerful tribal alliance. In the mid-2nd century BC, the Romans wanted to establish their own control over this territory, so Dalmatia became part of the Roman state’s sphere of interest. The Delmataeans, however, proved themselves as worthy adversaries. They were quite successful in numerous wars against the Romans, in which they engaged in guerrilla warfare, a tactic that they had mastered. Not even the fall of Delminium, the main Delmataean stronghold, in 156/155 BC, broke their resistance. They were only defeated 150 years later in a war waged over a vast territory corresponding to today’s northern Croatia, Dalmatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina from 6 to 9 AD. The war only ended when the Delmataeans were defeated in Central Dalmatia, which eventually created the conditions for the Romans to take control over an immense territory that was reorganized as the province of Dalmatia. It would soon be entirely pacified and Romanised, and Salona (today’s Solin) at the mouth of the Jadro River was chosen as its capital.
The Iron Age is specially represented in the AMS prehistoric collection by grave goods, of which the most notable are the finds from a cave Otišići near Vrlika, Zaganj Dolac near Sumartin and Vičja Luka at Ložišće on the island of Brač, and from the graves at Postranje in Proložac near Imotski and Klobuk near Omiška Rogoznica. Also noteworthy are certain sites that primarily yielded ceramic materials from this period: Dugiš on the Cetina River and the Rat hillfort above Ložišće on the island of Brač. The Iron Age in the AMS collection closes with the grave goods from the well-known Milaševa tumulus near the mouth of the Cetina River, dated to the 1st century AD.
The collection is constantly being enhanced and expanded thanks to ongoing archaeological reconnaissance and excavations, as well as the purchase of many invaluable prehistoric artefacts from Central Dalmatia.
The chief of the collection is senior curator Damir Kliškić, M.S.
Collection overview
The prehistoric collection of the Archaeological Museum in Split preserves materials dating from the Palaeolithic to the beginning of the Common Era and discovered in the territory from the city of Nin in the north to the Metković environs in the south, and from the island of Vis and Palagruža in the west to the towns of Livno and Tomislavgrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the east.
Most of the archaeological objects in the collection originated in Central Dalmatia, today within the administrative borders of Split-Dalmatia and Šibenik-Knin Counties in the Republic of Croatia.
The highest number of objects was gathered as a result of archaeological excavations (for example, at Škarin Samograd, Rat hillfort above Ložišće on the island of Brač, the Dugiš stilt-house settlement on the eponymous islet on the Cetina River at Otok, near Sinj, Kopačina Cave near Donji Humac on the island of Brač, Turska Cave above Zeljovići near Sumpetar, the stone mounds around the Cetina River’s source, Sutanj hillfort in Dugopolje). Over the past fifteen years, the prehistoric collection has been significantly enriched with the purchase of valuable items from Split-Dalmatia County.
The inventory log with the designation ‘N’ was established for the prehistoric collection in 1884, when Don Frane Bulić recorded the first 43 prehistoric objects, 40 of them were from the old collection. Until his retirement in 1926, Bulić recorded prehistoric pieces that came to the museum on an annual basis, so he recorded a total of 383 prehistoric artefacts. It should be noted that due to his insufficient knowledge of and failure to recognize prehistoric materials, many prehistoric pieces were registered in the metals catalogue, bearing the ‘H’ designation, within which the highest number of objects from Classical Antiquity was inventoried.
After Bulić, the entries in the inventory log up to inv. no. N-603 were made by Mihovil Abramić and Duje Rendić-Miočević. The arrival of Ivan Marović in the AMS in 1950 marked the beginning of systematic inventory work for prehistoric materials. For the duration of his career in the AMS, Marović recorded the prehistoric objects in inventory log ‘N’ from inv. no. 603 to 5006. A smaller number of objects at the end of this numerical series was entered by the AMS curators at the time, Goran Protić and Frane Buškariol. Up to N-1789, Marović solely recorded the prehistoric materials he had found in the museum. Since he had excavated a considerable quantity of materials from the Cetina culture, which he had also discovered and named, it is worthwhile noting that the first Cetina culture object was recorded under inv. no. H-1790. The materials that he inventoried at the time were from the first excavations of a stone mound, tumulus, in the village of Cetina on the Cetina River’s source in the summers of 1953 and 1954.
In 2005, M ++ software was introduced in the AMS, which actually became an electronic inventory log with a unified numerical sequence, within which all non-inventory items have henceforth been entered, regardless of their original collection or archaeological period. This means that all museum inventory logs, including those from the prehistoric collections, were formally closed on March 4, 2005, ending with inventory number N-5812.
When Don Frane Bulić and then Mihovil Abramić served as the Museum’s directors, no expert specializing in the prehistoric era was on staff at the Museum. The latter’s successor, Duje Rendić-Miočević, hired Ivan Marović, who may be described as the Museum’s first curator for prehistoric finds. Over the course of his career, Marović was able to accommodate the entire prehistoric collection in a single depot in the museum building’s basement and, for the first time, organize it in proper museological fashion.
The last permanent display in the AMS was opened in December 2000, and the prehistoric materials were put on exhibit in the separate, so-called Little Hall on the ground floor of the main museum building. The prehistoric period in the permanent display is represented by more than 1,900 items that are chronologically arranged from the Middle Palaeolithic to the 1st century AD in display cases in two separate rooms.
The smaller room presents materials sub-divided into units I-VII. Thus, units I and II present the Old Stone Age, specifically the Middle and Late Palaeolithic. Units III through V contain objects from the New Stone Age or Neolithic, broken down into its early, middle and late phases. Unit VII entirely consists of materials from the Copper Age, or Eneolithic. Unit VII contains Cetina culture materials, chronologically distributed into its three developmental phases from the end of the Eneolithic to the onset of the Middle Bronze Age.
The archaeological materials in the larger room are sub-divided into units VIII through XX. Unit VII contains materials from the Early and Middle Bronze Age that are not directly connected to the Cetina culture. Unit IX presents materials from the Late Bronze Age. Archaeological materials from the Iron Age are presented in units X through XIX. Thus, unit X is entirely dedicated to presenting the appearance of a Dalmataean warrior with all of his most vital military gear. Units XI and XIII-XIX presents grave goods based on sites and dated from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD. Unit XII presents a group find, a hoard, while unit XX contains materials from the Dugiš stilt-house settlement from the Middle and Late Bronze Age. The artefacts are made of ceramic, stone, flint, copper, bronze, iron, bone, shells, glass and wood. All exhibits are accompanied by bilingual captions.