The largest cave tomb in Europe discovered near Valjevo

Archaeologists from the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments Valjevo and the Petnica Science Center, in cooperation with the speleologists from the Vladimir Mandic Manda association from Valjevo, discovered the largest late antiquity-era collective tomb in a cave in Europe, in a previously unknown hall in the Petnica Cave, Tanjug was told in Petnica.

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This discovery was made after several months of drought and a significant drop in the water level in the underground Azdaja Lake, which made parts of the cave that had not been explored until now accessible, and through which the underground stream of the Banja River flows, explained Vladimir Pecikoza, an archaeologist in Petnica.

"After the involvement of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Valjevo, we carried out archaeological research inside the cave and there we discovered the largest ancient cave tomb in Europe found so far," said Pecikoza.

When it comes to that period, except in Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East there are no sites similar to what was found in Valjevo, Radivoje Arsic, an archaeologist at the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Valjevo, tells Tanjug.

"Apart from the vessels that were found along with the skeletal remains, we are almost certain that they date back to the period of late antiquity, that is, the period from the 4th to the 6th century. We will do tests to confirm this, as there may be some error. We expect that when the results the arrive, we will have a completely precise data on the age of that tomb," Arsic points out.

The skeletal remains of more than 20 people of different ages, from children to adults, were discovered, and it has been established that their bodies were not buried, but left on the rocky surface of the cave canal.

Vladimir Pecikoza says that until this discovery he thought that Petnica was one of the most well explored spots in Europe, but, he points out, this discovery has clearly shown that there are more hidden secrets here.

"It is up to us and new generations to discover these secrets. This exploration is of particular importance because it brought together all the relevant institutions in Valjevo, on the one hand, and on the other, the most important thing is that our city and Petnica have shown exceptional exploration potential, and what is absolutely certain is that this potential is full of surprises and that it should be nurtured both in Valjevo and in Petnica," said Pecikoza.

Archaeologists explain for Tanjug that this type of burial in late antiquity, with a large number of skeletons stored deep inside the cave, was not known on European soil until now, which makes the discovery in Petnica a unique and significant archaeological discovery.

The city of Valjevo helped to carry out this phase of exploration, and it is expected that international organizations will be involved in further investigating the cave.

Archaeologists note that there are more halls in the deeper levels of the underground lake of Petnicka Cave, which are assumed to date from even earlier eras, holding "who knows how many secrets" - and they believe that there should also be an undiscovered settlement near the cave, where people whose skeletons were found lived.

(Telegraf.rs)