Grapčeva Cave, Jelsa

Grapčeva Cave opens on the southern slope of the mountain range that overlooks the island of Hvar, above the village of Humac, at an altitude of 225 metres. The view from it reaches Šćedro, Korčula, Vis and Sušac, and on clear winter days one can even see Gran Sasso, the highest peak of Italy. The nearest access is from the south, from the small bay of Virak. The entrance is today almost closed by huge limestone blocks, the remains of the vault of what was once a much larger cavity. In the Neolithic the opening was wide, and it was closed by a stone slab, probably through an earthquake or a landslide, between the 11th and 15th centuries BC. Inside is a spacious hall, 25 metres wide and 5 metres high, divided into smaller spaces by stalagmite columns and curtains.

The first investigations at the end of the 19th century were led by Grgur Bučić, and from 1936 to 1952 they were carried out systematically by Grga Novak. More recently S. Forenbaher has worked there. The finds show that a Neolithic people lived here who knew domestic animals and engaged in farming and fishing. The cultural layer is in places up to 3.5 metres thick. Best known is the finely polished painted pottery with white and red lines and spirals, after which Novak coined the name Hvar culture. Copper jewellery, flint weapons and tools, and many bones were also found. After the Neolithic, life in the cave declines, and later it served as a shelter. It was fitted out and opened to visitors in 2008.

The cave is a protected cultural property, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-5610.

Photo: Argo Navis, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: Wikidata (CC0).