Badanj Cave

About

Badanj Cave (Serbo-Croatian: Pećina Badanj) is located south of the village of Borojevići, west of the town of Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It began to attract public attention after the 1976 discovery of its cave engravings, which date to between 14,000 and 18,000 years ago. Thanks to local natural benefits and preferable composition, topography, climate, hydrography and vegetation and rich hunting grounds have long attracted prehistoric settlers: the region has been settled since antiquity.

The site is rock shelter or overhang recessed beneath a cliff that descends to the right bank of the river Bregava. Two chronologically distinct strata of Palaeolithic occupation were identified beneath the surface layer. Of particular significance was the discovery of a particular carving of the Badanj site, as it ranks among the oldest works of art in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The carving is cut into the diagonal surface of a large polished block of stone, and probably represents a horse seen from the offside flank that has been hit by arrows. Only the rear half of the body survives, with flanks typical for a horse and part of the body; the rest of the drawing has been partly damaged. The Badanj...