Cave Kličevica in the Canyon of Kličevica
The Big Cave in Kličevica is located in the canyon of the Kličevica stream near Benkovac, and the Small Cave is only 60 meters away as the crow flies.
Big Cave
The cave itself has been known for some time already. S. Bozicevic has published its layout and longitudinal section. M. Savic has collected more stone findings and pieces of chert from the Big and Small Cave and the surrounding villages that are being kept in the Heritage Museum of Benkovac.
Test excavation was in 2006. 105 findings, among which the stone artefacts of Mousterian culture prevail, were collected and recorded. Animal bones and teeth were much rarer.
The result of the radiocarbon accelerator dating of one sample is very important because it showed the age of almost 39000 years, which belongs to the later Mousterian and can coincide with the youngest layers of Mujina Cave – the cave in the Kaštela hinterland, in the Labin Dalmatian area.
The Big Cave is the nearest cave site to the numerous open-space localities in Ravni Kotari and is very valuable for their mutual comparison.
Small Cave
The Small Cave is one of the numerous speleological objects within the wider Benkovac area and one of the five caves in the Canyon of Klicevica.
The revelation of the Mousterian findings in the Big Cave, only 60 meters as the crow flies from the Small Cave, encouraged the research of the Small Cave as well.
The layers from the Late Middle Ages and the Early New Age, and the early ceramic period of prehistory, were found, along with the findings that indicate the usage of the cave during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic.
Location
Benkovac
The first traces of human life in the Benkovac area were found around the village of Smilčić that belonged to the Danilo culture. Before Roman conquest the area was inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of Liburnians. During the Roman Civil war the Liburnians sided with Caesar. The Romans mention the following Liburnian settlements: Nedinum (Nadin), Carinium (Karin), Varvaria (Bribir) and Asseria (Podgrađe). In 7th century the area was settled by Croats. The area of Benkovac was at the crossroads of four Croatian župas – Novljanska, Sidraška, Bribirska and Karinska. Near the village of Šopot, an inscription from the 9th century was found that mentions Branimir as a Croatian Duke.
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