The Katundas Cavern, locally known as the Xherxhilla Cavern ( sq, Shpella e Xherxhillës), is a cavern, in Katundas,

Berat County Berat County (; sq, Qarku Berat, italic=unset), officially the County of Berat ( sq, Qarku i Beratit, italic=unset), is a county in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the ninth largest by area and the ninth most populous of ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, where archeological artifacts, dating from the

Early Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

age, have been found. The site is part of the Cakran-Dunavec culture.

History

The cavern is situated near Katundas, 20 km north of

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in ...

, on one side of the canyon of the ''Sireci'' brook; on the opposite side of the canyon, is another fortified prehistoric settlement. The cavern is 60m long, and with an overall area of 450 msq. It has two entrances and a side window. The main entrance is 2.5m wide. Judging from artifacts found (ceramics, as well as a stone knife, 7 cm long), it was continuously inhabited during all phases of the neolithic period, starting from the Early Neolithic (6,000 BC), and continuing all the way to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

. Some artifacts are similar to those found in

Maliq Maliq ( sq-definite, Maliqi) formerly known as Malik, is a town and a municipality in Korçë County of eastern Albania. It is the smaller of two cities in the district, the other being Korçë, southeast of Maliq. The current enlarged municipalit ...

, Tren, and Bënjë. During the 1986 diggings there were

findings of impressed ware in Adriatic type ceramics, as well as

barbotine Barbotine is the French for ceramic slip, or a mixture of clay and water used for moulding or decorating pottery. In English the term is used for three different techniques of decorating pottery, though in all cases mainly for historical works. ...

ceramics, and one vase with white decoration on a red background, which seems similar to ceramics produced in Podgorie and Vashtemi archaeological sites. Middle Neolithic artifacts were also found, represented by gray and black ceramic, also found in the Dunavec Cakran culture. The ornaments consist of triangles, filled with lines, which is typical for this type of Adriatic pottery.

Late Neolithic In the archaeology of Southwest Asia, the Late Neolithic, also known as the Ceramic Neolithic or Pottery Neolithic, is the final part of the Neolithic period, following on from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and preceding the Chalcolithic. It is some ...

findings are represented by ceramics of clear background with paintings in brown color. The motifs painted consist of nets, or barbed wire patterns, which have also been seen in the sites of Maliq and Kamnik, whereas some patterns of painting, such as some zigzags, seem to be original to the Katundas culture. The Copper Age pottery artifacts found are of good quality. Cups, pots, amphoras, and plates, pot covers, spoons, and other artifacts were found. Many of them have ornaments with incisions and paintings in gray color. The Copper Age pottery, present in the cavern, has certain qualities, found in other similar sites, such as the black shining wares, or plates with ornamented lines. The early

bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

pottery is characterized by barbotine ceramics, which are ornamented with incised lines. A fraction of an ax has also been found, and can be dated to the Middle Bronze Age. The cavern seems to have been inhabited throughout the Iron Age. Artifacts of this era include imports from Corinth and Ionian islands. There are no indications that the cavern may have been inhabited after the 3rd century AD.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katundas Cavern Archaeological sites in Albania Caves of Albania Former populated places in Albania Neolithic settlements