Ravlića Cave
Description
Ravlića Cave is located in the village of Drinovci in the municipality of Grude, above the source of the Tihaljina River in the hamlet of Peć Mlini. The explored part of the cave is about 145 m long and 20 m deep, and the interior is fully lit and equipped with arranged paths. A guided tour lasts about 20 minutes. The cave opening is 38 m wide, and the interior height ranges from 5 to 20 m. The cave is extremely important as a prehistoric site — archaeological research carried out between 1977 and 1980 uncovered four phases of life: the Early and Late Neolithic, the Eneolithic, and the Early Bronze Age.
Ceramic objects, hearths, altars, remains of millstones, tools and jewelry were found. The finds point to the Impresso culture, the Hvar-Lisičići culture and the Cetina culture, and part of the material led to the theory of a separate "Drinovci culture". The cave is accessible to visitors accompanied by a guide.
A cave that hides millennia
Ravlića Cave is not just beautiful — it is an archive. Nearly five thousand years of human life are etched into its layers: from the hunters and gatherers of the Impresso culture who made the first decorated vessels here, to the inhabitants of the Early Bronze Age who left millstones as proof that they were already cultivating the land. Every hearth, every fragment of pottery found by researchers from the National Museum between 1977 and 1980 represents a trace of one of the four clearly distinguishable phases of life in this cave above the source of the Tihaljina.
Practical Information
