In the 1980s, a systematic archaeological excavation was carried out at the position of Turska Kosa, located in the village of Velika Vranovina near Topusko, which enabled defining the scope and character of the Illyrian settlement, the necropolis and specific ritual areas with numerous finds of figural sculptures. During 2006, systematic investigations of the site continued. The main goal was to determine the extent and method of iron ore processing and to determine the connections between metallurgy and ritual areas. In the first phase, the land was cleared, which, among other things, should provide better conditions for a detailed geodetic survey. That part of the work is still in progress.
Excavation on a small plateau at the location of Pogledalo revealed three kilns, the true purpose of which is still to be ascertained. Two consisted of deeply dug pits (about 1 meter), above which a large amount of daub was found, so it can be assumed that they also had a massive above-ground construction made of mud, in which there was very little wooden reinforcement. The first kiln even had a kind of chimney made of well-fired soil. In the middle was a shallowly dug structure, in which a lot of daub, fragments of ceramic vessels and parts of a portable stove were also found. In several places, slag was found, which could testify to metallurgical activity, but the quantities are very small, so the stated claims still have to be verified.
The following trenches were placed on the edge of the ritual area, one in the north and one in the east. The northern trench gave very interesting results. Smaller hearths were observed, which could be related to ritual activities that were performed there. Of the artefacts found, the most interesting is a loom weight with two contrasting drawings. Human figures with raised hands are depicted. In addition, one-half of the weight was painted black and the other half white. The object also had two opposite holes. The washing, labelling, sorting, joining and processing of the collected finds, as well as the completion of the geodetic survey and physical and chemical analyses, are in progress but still have to be completed. The collected items will be stored in the Karlovac City Museum and become an integral part of the Museum’s Topusko Collection (Lazo Čučković 2007, Hrvatski arheološki godišnjak 3/2006, 207–209).