Summary (English)
The archaeological site Golemi Kamen is located on a large rocky hill, 200 metres to the west of the village Lopatica. The surveys in the past have recorded prehistoric pottery and stone tools at this place. In 2002, the nearby granite quarry devastated the northeast part of the site and revealed pottery sherds and many burnt wattle and daub remains.
Three trenches were set on the central plateau in order to determine the stratigraphy of the site. A wall preserved to the height of 0.20 – 0.50 metres was discovered in the first trench. The wall was made of stones in the lower zone and wattle and daub in the upper. In the north part of the trench the bedrock was leveled by carving. Between the wall and the carved bedrock there was a beaten earth floor with small stones documented. Layer of ash and remains of burnt wood were found on the floor indicating that the building was destroyed by fire.The second trench revealed a deposit of burnt wattle and daub with the thickness of 30 cm under which there was a floor coated with several layers of clay. Although the building is not fully uncovered, its position allows the assumption that some vertical parts of the bedrock were used as walls. Small pebbles and pottery sherds were found in the floor. Some of the sherds belong to a cup with inscribed anthropomorphic representation while the rest of them belong to a ritual vessel in the shape of turtle. The first vessel has a cylindrical foot and hemispherical recipient. The handle of the vessel is in fact the nose of the inscribed anthropomorphic character.
The discoveries at sites of the Eneolithic in Bulgaria, which have similar finds in analogous context, indicate that the building in trench 2 might have been some kind of sacred space or a part of a house which was reserved for activities related to cult or magic.
Director
- Aleksandar Mitkoski - NI Institute for Protection of Monuments and Museum Prilep
Team
- Trajanka Jovchevska - Museum of Veles
Research Body
- NI Institute for Protection of Monuments and Museum - Prilep
Funding Body
- Macedonian Ministry of Culture
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