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In the depths of the Tina Yama cave Archeologists found a 4000-year-old copper dagger surrounded by skull fragments and an ancient hearth.
This find, made by a team of researchers from the University of Ca' Foscari together with scientists from Slovenia, sheds light on the ancient funerary practices and technologies of the late Copper Age in Europe. According to archaeologist Federico Bernardini, the find was unexpected, because metal artifacts from that period are rarely found in burials.
The dagger was discovered in a layer of earth belonging to the period between 2750 and 2200 BC. Bernardini noted that this find will help reconstruct the lives of people who used the cave as a burial place. Scientists also discovered the entrance to the cave, blocked by massive stone slabs, probably added around 2000 BC. This structure may have protected the inner layers of the cave from the harsh northeast wind and may have had a ritual significance associated with burials.
Traces of an ancient hearth were also found in the cave, which indicates that people used it long before the stone barrier was erected. Archaeologists suggest that the cave was visited by representatives of the Dalmatian Cetina culture from the early Bronze Age, known for their ritual practices.
The head of the Slovenian group, Olena Legissa, emphasized that the found artifacts can significantly expand knowledge about the cultural and technological transformations of Europe at the end of the third millennium BC.
