Prehistoric Schematic Rock Art in the Eastern Adriatic

Research on post-Palaeolithic schematic rock art has changed substantially since its identification and definition almost a century ago. In the areas where this phenomenon is extensively studied (such as South and East Iberia), a chronological and cultural sequence has been established. This is due to the large number of rock art finds and the study of their archaeological context, which includes numerous portable art analogies. Based on this documentation, it has been proposed that its origins lie in the Early Neolithic and that it persisted until the Chalcolithic (c. 6th – 3rd millennium cal BC) or even, in some areas, until the Bronze Age. In this paper, we present the recent discovery of graphic motifs with similar characteristics in the Badanj II rock shelter. In the context of other finds in the Western and Central Mediterranean, this is an interesting indicator that leads us to suggest a connection between this graphic expression and the dispersion, establishment, and consolidation of Neolithic groups in Europe

Archaeology · Geography · Mediterranean climate · Mining engineering · Prehistory · Rock art · Rock shelter · Schematic · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeological Research and Protection · Engineering · Geology