Risovača Cave, one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Serbia.
Risovačka Cave is located on the outskirts of Arandjelovac. The cave was discovered in 1950 during the exploitation of marble, and since then it has become an important archaeological and touristic object.
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Through extensive research on Risovača Cave, numerous fossilized bones and teeth of various animal species that inhabited the steppes around Risovača during the last Ice Age have been discovered.
The found stone and bone tools confirm that Risovača Cave was a dwelling place for Neanderthal hunters during the Middle Paleolithic period. Due to its natural characteristics and cultural-historical significance, the cave has been declared a natural monument and a cultural asset of exceptional importance. Today, Risovača Cave is arranged according to modern presentation principles and annually attracts thousands of visitors from both the country and abroad.
The exploration of Risovača Cave in Aranđelovac, initiated in 1953 by the Archaeological Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) and the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade under the direction of Professor Dr. Branko Gavela, continued, with occasional interruptions, until 1976. Besides archaeological studies, speleological research was also organized from 1975 onwards, led by Dr. Radenko Lazarević, a scientific advisor at the Institute for Forestry and Wood Industry in Belgrade.
These studies, with the participation of associates from the Jovan Cvijić Geographical Institute, the Faculty of Geography in Belgrade, and a speleological group from Valjevo, intensified notably in the 1990s and have continued to this day.
Years of archaeological, paleontological, and speleological research in Risovača have uncovered an abundance of fossilized remains of Pleistocene fauna, as well as traces of the material culture of Neanderthal hunters – stone and bone artifacts, which confirm the Paleolithic age of this site.
Given its archaeological significance, paleontological wealth, spatial dimensions, and considerable natural value, Risovača Cave was prepared for tourist visits and opened on September 19, 1987.
Through excavation and clearing of secondary material, a cave system extending 187.5 meters with a surface area of 703 square meters was uncovered. Along the main cave corridor, polyester reconstructions of representative members of Quaternary fauna – the cave bear and cave lion – have been placed, while in the so-called “Hall of the Risovača Man,” which marks the end of the explored part of the cave, there is a figurative composition depicting a family of Risovača hunters.
Risovača has attracted the attention of many researchers: speleologists excavated and cleared the cave of sediment, revealing its corridors and halls; paleontologists analyzed hundreds of fossil remains of Ice Age animals; archaeologists studied stone and bone artifacts left behind by an extinct human species.
The age of the cave was determined by geologists, experts who study the development of Earth, its composition, and structure. The formation of Risovača Cave began in a period of Earth’s history (geological past) called the Cretaceous, which lasted from 144 to 65 million years ago.
The time periods into which geologists have divided Earth’s history help us better understand the past. In each period, something significant occurred, either for the development of the planet itself or for the evolution of life. The largest periods in Earth’s history are called eras. These are: the Paleozoic, when the first vertebrates – fish, amphibians, and reptiles – appeared (from 542 to 251 million years ago); the Mesozoic, or the age of dinosaurs (from 251 to 65 million years ago); and the Cenozoic, or the age of mammals, during which humans emerged (from 65 million years ago to the present).
The Risovača man, like other Neanderthals, was about 160-170 cm tall. He had a robust physique and great physical strength. His head was characterized by a low, sloping forehead, rounded eye sockets with prominent brow ridges, massive jaws, a flat cranial vault, and a low occipital region. The brain volume of the Neanderthal was about 1,500 cubic centimeters, which matches the average skull volume of modern humans.
For tool-making, early humans primarily used flint, a very hard but brittle mineral that easily chipped upon impact. A piece of flint was shaped into the desired tool using the technique of flaking. The Risovača hunter crafted flint into spearheads of leaf-like or triangular shapes. Attached to poles, these tips served as spearheads for hunting animals.
In a similar way, he made scrapers used for processing leather. Bone tools were also found in Risovača, including an exceptional example of a dagger and an awl used for piercing and joining parts of garments made from leather and fur.
At the end of the Ice Age, changes in the environment were so frequent and intense that they led to the extinction of Neanderthals. However, the planet was not left without humans. For tens of thousands of years, another human species, Homo sapiens sapiens, lived alongside Neanderthals. This species survived all natural disasters and adapted more successfully to climate changes and new living conditions. Today’s humans are descendants of this species.
На травнатим пределима око Рисовачке пећине живеле су необичне животиње. Данас не постоји ни једна врста медведа која би се по величини могла такмичити са пећинским медведом. Мужјаци су, у усправљеном положају, били високи и до 3,5 метра, а тешки и по 1000 килограма. Пећински медвед је настањивао оне делове Европе у којима није владала сурово хладна, већ нешто умеренија клима. Научници су закључили, на основу грађе његових зуба, да се хранио биљкама. Пећински медведи су најчешће умирали природном смрћу за време зимског сна; на то указују велике количине зуба и свих делова скелета у пећинским наслагама.Рисовачким пространствима кретала су се и крда рунастих мамута, по изгледу можда најимпресивнијих леденодопских животиња. Мамут с краја леденог доба био је велик као данашњи слон. Тело покривено дугом, вунастом длаком од хладноће је штитио и дебели слој поткожног сала; залихе масног ткива мамут је носио и у великој грби на леђима.
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