In the Village of Gradac near Batočina lies Jerina’s Hill, featuring remnants of a medieval fortress at its summit and a cave with traces of a Paleolithic settlement at its base.
Jerina’s Hill is a prominent, ridge-like spur marking the northwestern and of Mount Straževića. Its steep slopes make it difficult to ascent from three sides, while on the southern side, it is connected to the hinterland by a shallow artificial fortification trench. The construction of a modern Kragujevac-Batočina road severed Jerina’s Hill, completely separating it from its natural hinterland. The fortification dominates the Lepenica Valley, making the hill and its immediate surroundings continuously inhabited from prehistory to the late Middle Ages.
At the base of Jerina’s Hill lies a Paleolithic cave, one of the most significant prehistoric monuments. Positiones at the foot of a hill known as Donićsko, the cave faces directly toward the Lepenica River Valley. This Archaeological site was discovered in 1951 and systematically excavated between 1951 and 1952. These studies revealed that the site is a Paleolithic rock shelter with a characteristic diluvial stratigraphy. The diluvial epoch was confirmed by the remains of Pleistocene fauna, including teeth and fossilized bones, as well as a fully preserved mammoth milk tooth. The presence of Paleolithic humans at this site was evidenced by the doscovery of two hearths found in the situ and a number on bone tools. On the slope of the hill, between the plateau and the cave, a flint knife was uncovered, which, based on its shape and craftsmanship, dates to the early phases of the Upper Paleolithic. One of the most significant findings was a fossilized human tooth, a mollar from the left maxilla.
THE CAVE ABOVE JERINA'S HILL
NEAR GRADAC
Jerina’s Fortress was designated a cultural heritage – archaeological site, by the Institute for Scientific Study of Cultural Monuments in Belgrade Decision No. 1420/96, dated December 21, 1950.
The Cave above Jerina’s Hill was designated a cultural heritage – archaeological site, by the Institute for Scientific Study of Cultural Monuments in Belgrade Decision No. 90/102, dated February 9, 1953.
The archaeological site of Gradac, Batočina, was categorized as a cultural heritage of great importance by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Serbia Decision No. 14, dated April 7, 1979 (Official Gazette no. 14)
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