It is generally believed that Kočevski Rog was not inhabited until the 14th century, when the Gottscheers were colonised there by the Counts of Ortenburg. However, sparse archaeological finds indicate that people were present in the area in prehistoric times. As expected, most of the prehistoric sites are located on the edges of the plateau, but they are extremely scarce towards the interior. This is not necessarily a sign that the past inhabitants avoided this wild and impassable forested landscape, but is largely due to the state of survey. Most archaeological studies have only cursorily covered the peripheral parts of Kočevski Rog, while the entire mountain range, just as the Kočevska Area, remain very poorly researched.

Archaeological sites in caves

The low density of settlement and the forested nature of the landscape make the detection of settlements and burial sites difficult if they are cannot be identified using airborne laser scanning visualisations. But it is easier to find sites in karst caves. Kočevski Rog is interleaved with karst chasms and caves. They have attracted people since the Palaeolithic, providing a convenient shelter, hideout, storage space, source of drinking water, place of burial or ritual, and, particularly in recent times, a landfill. In the central part of Kočevski Rog, between Cink and Bradačeva frata, two prehistoric cave sites have been discovered only half a kilometre apart, suggesting the possibility of a denser settlement of the Rog area at this time.

Mala Knežja jama (Fürstloch) Cave

The Mala Knežja jama Cave lies to the north, just above the Cinkarska cesta Road. The local residents from Dolenjske Toplice and the surrounding Gottscheer villages have known it for a long time, and it was entered in the cave registry in 1939. As early as 1973, speleologists pointed out its archaeological potential. The 40 metres long and 15 metres deep horizontal cave has a large entrance with an overhanging wall rising several metres above it.

The entrance is a steep rockfall which gradually levels out and opens into a spacious hall. The ground is covered with soil and stones, among which the speleologist A. Špelič from the Ribnica Cave Exploration Society discovered three fragments of prehistoric ceramics.

Until recently, the cave was used as a landfill; for 40 years, it was a dump for truck tyres, which were removed in 2021 by speleologists from the Novo mesto Cave Exploration Club in cooperation with foresters from the Forest Service, Regional Unit Novo mesto, and the Slovenian State Forests company.

Jama nad Dolgim vodnjakom Cave

To the south-east of the Mala Knežja jama Cave, the mighty Jama nad Dolgim vodnjakom opens up. It is situated on a steep and rocky slope above a deep valley formed by interconnected sinkholes. At the bottom of the valley is the Dolgi studenec spring, one of the most important and very rare water sources in the area.

The cave is 30 metres long and 25 metres deep, with a huge 20 × 10 metre entrance, which makes the entire interior well-lit and exposes it to outside temperatures in winter, causing intense mechanical weathering of the rock. The shelter cave was formed by the collapse of the ceiling, which created a sloping plateau of stones leading to the level cave floor.

During a field inspection in 2021, I found a small shard of prehistoric pottery, an animal bone with carvings and fire remains in the cave.

What do the archaeological sites in the caves testify to?

The finds from both sites are too scarce to be dated more precisely, but they can probably be attributed to the Bronze Age or Iron Age. The Mala Knežja jama and the Jama nad Dolgim vodnjakom caves are located almost 7 km from the nearest known prehistoric settlement at Topli vrh. The caves were probably used as shelter, hideout or storage areas, therefore it is unlikely that they would have been visited from such distant locations. This suggests the possibility of a prehistoric settlement in the vicinity, which has not yet been discovered.

As Kočevski Rog has not yet been the subject of a comprehensive archaeological survey, many questions remain unanswered. Thus, the possibility of denser settlement before the 14th century offers promising research potential for understanding the past and the significance of the area.

Sources:
Arkas: Arheološki kataster Slovenije. Dostopno na: https://arkas.caspio.com/dp/5b04c00098d89ffc1f54405b9812?cbResetParam=1 (2. 11. 2024).
Ferenc, M. 2005, Kočevska – pusta in prazna. Nemško jezikovno območje na Kočevskem po odselitvi Nemcev. – Ljubljana, Modrijan.
Hudoklin, A. 1984, Jama nad Dolgim vodnjakom (Neobjavljen zapisnik terenskih ogledov, Kataster jam JZS).
Jamnik, P. 2011, Arheološka in paleontološka jamska najdišča s širšega območja Ribniške in Struške doline ter Kočevske. – V: Velušček, A. (ur.), Spaha. – Ljubljana, Založba ZRC, str. 48.
Kataster jam JZS: Kataster jam Jamarske zveze Slovenije. Dostopno na: https://www.katasterjam.si/ (citirano: 3. 11. 2024).
Lajovic, A. 1973, Jama pod cesto v oddelku 26 (Neobjavljen zapisnik terenskih ogledov, Kataster jam JZS). – Ljubljana.
RKD: Register kulturne dediščine. Dostopno na: https://geohub.gov.si/ghapp/giskd/ (citirano: 2. 11. 2024).
Splet 1: https://www.jknm.si/si/?id=595&l=2021(citirano: 2. 11. 2024).
Splet 1: https://www.rtvslo.si/lokalne-novice/dolenjska/iz-jame-v-kocevskem-rogu-odstranili-odpadne-pnevmatike-za-tovornjake/599792 (citirano: 2. 11. 2024).

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