Miloš Milovanović, Katarina Ristić

 

Hidden sculpture garden, placed on Avala mountain- Vinca neolithic culture statues are hidden in the forest and in the closed mercury mine on mountain Avala, waiting for the curious to pass by, reminding on the possible connection of the Vincian civilization and mercury mining on Avala.

 

"In addition to the game, which there was in abundance, Avala is rich in important mineral resource necessary to Neolithic inhabitants of Vinca. In addition to various kinds of stone, inside of the mountain plentuy of cinnabar is hidden, which is a valuable resource for the Vinca communities. Not far from Šuplja stena mine fragments of the Vinca pottery and stone hammers were discovered, confirming that ithe mine was used during the Late Neolithic. Cinnabar, mercuric sulfide, was certainly very important in the Neolithic period. It served as a color (for dyeing and decorating dishes), which was confirmed by chemical analysis conducted on samples from Vince. Cinnabar was used all around the world, both in prehistoric and historical epochs, mostly for medicinal purposes, as an antiseptic and sedative, and in many texts it was mentioned as a regular component of various alchemical recipes for longevity and immortality". (Tortchinov 1998)