Velika pećina is located in the canyon of the Kličevica stream near Benkovac. The cave itself has been known for quite some time. S. Božičević published its plan and section. M. Savić collected several stone finds and pieces of chert from Velika pećina, Mala pećina and the surrounding area, and these are kept in the Benkovac museum. Trial excavation were conducted in 2006. The trench was located in the cave’s main hall, some 20 m from the entrance. A total of 105 finds was collected and plotted, mostly Mousterian culture stone artefacts, and a smaller number of animal bones and teeth. The result of the dating of one specimen using accelerator mass spectrometry was very significant – it demonstrated an age of roughly 39000 years, indicating the late Mousterian and possibly overlapping with the youngest layers of Mujina pećina. In addition, Velika pećina is presently the cave site geographically closest to many open-air sites in the Ravni kotari area, which makes it valuable for comparisons with those sites.
