Schedule
Depart from Coworking at 1230
1245, arrive at Church
1430, arrive at Galešnik
1500, arrive at Tor
1530, depart Tor
1630, back at Fontana
Purkin Kuk, a glimpse into prehistory
Purkin Kuk is one of the largest and most important prehistoric sites on the island of Hvar. The site is located on a hill above the town, at a point from which the entire bay, as well as the plain between Budinjac Hill and the rolling hills on the north side of the island, can be observed.
We have historical evidence for this site (Diodorus, 1st century BC) dating back to the earliest days of the fortress's founding. Diodorus stated: "During this period (384 BC), the Paranians, who settled Faros, allowed strangers undisturbed residence on the island in a strongly fortified location, while they founded a city by the sea and surrounded it with walls."
This account can give us a clue as to the nature of this fortress. It served as a strategic observation point, guarding the city's security from prehistory to the early Middle Ages, and had the character of a kind of cult site. Visitors' attention is particularly drawn to the western wall, which was constructed using the megalithic masonry technique. This is a common Greek construction method and is thought to date back to the 4th century BC.
Šime Ljubić excavated here 120 years ago, and traces of his excavations are still visible in the cairn. Even before him, some ephemeral blades, recently dated to the Early Neolithic period (7,000 BCE), were found on the land near this cairn, presumably prompting Ljubić to continue researching here. One hundred years later, Marin Zaninović would excavate the western edge of the mound. On this occasion, the remains of massive walls forming a square, measuring 25 x 25 m, were discovered. The walls are of different construction types, and their layout is rather vague, especially in the northwestern part. But since the excavations were never completed and are not sufficiently documented, it is impossible to say what was done here.
The construction differs in general from the properly built Greek towers on Maslinovik and Tor, as well as the walls of Pharos, although all the cornerstones have worked edges - so-called anathyrosis (finely burled surface), characteristic of Greek military architecture. Diodorus mentions that Purkin kuk was a "very fortified place" or "fortress that was very inaccessible" in connection with the battle that took place between the Greek settlers and the Illyrians in the first year after the arrival of Parana (384 BC). It may be the place where the Paranians "allowed the barbarians to remain undisturbed on the island," in the words of Diodorus.
However, Purkin kuk does not quite look like a fortress. The visible remains do not have the dimensions of a larger fortress (nothing like Gračišće above Vrbanja or Lompić at the entrance to Starograd Bay)—nor the remains of a settlement. Likewise the size of the hill is not unusual for Dalmatia. It is similar to Vela Gomila on Vis or the large hill in Igrana, to name examples just in the immediate area. If these ruins are the remains of a fortress, then it was very small, like Glavica north of Stari Grad. If Lompić and Gračišće were preserved, then one would imagine that Diodorus's heavily fortified site of Purkin kuk would also have been preserved. Similiarly it's hard to imagine anyone having a heavily fortified site like Purkin Kuk so near to the key settlement of Pharos.
Adding to the puzzle, no movable archaeological material has been found during excavations so far. This material could shed light on the period of construction and the function of the structure, as is the case with the excavations of the Greek tower at Maslinovik. It's possible that the walls are part of a Greek/Illyrian observation post (similar to the gate at Jelsa), or the remains of a sanctuary or shrine created with the cairn.
How to get there
From the Church of St. Mary in Dol, Purkin Kuk is only a kilometer’s walk. On the way, one passes by the abandoned Likoreva Kuća, or “Liquor House,” a 19th century hunting lodge belonging to Dr. Peter Ostojić (1780-1851), a physician from Stari Grad. Even today, one can hear stories related to the "Likoro" among the older population, especially among the Doljans. In the early 1840s, Dr. Peter Ostojić built a stone water basin in the shape of a ship on a large estate south of the Church of St. Nicholas as well as several other structures.
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Historical text credit: TopoHvar
Image credit: Visit Hvar