Цоцев Камен | |
 Approach to the site | |
  Cocev Kamen Location in North Macedonia | |
| Alternative name | Tsote’s Stone |
|---|---|
| Location | Kratovo Municipality,North Macedonia |
| Region | Northeastern Statistical Region |
| Coordinates | 42°05′24″N21°59′22″E / 42.09000°N 21.98944°E /42.09000; 21.98944 |
| Type | cave, rock shelter |
| Height | 481 m (1,578 ft) |
| History | |
| Material | Igneous rock |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | 3 |
Cocev Kamen (Macedonian:Цоцев Камен) is a hilltop cave site of volcanic origin near the town ofKratovo in the north-east ofNorth Macedonia. Objects (bone fossils) discovered near the cave suggest human presence since thePaleolithic. Authors agree that the site served as a gathering point for sacrificial rituals from theNeolithic, during theBronze Age, throughout antiquity until the Middle Ages as clarified by an abundance of pottery shards, stone (flint) tools and bone fragments unearthed from the surrounding areas. Several caves and rock shelters are decorated with red figurative art work. Comparison with similar sites in Bulgaria and Italy suggests that the paintings are indeed prehistoric.[1]
Debated remains the notion that Cocev Kamen has also been used as an (astronomical) observatory.[2] "There are visible interventions on the stone surface everywhere, in the form of stairs, pools, thrones, and one big cave was completely rearranged, with a large part of its wall ripped off to make a fenced platform looking at the nearby hill, which contains big natural stones..." These alterations served ceremonial purposes during offerings to fertility deities.[3]