The mine at the site of Prljuša on Mali Šturac offers a new perspective on the development of mining in the Central Balkans. The original hypothesis that there was an Early Eneolithic copper mine in this place, based on the appearance of shafts and the manner in which the ore was exploited, changed after the discovery of several ceramic vessels and after absolute dates were obtained, which helped determine that this mine was from the Early Bronze Age. Pottery discovered in Shaft 7, according to the stylistic and typological traits, but also on the basis of radiocarbon dates obtained (2343–2138 cal BC), was attributed to the Early Bronze Age and the Bubanj–Hum III culture. A small number of finds belong to the Vatin culture. Such dating of the ceramic finds chronologically determines the functioning of Shaft 7 into the second half of the third millennium, with the possibility that it also continued in the beginning of the second millennium. However, no settlements can be linked with the miners, and the question whether they were from the vicinity or if they had arrived from far away remains open. A large ore deposit such as Prljuša could have been a gathering point for miners from different parts and of different populations in the times of great movements, and overlapping several cultures. Furthermore, it is possible that the miners were locals (living in a still undiscovered settlement), who were involved in intensive trade and exchange with both regional communities, and those at greater distances as well.
Antonović et al. (Thu,) studied this question.