Forever at the boundary of world cultures, the island of Hvar tells a historical saga of both man and western civilization. Your archaeological journey begins with homemade refreshments and appetizers at the Novaks' konoba in Brusje.  Here you'll watch a film that documents the impressive Novak family archaeological collection, which has been donated to the Archaeological Museum in Split. The tour continues at Grap?eva Cave, where Neolithic remains take you back to sometime around 8000 B.C.—a time when civilization was a mere twinkle in man's eye.  The ceramics found at this site are colourfully adorned with exquisite spiral ornamentation, and are in fact so unique to Neolithic art that scientists have given them the special designation 'Hvar Culture'.  Next it's on to Stari Grad, the oldest city in Croatia, where 384 B.C. marks the arrival of the Greeks and agrarian reform.  Currently on UNESCO's tentative World Heritage List, the fertile plain that lies to the east of Stari Grad is the site of oldest known land division—its cadastral plots have been preserved for centuries.  Other historical wonders include the oldest known public theatre in Europe located in the city of Hvar, the highly developed architecture of rustic Roman villas as well as other exquisite structures touched by the influence of the Venetian, Napoleonic, and Austro-Hungarian empires.  You'll also visit sites that tell heroic tales of military encounters with the Turks, Russians and English.