The first archaeological excavations were carried out in 1988. The following year, 1989. research continued, and the results showed that the cave was used for a longer period of time and that its inhabitants belonged to cultures from different periods (from the Bronze Age to the Paleolithic). After a longer time gap, the excavations continued in 1996 and 1997 on a wider area of research in relation to the previous ones and by applying the modern methodology. During all campaigns, a large amount of archaeological material (flint tools, fragments of ceramic vessels, animal bones and snail shells) was collected, among which the most interesting are bone harpoons dated to 5900 BC, the time of appearance and gradual spread of Neolithic culture in this area.
In September 2014. revision archeological excavations has begun as part of the international Eurofarm project, which focuses on studying the Neolithic process and the factors that may have influenced it in the Balkans. The aim of the research was to revise the sequence of cultural strata after which samples would be taken for C14 and geological analyzes.
The analysis of the stratigraphic situation in the cave was significantly facilitated by the results of the analysis of the carbon isotope C14. By dating several cultural layers, an absolute chronology of the time and length of use of this habitat has been established. The last inhabitants of the Hot Cave come from the Bronze Age, whose remains of material culture we found very close to today’s soil surface. The previous life in the cave was confirmed during the Neolithic, as evidenced by the large amount of archaeological material.
Absolute dating has established that the inhabitants resided here in the period between 4900-5100 g.p.n.e. Based on the archeological analysis so far, the bones of domesticated animals are found for the first time. The process of domestication of animals is associated with the spread of the Neolithic. The beginning of the making and use of ceramic vessels in everyday life is also connected to the Neolithic period. In addition to utilitarian ceramic vessels, fragments with impressed decoration were also found. This type of decoration is the oldest type of Neolithic ceramics, and it was found at several sites in Montenegro. On the Montenegrin coast, this type appears somewhat earlier (around 5900 BC), while in its hinterland it appears around 5750 BC, which coincides with the findings from the Hot Cave. The oldest cultural layer belongs to the Mesolithic period and a large amount of small finds originates from it. The age of the layer is 6000-6100 BC.
The report from the 1990s emphasized that the excavations was suspended at the level that is assumed to be the surface of the Pleistocene layer. In this campaign, we were not able to explore that layer, but its existence was confirmed in the interior of the cave. It is currently not possible to talk about the length of the settlement of the cave in the Pleistocene, as well as the character of the cultures of these communities.