Ancient Necropolis Found at Kastel Fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s historic Kastel Fortress is one of the rare locations in Europe with layers dating from the early Stone Age (before 10,000 years BC) through multiple eras leading up to the 20th century. The latest round of excavations at the site revealed the presence of an ancient necropolis of an undetermined age, as radio-carbon dating will need to be conducted to determine the cemetery’s true antiquity.

In addition, the archaeologists involved in this discovery also found an ancient coin, which they’ve been able to date all the way back to the 4th century BC.

Following the Excavations: A Mish-Mash of Many Layers

As one of the most visited sites in central and eastern Europe, the fortress at Kastel is now the national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the oldest historical monument in the city of Banja Luka, which is located in the thickly-forested Bosanska Krajina region of northwestern Bosnia.

Kastel is believed to have been constructed over the remains of a Roman settlement known as Castra. Excavations were first carried out there in the 1980s, and over the years they have followed both an interesting and unusual trajectory.

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Six years ago, students of archaeology and history from public universities in Republika Srpska (RS) participated in a ‘cleaning project’ at the site, assuming that extensive and thorough excavations had already been conducted. But this assumption proved to be incorrect.

“During the first cleaning, six years ago, we found that it was not fully examined and that additional archaeological layers remained. We then decided to make this a regular archaeology school, which now serves as practical instruction for History and Archaeology students,” explained Boris Radic, the Senior Associate at the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural and Historical Heritage, to the Sarajevo Times.

This proved to be a wise choice. The continuous habitation of Kastel, a prime location on the left bank of the Vrbas River between the City Bridge and the month of the Crkvena River, meant that scientifically students had a chance to observe how different excavation layers from different historical periods were mixed together at that location.

Archaeological excavation site at Kastel Fortress in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Vasyatka1/CC BY-SA 4.0).

At the same time, they were left flummoxed by the mixing, as it made it difficult to discern each layer individually. For example, a lot of the ancient pottery found had intermingled with Turkish pottery pieces; the ancient coin too left them confused, though it’s location could be more random and coincidental than initially thought.

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With respect to the cemetery, Radic mused about how unexpected the discovery was, particularly considering that it contained actual human skeletons. He explained that it was not a conventional cemetery, which was gleaned from the orientation of the deceased, and not aligned with Christian or Muslim burial symbols or customs. Embedded into ancient walls, the oldest graves were disregarded by later users, who dug further graves and destroyed walls dating to the 2nd century BC.

This current excavation project has been conducted in collaboration with the Museum of Republika Srpska, the Association of Archaeologists of Republika Srpska, the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Banja Luka, and the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of East Sarajevo. It received co-financing from the Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska and the city of Banja Luka.

The Lore of Kastel Fortress: From New Stone Age to Rome and Beyond

Earlier excavations were what cemented the lore of Kastel Fortress, as flint tools from the Gravettiena period, the earliest stage of the upper Palaeolithic period (before 10,000 BC) were found in the first set of excavations in the 1980s.

Ground level view of Kastel Fortress in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Sasa Knezic/CC BY-SA 4.0).

A settlement dating back to the Eneolith period, with ceramic pieces of the Baden culture group (3700-2700 BC) and a smaller number of fragments from the Vučedol culture (3000-2000 BC), were also found. Archaeologists conducted detailed studies and accessed ancient maps to finally learn more about about the Roman settlement known as Castra, which helped the Romans establish a strong presence in this region of central and eastern Europe .

The Ottoman Empire captured the fortress in 1527, and by 1528 the entire territory of Jajačka Banovina, stretching from Jajce to the Sava River, came under Ottoman control. The fortress underwent further expansions and improvements during the restoration by Numan-Pasha Ćuprilić between 1712 and 1714, with the builders adpoting the defensive principles of Vauban's fortification system.

Its final restoration took place in 1868. Under Austro-Hungarian occupation, a battalion was stationed within its walls. After World War II and up until 1959, the fortress continued to serve military purposes. Since the 1960s, however, Kastel has been repurposed for a range of civic and cultural activities, and it has proven to be an incredibly popular tourist destination in a region that had struggled to draw visitors in the wake of the disastrous wars of the 1990s.

Top image: Overhead view of Kastel Fortress in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Source: Tomas Damjanovic Banjaluka/CC BY-SA 4.0.

By Sahir Pandey