17 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

An ancient necropolis and coins discovered in Kastel Fortress, a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina

During excavations at Kastel Fortress, the national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, students and professors of Archaeology and History found an ancient coin and, more importantly, they think they have discovered an ancient necropolis.

Kastel Fortress the oldest historical monument in Banja Luka, is situated on the left bank of the Vrbas River, between the City Bridge and the month of the Crkvena River. It is believed to have been constructed on the remains of a Roman settlement known as Castra.

Boris Radic, Senior Associate at the Republican Institute for the Protection of Cultural and Historical Heritage, told Sarajevo Times that the discovery took place at an archaeological school attended by students of Archaeology and History from both public universities in Republika Srpska (RS).

According to Boris Radic, they found an ancient cemetery in Kastel, the existence of which was not even known. The exact results will become clear after Carbon 14 dating. The excavations also uncovered a late antique coin from the 4th century.

Excavations were carried out at the site in the 1980s. On-site, flint tools from the Gravettiena period—the youngest stage of the upper Paleolithic period, which spanned from the XIX to the first quarter of the XII millennium BCE—were discovered. Also, a settlement was discovered, dating back to the Eneolith period, containing ceramics of the Baden culture group and a small number of ceramic fragments from the Vučedol culture. Later, on the basis of methodological studies, ancient geographical maps, and mostly accidental discoveries, it was established that an ancient Roman settlement called Castra existed here.

Assuming that the site had been completely excavated in the 1980s, the archaeology school started out as a cleaning project six years ago.

Photo: N1

“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,” explains Radic.

He points out that because Kastel was continuously inhabited, both professors and students have the chance to observe how the layers mix there, but it also makes their job challenging because it is challenging to distinguish between the layers.

“So now we unexpectedly came across a necropolis, and each year, we come across human skeletons. This isn’t a conventional cemetery; based on the orientation of the deceased, we assume they are from an earlier period, as they do not align with Christian or Muslim burial customs. Moreover, these graves are embedded into ancient walls, and this year, we discovered that people disregarded the walls, digging graves and thereby destroying walls that could date to the 2nd century,” Radic said.

However, it is not possible to say anything definite until the Carbon 14 dating results are determined. The researcher stated that there were also many ancient pottery in the layer they uncovered, but they were mixed with Turkish pottery. They also found a 4th-century coin, but this alone does not mean anything.

This project was carried out in cooperation with the Museum of Republika Srpska, the Association of Archaeologists of Republika Srpska, the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Banja Luka, and the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of East Sarajevo. The project was co-financed by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska and the city of Banja Luka.

Cover Image Credit: Tomas Damjanovic Banjaluka – CC BY-SA 4.0

Related Articles

Young Metal Detectorist Discovers Huge Viking Treasure Hoard in Denmark

23 April 2023

23 April 2023

A group of hobby metal detectorists has discovered two Viking treasures buried a few meters apart near the ruins of...

Bronze Age metal hoard discovered in the Swiss Alps at Roman battle site

29 June 2023

29 June 2023

Archaeologists excavating the Switzerland Oberhalbstein valley have discovered a metal hoard containing more than 80 bronze artifacts dating from 1200...

2,200-year-old Greek sling bullet may have been used against Jews

9 December 2022

9 December 2022

A 2,200-year-old lead sling bullet was discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in the central Israeli city of Yavne,...

5000-year-old jewelry factory found in Rakhi Garhi in India’s Indus Valley region

9 May 2022

9 May 2022

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has made an important discovery by finding the remains of a 5000-year-old jewelry factory...

Anaweka Waka: New Zealand’s Most Significant Archaeological Find Gets a Permanent Home

29 July 2025

29 July 2025

Discovered in 2012, New Zealand’s most significant archaeological find may soon become the centerpiece of a purpose-built wharewaka in Golden...

Archaeologists Unearth Prehistoric Fishing Evidence on the Makran Coast of Iran

20 May 2025

20 May 2025

The Makran coast, a historically rich coastal stretch along the Sea of Oman, has once again drawn archaeological attention with...

300 Year Old “Exceptional” Prosthesis made of Gold and Copper and wool Discovered in Poland

14 April 2024

14 April 2024

Something novel has been discovered by Polish archaeologists working on the excavation of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi...

Scientists Uncover 22,000-Year-Old Evidence of Prehistoric Transport

9 March 2025

9 March 2025

In a remarkable glimpse into the ingenuity of our early ancestors, recent research reveals that 22,000 years ago, humans may...

Archaeologists have uncovered oldest Roman forum in Hispania, at the site of a named unknown city

3 September 2023

3 September 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Roman forum from more than 2,000 years ago at the site of an unknown city...

Earliest Direct Evidence of Psychoactive Plant Use in Iron Age Arabia Identified in Tomb at Qurayyah

25 May 2025

25 May 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, scientists have uncovered the earliest known use of the psychoactive plant Peganum harmala—commonly known as...

HS2 archaeologists discover Romanization of Iron Age village in Britain

12 January 2022

12 January 2022

Archaeologists have uncovered a vast Roman trading town on Britain’s HS2 high-speed rail route. Evidence found during a dig of...

1700 years ago the Korean peninsula had more genetic diversity than in our time, “Facial reconstruction possible through DNA analyses”

22 June 2022

22 June 2022

An international team led by The University of Vienna and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in collaboration...

Roman camp of 10,000 people discovered in northern Portugal

2 July 2021

2 July 2021

A camp used by 10,000 Roman soldiers sent to conquer northwestern Iberia has been discovered in the Portuguese city of...

A woman who had brain surgery 9500 years ago will be brought revived

12 September 2021

12 September 2021

A “revival” effort is underway on a woman’s skull unearthed in 1989 during archaeological digs at the Aşıklı Mound in...

4,500-Year-Old Dog Teeth-Adorned Bags Found in Germany May Have Been Elite Baby Carriers

11 July 2025

11 July 2025

Archaeological excavations near Krauschwitz reveal rare decorated leather bags buried with women and infants—shining new light on Neolithic burial customs...