Early history of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Within the boundaries of today's Bosnia and Herzegovina, there have been many layers of prehistoric cultures whose creation and disappearance are linked to migrations of unidentified ethnic groups.

Prehistory

The Paleolithic in Bosnia is marked by the oldest Paleolithic monument in southeastern Europe, the engravings in Badanj Cave near Stolac in Herzegovina. A magnificent one is Horse attacked by arrows, preserved in fragments and dated around 14000 – 12000 BC.

During the time when

Pannonian

cultures. Herzegovina was under the influence of

impresso ceramics from the western Mediterranean, as seen in Green Cave near Mostar, Čairi near Stolac, Lisičići near Konjic and Peć Mlini near Grude

. People then lived in caves or simple settlements on hilltops. On the upper mainstream of the

Adriatic cultures in the south and the Starčević culture in the northeast. Original expressions of Kakanj culture are ceramic pots on four legs, called rhyton. We can also find them in the Danilo culture on the Croatian coast. Due to these objects, Kakanj culture is considered a part of the wide circle of Neolithic populations that followed a cult of life force (from northern Italy, Dalmatia and Epirus to the Aegean

). The Butmir culture near Sarajevo is distinctive, with fine glazed ceramics and miscellaneous geometrical decorations (often spirals). Figures from Butmir are unique sculptures modeled with hand; heads are almost like portraits with emphasized parts of body.

tumuli

. During this time, bronze arms, decorated plates, flat necklaces, and fibulas were decorated with a specific geometrical style of engraved ornament.

Illyrian period

The bronze culture of the Illyrians, an ethnic group with a distinct culture and art form, started to organize itself in today's Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania and parts of northern Greece.

From 8th century BC, Illyrian tribes evolved into kingdoms. The earliest recorded kingdom in Illyria (a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians, as recorded in classical antiquity) was that of the Enchele in the 8th century BC. The era in which we observe other Illyrian kingdoms begins approximately at 400 BC and ends at 167 BC.[7] The Autariatae under Pleurias (337 BC) were considered to have been a kingdom.[8] The Kingdom of the Ardiaei (originally a tribe from the Neretva valley region) began at 230 BC and ended at 167 BC.[9] The most notable Illyrian kingdoms and dynasties were those of Bardyllis of the Dardani and of Agron of the Ardiaei who created the last and best-known Illyrian kingdom.[10] Agron ruled over the Ardiaei and had extended his rule to other tribes as well.

From the 7th century BC, bronze was replaced by iron, after which only jewelry and art objects were still made out of bronze. Illyrian tribes, under the influence of Hallstatt cultures to the north, formed regional centers that were slightly different. A very important role in their life was the cult of the dead, which is seen in their careful burials and burial ceremonies, as well as the richness of their burial sites. In northern parts, there was a long tradition of

tumuli

(natively called gromile) that in Herzegovina were reaching monumental sizes, more than 50 m wide and 5 m high. Japodian tribes had an affinity to decoration (heavy, oversized necklaces out of yellow, blue or white glass paste, and large bronze fibulas, as well as spiral bracelets, diadems and helmets out of bronze foil).

Bosanski Novi

from the 2nd century

In the 4th century BC, the first invasion of

pottery wheel, new types of fibulas and different bronze and iron belts. They only passed on their way to Greece

, so their influence in Bosnia and Herzegovina is negligible. Celtic migrations displaced many Illyrian tribes from their former lands, but some Celtic and Illyrian tribes mixed. Concrete historical evidence for this period is scarce, but overall it appears that the region was populated by a number of different peoples speaking distinct languages.

In the

coins

and sculptures.

Roman period

Conflict between the Illyrians and

Roman province of Dalmatia

.

In the Roman period, Latin-speaking settlers from all over the

Bona. Roman Bosnia enjoyed a huge development, with many "Roman via" and "castra" and an economy based on the exploitation of mines.^[1] Following Roman rule there was a large number of Vlachs

who were descended from a pre-Slavic population. Related to Romanians and originally speaking a language related to Romanian, the Vlachs are now Slavic speaking.[2]

Gothic War (535–553) by the Emperor Justinian I, and the area was re-conquered for the Byzantine Empire

.

Notes

^ Map and information of Roman Bosnia-Herzegovina
^ John V. A. Fine,John Van Antwerp Fine, The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century. University of Michigan Press, 1994 p.19

Sources

Noel Malcolm, Bosnia A Short History, Macmillan London Limited, 1994.
“Umjetničko Blago Bosne i Hercegovine”, several authors, Svjetlost, Sarajevo, 1987.

[1] Map and information of Roman Bosnia-Herzegovina

[2] John V. A. Fine,John Van Antwerp Fine, The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century. University of Michigan Press, 1994 p.19

[1]

Part of a series on the
History of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Early history Prehistory Neolithic cultures: (Kakanj / Butmir ) Illyrian period ( Glasinac culture / Central Bosnian culture ) Roman Dalmatia Roman Pannonia
Middle Ages Bosnia in the Early Middle Ages (before 10th c.) Zachumlia (~9th–14th c.) Podrinje ) Bosansko Krajište (1451-1463) Duchy of Herzegovina (1463–1482)
Ottoman era Ottoman conquest (Bosansko Krajište (1451-1463)) Herzegovina Uprising (1875–1877))
Habsburg era Bosnian crisis )
Yugoslavia Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Drina Banovina ) World War II SFR Yugoslavia (SR Bosnia and Herzegovina ) Breakup of Yugoslavia
Contemporary Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian War (defunct: Herzeg-Bosnia / Western Bosnia) Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska)
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