Archaeologists, archaeology students and volunteers are searching for artifacts and excavating the remains of a medieval fortress in Trbuk, a settlement between Doboj and Maglaj. This is the first exploration at this location, which was entered into the Archaeological Lexicon of Bosnia and Herzegovina almost 40 years ago.
The students were given the opportunity to gain practical experience at a medieval archaeological site.
“For me, it is more important that this site is being explored for the first time and that we are getting some new information about this part of Ozren for the first time,” says Ajša Elšani, an archaeology student in Sarajevo.
“It is mostly bones and a little pottery found here and there. The main tool is a trowel, it is an archaeologist’s best friend, just like a dog is a man’s best friend, it is our trowel,” says Emina Topić, an archaeology student in Sarajevo.
“The ball is actually part of a set, we have a millstone plate and it was used to grind grain, or wheat. These were processed by hand, they were arranged. The large ones in the forests are mostly natural, naturally formed,” said archaeologist Snježana Antić from Bijeljina.
This site was entered into the Archaeological Lexicon of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1988. The work of students and volunteers is supervised by archaeologists from Doboj, Tešanj and Bijeljina.
“So, it belongs to the group of small, hill fortresses, of which there are relatively many in Northern Bosnia, but so far practically none have been systematically, archaeologically researched, so every piece of information we obtain is valuable in the reconstruction of life in the Middle Ages,” explains archaeologist from Doboj Aleksandar Jašarević.
Among the participants are activists who oppose geological research, or the opening of a mine on Mount Ozren.
“In addition to the visible beauties that Ozren abounds in, we see that there are also some cultural, material assets, which unfortunately were buried and overgrown,” says Slobodan Sarić, UG Ozrenski studenac.
The archaeological research in Trbuk was organized by the Maglaj citizens’ association Fojničani and the Doboj Museum. The project, worth 50,000 marks, is financed by the French Development Agency.
