Where is one of the largest Antique Sites in BiH located?

Restoration of a mosaic from the 4^th century will be conducted at the archaeological site Skelani near Srebrenica.

Charge d’affaires of the German Embassy in BiH Christian Sedat and the executive functionary of the Commission for preservation of national monuments of BiH Mirzah Fočo yesterday signed an Agreement on the allocation of grants for the project of preventive conservation of a mosaic from the 4^th century that is located at the archaeological site Skelani in the Municipality of Srebrenica.

Funds amounting to 60.000 EUR are provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany through the program of support for projects in the field of culture. The project will be implemented by the Commission for preservation of national monuments of BiH. Estimated duration of the project is 12 months.

By the decision of the Commission for preservation of national monuments, the archaeological site Skelani was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in November 2011.

The Roman town of Malvesiatium, the location of the present Skelani on Drina River, was an important economic and strategic center that dates back to the era of the emperor Vespasian (around year 70 of the new era) and represents one of the most important antique sites in BiH.

This site consists of the remains of the city hall, thermal baths, a palace, two early Christian basilicas, a brickyard and mosaics, as well as a substantial number of Roman monuments, including numerous inscriptions that honor the local dignitaries. An altar that reveals the identity of the legions whose headquarters was located here can also be found at this site. Some of those legions, such as the legion Gemina, were among the elite troops of the imperator.

During the archaeological excavations of this site in 2008, 40 square meters of a mosaic, which probably dates back to the second half of the fourth century of the new era, were discovered. In further research, another 100 square meters of preserved mosaics were discovered in 2015.

Main task of the project is to implement activities of preventive conservation of 140 square meters of the discovered mosaics that are located in situ. This site is currently covered with improvised construction that is not sufficient to ensure its protection.

Planned activities of the project will be conducted in two stages:

1^st stage: Designing of program for preventive conservation and regular maintenance of the site.

2^nd stage: Covering the mosaic in accordance with the current standards of protection.

(Source: radiosarajevo.ba/photo: municipiumskelani.net)