Smiley Arheological Tour of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Stolac is a town and municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac and its area have been settled since ancient times. Its rich hunting-grounds along with other natural benefits attracted prehistoric man, and later the Illyrians, Romans and Slavs, all of whom left a wealth of anthropological evidence.

Radimlja is a stećak necropolis located near Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in Vidovo polje, 3 km west of Stolac, on the Čapljina-Stolac road. The Radimlja necropolis is one of the most valuable monuments of the mediaeval period in Bosnia and Herzegovina.The majority of its stećak tombstones date from the 1480s through the 16th century, as evidenced by the epitaph on one of the tombstones.The necropolis includes 133 

stećci.

Daorson (Ancient Greek Δαορσών) was the capital of a Hellenised Illyrian tribe called the 

Daorsi (Ancient Greek Δαόριζοι, Δαούρσιοι; Latin

Daorsei). The Daorsi lived in the valley of the Neretva River between 300 BC and 50 BC. The remnants of Daorson can be found at Ošanjići, near Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina.Daorson was built around a central fort or acropolis, surrounded by cyclopean walls made of huge stone blocks (similar to those in Mycenae, in Greece). The acropolis would have housed all of the important administrative, public and religious buildings. The defensive wall extending from southwest to northeast was 65 metres long, 4.2 metres wide, and from 4.5 to 7.5 metres high with doors and towers on both sides. The Daorsi used the Greek language and alphabet and kept trading relations with the Greeks.

Badanj Cave (Bosnian: Badanj Pećina) is located in Borojevići village near the town of Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This rather small cave has come to public attention after the 1976 discovery of its cave engravings, that date to between 12,000 and 16,000 BCE.

Thanks to local natural benefits and preferable composition, topography, climate, hydrography and vegetation and rich hunting grounds always have attracted prehistoric settlers - the region has been settled since ancient times. The site is rock shelter or overhang recessed beneath a cliff that descends to the right bank of the river Bregava.

Two chronologically distinct strata of Palaeolithic occupation were identified beneath the surface layer. Of particular significance was the discovery of a particular carving of the Badanj site, as it ranks among the oldest works of art in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The carving is cut into the diagonal surface of a large polished block of stone, and probably represents a horse seen from the offside flank that has been hit by arrows. Only the rear half of the body survives, with flanks typical for a horse and part of the body; the rest of the drawing has been partly damaged.