Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace
Late Neolithic (5500-4500 BCE)·Butmir Culture·🇧🇦 Sarajevo, Ilidza, Bosnia and Herzegovina
About
About Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace
Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace in Sarajevo, Ilidza, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Late Neolithic (5500-4500 BCE) ancient village attributed to Butmir Culture. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal necropolis 4 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 43.9014N 18.3284E controls access to Sarajevo, Ilidza resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey ancient-village for Sarajevo, Ilidza, illustrating Butmir Culture construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction labor organization
- 02Chronology and phasing
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 5100 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic (5500-4500 BCE)
- Culture
- Butmir Culture
- Purpose
- Settlement with domestic structures and ancillary ritual space
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 5100 BCE
Initial construction of Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace main structure
c. 1077 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace
1967–2021
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
43.9014° N · 18.3284° E · 475 m · 4 mapped features
- Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace — Main Ancient-Village FeaturestructurePrimary structure at Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits43.8995° N · 18.3295° E
- Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace — Secondary EnclosureenclosureAncillary enclosure at Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace — platform mound with stratified deposits43.8997° N · 18.3285° E
- Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panelrock artOutlier rock_art panel linked to Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape43.9004° N · 18.3267° E
- Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern AnnexhydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Butmir Neolithic Settlement Trench North — Western Terrace with plastered basin43.9020° N · 18.3281° E