Preliminary report of archaeological research at the Kastel site in Banja Luka in 2019

Abstract

Situated at the heart of Banja Luka city centre, at the mouth of the river Crkvena in Vrbas, the Kastel Fortress is a complex, polygonal in shape and occupying an area of 26,610 m2 inside and 21,390 m2 out-side the fortification walls. The existing fortress consists of three parts of the inner space of different sizes, the “courtyards”, nine bastions, four towers and three entrance gates. It is constructed of rectangular worked stone, in irregular style, with lime mortar added. An integral part of the defense system of the fort was a 20–30 m wide ditch circling the Kastel fortress and now fully backfilled. The first archeological discoveries date from 1895 and 1924, while archaeological excavations were carried out in stages from 1971 to 1988. The findings range in date from the Late Paleolithic (Gravettien), Neolithic and Eneolithic (Baden and Vučedol cultures), and the Late Bronze and Iron Age. Remains of Roman walls, bronze fibulae, and numerous finds of coins from the 2nd to 4th century AD probably deriving from the Roman castrum. Pottery recovered from investigations into the Courtyard III was dated to the early medieval period, possibly corresponding to the Slavic settlement from the period between 9th and 12 th century.

Keywords

• geophysical research
• revision excavation
• multilayered site