The ancient archaeological site of Gračine is located on a flat plateau above the left bank of the Trebižat River in the area of the village of Humac, 2 km southwest of Ljubuški.
The military camp originates from the 1st-3rd centuries. century, and was partially explored and restored in the period from 1977 to 1988. Remains of a Roman military complex were explored on the site.
During the excavation, numerous remains of ceramics, jugs, vases, coins, jewelry, rings, glass, tools and weapons were found. A small part of the exhibit is located in the Museum of the Franciscan Monastery of St. Ante, and most of the excavations (ceramics, glass, numismatics) have never been exhibited.
This archaeological site was declared a national monument in 2003.
New archaeological research began in April 2017, in cooperation with the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Mostar and the Municipality of Ljubuški.
Inheritance
When the Romans broke the resistance of warlike Illyrians, Delmatians and Pannonians in 9 AD, they started building roads, bridges and forts. One of the smaller military camps, for the accommodation of a cohort of four hundred soldiers and one hundred horsemen, was located in the area of Ljubuški. Most researchers assume that the camp was located in the locality Gračine na Humac, four kilometers southwest of the center of today's Ljubuški. According to numismatic, metal and ceramic finds, it was built in the 1st century AD. BC, most likely during the time of Emperor Tiberius (around 14 AD), when the Salona - Narona road was completed. Its purpose was primarily a strategic-defensive role - protection of the Neretva river valley and the territory of the Narona colony from the penetration of the Illyrian peoples from the hinterland. There is doubt as to whether a Roman military camp was excavated in Gračine, which has a strictly defined layout and purpose of space, or an accompanying part of a military complex, thermal baths, and craftsman's workshops and dwellings. Unfortunately, the results of the research in Gračina were not published, nor were further studies continued. Time has taken its toll, so today the remains of the Roman complex are in a rather neglected state, with unresolved property-legal relations and illegal construction, although the site is included in the list of monuments of national interest. The value of the object in Gračine lies in the fact that it is the only partially explored Roman military complex in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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