 Cyclopean walls of ancient Daorson. | |
  Shown within Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
 | |
| Location | Ošanići,Stolac,Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|---|---|
| Region | Illyria,Dalmatia |
| Type | Megalithic settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Classical, Hellenistic, Roman |
| Cultures | Illyrian, Roman |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | Public |
| Official name | Archaeological area - the Hellenistic city of Daorson in Ošanići near Stolac |
| Type | Category 0 cultural property |
| Criteria | A, B, C iii.iv.v.vi., D i.iv., F i.iii., G iv., H i., I i.ii.iii. |
| Designated | 21 January 2003 |
| Part of | Stolac, natural and architectural ensemble |
| Reference no. | 605 |
| Decision no. | 01-275/02 |
| Listed | List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Daorson was the capital of theIllyriantribe of theDaorsi (Ancient Greek Δαόριζοι, Δαούρσιοι;LatinDaorsei).[1] The Daorsi lived in the valley of theNeretva River between 300 BC and 50 BC. They came very early into contact with Greek traders acquiring many facies ofGreek civilization, and the town acquired a certain degree ofHellenization.[2][3][4][5][6] After the peace treaty withRome in 168/167 BC, the Daorsi minted their own coins.[7]
The ruins of Daorson is located at Ošanići, nearStolac,Bosnia and Herzegovina.[8][9][10][11]
Daorson was built around a central fort oracropolis, surrounded bycyclopean walls made of huge[12] stone blocks (similar to those inMycenae, inGreece). 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 remnants of numerous wine amphorae have been found, including some ceramic fragments. The most valuable of the finds is a bronze helmet decorated with a series of mythological figures. The inscription on it is similar to the inscription on a helmet found inNorth Macedonia[citation needed]. The remnants of a granite sculpture ofCadmus andHarmonia have also been found. This piece includes an Illyrian relief with thirteen snakes and five pairs of eagle's wings. A small building housed amint facility. Thirty-nine different coins were discovered in this building, the majority (29) depicted KingBallaios, who ruled after 168 BC. Money was of immense importance to the Daorsi, allowing the tribe to remain independent while securing their business, cultural and trade links with other groups.[13][14]
After the Daorsi were attacked by theDelmatae,[15] they joinedIssa[16] in seeking the protection of theRoman state. The Daorsi abandonedCaravantius and fought on the side of the Romans, contributing with their strong navy. After theIllyrian Wars the Romans gave the Daorsi immunity.
Ošanići consist of three linked stones groups, the disposition of which is dictated by the lie of the land.
The central area is occupied by a dominant hill fort or acropolis below and to the south and south-west of which are terraces on the ridge, while to the east, on the Banjeplateau, is the outer-acropolis area of residential and commercial, mainly artisanal and trade quarters of the settlement.
The hill fort was built on a prehistoric fortified settlement which had been in existence there since the early (17/16th century BCE) to the end of the lateBronze Age (9/8th century BCE). The date of the ransacking of the town of Daorson that finally put an end to human settlement there can be determined with fair accuracy as the mid or second half of the 1st century BCE from the details of the wars waged by the Roman PraetorVatinius against theDelmati. No permanent settlement ever arose on the ruins of the town of Daors. There is ample evidence of its advanced culture and civilization: it minted its own coins and produced complex artistically decorated buckles, there isgraffiti on shards of pottery vessels, and parts of stone statues of human figures some 2 m in height were found.
Amegalithic wall, erected following the lie of the land, has been dated to the 4th century BCE, when both towers were probably built following the construction of the wall. The rest of the acropolis is of later date, through to the 1st century BCE. One of the most important finds is a helmet with the Greek inscription ΠΙИ, probably the abbreviated Illyrian name of the owner PINNES; it was probably made in the 3rd century BCE.
Daorson is designatedNational monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and, including the nearbyRadimlja necropolis, and other individual sites outside the city of Stolac perimeter, is designated asThe natural and architectural ensemble of Stolac and proposed for inscription into the UNESCO'sWorld Heritage Sitelist. The bid for inscription is currently placed on theUNESCO Tentative list.[17]
