- Butmir Culture
The Butmir Culture was a culture in
Butmir , near Ilidža,Bosnia and Herzegovina , dating from theNeolithic period. It is characterized by its unique pottery, and is one of the best researched European cultures from 2600-2400 BC.The Butmir Culture was discovered in
1893 , when Austrio-Hungarian authorities began construction on the agricultural college of theUniversity of Sarajevo . Various traces of human settlement were found dating to the Neolithic period. Digs were begun immediately, and lasted until1896 .The finds caused interest among archeologists worldwide. They were largely responsible for the International Congress of Archeology and Antrophology being held in
Sarajevo in August of1894 . The most impressive finds were the unique ceramics, which are now found in theNational Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina .Certain characteristics of the Butmir pottery designs made some suggest a connection to the Minoan culture on
Crete . Of course this was during the same time that some suggestedTroy was found in theNeretva river valley, and overwhelming modern opinion is that the Butmir people were a unique culture of their own in the Sarajevo area.The culture disappeared during the
Bronze Age , most likely conquered by theIllyrians who settled the area at the time. The Illyrian tribe who occupied the area after them were the Daesitates.Notes
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