With several hundred “stećci” over half of which are decorated, this is one of the top 10 archeological sites in Croatia and one of two Croatian sites with “stećci” on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The oldest part of the site are three early Bronze Age tombs related to the nearby prehistoric villages and forts. In the early 1st century the Roman legions built a road that is still in use today and that once served as a part of the Roman road network which connected Aquliea in Italy with Dirahij in Albania. During the Middle Ages a graveyard with “stećci” was built here. The repertoire of carvings is typical and it includes crosses, flower of lilies, scenes of hunting, dancing, dueling and more. Certain elements belong to the famous workshop of the blacksmith Jurina from the middle 15th century and are easily identified by large flowers, arcades, warriors and horsemen. Two tombstones have inscriptions in the local version of the Cyrillic script. South of Velika Crljivica lies a sinkhole with seven wells that were built during the 17th and the 18th century.
Text: Conservation office Imotski (Ivan Alduk, Katarina Cvitanić)
Foto: Luka Kolovrat
