About

Grčko groblje, Hrta, PrijepoljeThe necropolis is located in the village of Hrta, 16 km southwest of Prijepolje, in a very mountainous region, in the direction of Gubica. The necropolis consists of Donje and Gornje groblje (Lower and Upper cemetery), 100 meters apart, with tombstones arranged on two mounds surrounded by a rural road and a creek. They are oriented east-west.

The Gornje groblje consists of 33 tombstones: 18 chests, 12 slabs and 3 amorphous tombstones.

Seventeen tombstones are decorated with the following motifs: rope and a wavy line edging with circles, zigzag ornaments, concentrated circles, circles with a cross inside, a sword and a deer. On the sides of some larger chests, there are arcades in reliefs.

The Donje groblje consists of 41 tombstones in the form of slabs. One slab is decorated with a motif of a cross inscribed in the circle.

No inscriptions were recorded.

Grčko groblje (Greek cemetery) in the village of Hrta (30) was formed on two elevations 100 meters apart. The tombstones of the lower cemetery include only slabs and it is obvious that the burials took place in prehistoric tumuli. This area has not been explored in detail and therefore other findings of prehistoric tumuli or remains from antiquity remain unknown. In addition to the massive slabs which are mostly decorated with carved motives, the tombstones of the upper cemetery include a couple of chests with arcades. The upper cemetery tombstones were also placed on a conical hill, but in this case it cannot be determined with certainty that it was a prehistoric or medieval tumulus. Possible remains of a mediaeval settlement or fortification are at the site of Kulina, as documented in literature. Another cemetery with stećci was recorded in the village.

It is believed that in the Lim valley there were about seventy monasteries and churches. Medieval Prijepolje developed as a market place of the Mileševa monastery on the so called Dubrovnik road. The development of Prijepolje and surrounding settlements in the period was influenced by traders who passed through the valley of the Lim in the Middle Ages. Since the 12th century, the Polimlje territory was an integral part to the medieval Serbian Raška state and one of the central parts of the early Nemanjić state in whose parishes, from the times of Stefan Nemanja, members of that imperial family built their endowments. In one of those, Mileševa monastery, first Serbian archbishop Sava Nemanjić was buried. Later on, at the time of the Serbian king and emperor Stefan Dušan, and then of his son Uroš, this area as well as the biggest part of the Raška state, together with a coastal part towards Bosnia all the way to Dubrovnik, was governed by the most powerful and the oldest Serbian feudal Vojinović-Altomanović family, whose deceased were buried at Banja monastery near Priboj. For a period of time the Vojinović-Altomanović family was being paid various taxes (kumerak solski and svetodmitarski dohodak). In 1373, after the fall of the last representative of the Vojinović household, young župan Nikola Altomanović, his estates have been divided among prince (knez) Lazar, the Musić brothers, the Balšićs, Vuk Branković and Bosnian Ban Tvrtko I. The border with Bosnia was passing through the Lim River near Prijepolje.

The current settlement of Hrta was formed in the 19th century in the wider area of the medieval cemetery.

Location

The northern, eastern and western boundaries of the site are marked by country roads and a stream flowing along an elevated terrain covered with low trees. The southern boundary is marked by country roads leading to nearby hamlets.

Grčko groblje, Hrta, Prijepolje
Grčko groblje, Hrta, Prijepolje

State of the location

The necropolis is located in the village of Hrta, 16 km southwest of Prijepolje, in a very mountainous region, in the direction of Gubica. The necropolis consists of the Lower and Upper Cemetery, 100 meters apart, with tombstones arranged on two mounds surrounded by a rural road and a creek. The contemporary settlement of Hrta was established in the 19th century, in the wider area surrounding the medieval cemetery. The present state of the medieval cemetery is good.

Soil around each monument was removed. Even the monuments that had not sunk into the ground were covered with earth and grass and weed vegetation. The first phase of clearing off activities was completed in the summer of 2013. The monuments were cleaned and washed, removing the layers of moss and lichen. No chemical substances were used in the process. Complete documentation on found and present state has been prepared for the archaeological site Grčko groblje in the village of Hrta.

FAQ

Facilities for visitor and infrastructure

There are no statistical data available on the number and structure of visitors. Although this medieval cemetery with the stećci is located in an area of exceptional natural and landscape characteristics, it is not known. It is practically not visited at all.

There are no signs posted along the Prijepolje–Podgorica road, but after taking a local turn-off from the main road, at the 15th kilometre there is an info-board about a village and archaeological site 1.5 km away from the board. There is no info board at the site. There are no benches for resting, parking lot or sanitary facility. There is one cafe in the hamlet.

The site is not included in the itinerary of the Tourist Organisation Prijepolje; information is available on the website of the tourist organisation but there is no information material. Some 10 km out of Hrta by paved road, there is a tourist destination called Kamena gora (Stone Mountain), a natural area with a lookout point.

In the village of Hrta there is no organised accommodation for visitors, while accommodation capacities are available in Prijepolje (hotel, private accommodation). There is a possibility of introducing information materials on medieval cemeteries with stećci through the existing hotel and private accommodation capacities.