Between 6 and 12 July 2025, dr. Rok Brajkovič, together with lecturers and researchers from the Department of Geology of the NTF UL (doc. dr. Petra Žvab Rožič, prof. dr. Boštjan Rožič, Tristan Rome), took part in the summer school "Geology and Archaeology of stećci tombstones" in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The school was held in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, in cooperation with researchers and lecturers from several Slovenian and foreign institutions (ZRC SAZU, Zemaljski muzej BiH) and universities (University of Sarajevo, University of Belgrade, Stanford University, University of Banja Luka). The event was also linked to the ERC project STONE - Unde venis? Unraveling the enigma of stećci tombstones, led by dr. Saša Čaval from ZRC SAZU.

Seven students from the Department of Geology attended the school. The participants arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday and used the trip to visit the outcrops of the Dinaric ophtholites. The first day of the school was dedicated to visiting the medieval Bosnian fortress of Dubrovnik, north of Sarajevo, and to the nearby necropolis of the Kopošići stećci. The stećci of the noble Batić family attracted particular attention, which, in addition to its rich decoration, features an extensive inscription in Bosnian. On the second day, the participants visited the National Museum of BiH and met with representatives of the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Sarajevo. These first days focused on understanding the broader archaeological and cultural context of the stećci phenomenon. The third day was devoted to lectures on the geology of the Dinarides, interdisciplinary approaches and methods of provenance analysis of stone artefacts, followed by a geological field visit and an archaeological excavation of the Pavlovac Fortress near Prača in the afternoon. The participants then carried out a practical workshop on identification of lithotypes of the stećci at the necropolis and searched for the most probable provenance of the stone material used with the help of geological maps. The fourth day offered insights into archaeological research at selected sites in the vicinity of Bileća. On the way through the Sutjeska gorge, the participants made several stops for fieldwork on the geological structure of the Dinarides and the intermontane basins. The fifth day was entirely dedicated to fieldwork. Participants analysed the stone building materials of the remains of an old mosque and a nearby church in the vicinity of Bileća, connected by local legend of the Janissary Predojević. In the afternoon, the group visited Dabarsko polje, one of the most beautiful karst fields in the Dinarides, and a visit to the stećci necropolis Milavići. In the late afternoon, the participants devoted themselves to a detailed lithological examination of the stećci in the museum in Bileća. As many as 98 specimens were analysed at this site, where the stećci were relocated before the flooding of the Bileća reservoir. The last day was dedicated to the journey home, which was enriched by a visit to the stunning Hellenistic fortress of Daorson above Stolac.

The organisers would like to thank dr. Saša Čaval (ZRC SAZU) and prof. Edin Bujak (University of Sarajevo), as well as all other participants: Lucija Grahek (ZRC SAZU), Monika Milosavljević (Faculty of Arts, University of Belgrade), Adisa Lepić (Zemaljski muzej BiH), Dina Vajzović-Balihodžić (Faculty of Arts, University of Sarajevo), Ljubica Srdić, Perica Mijatović (Fondacija Starobosanski grad Dubrovnik, Ilijaš), Adi Džemidžić (Zavičajni muzej Goražde), architects Siniša and Jasna (University of Banja Luka), Nejc Čož and Luka Škerjanc (ZRC SAZU) and many other supporters and hosts.