Journal of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo (History, History of Art, Archeology) / Radovi (Historija, Historija umjetnosti, Arheologija), ISSN 2303-6974 on-line

Bosnia and Herzegovina in the First World War, 1914-1918

Zijad Šehić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper provides a curated compilation of English translations of the authors’ previously published works, intended to reach a broader international audience.

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Based on relevant literature and archival sources, the author considers an important period of Bosnian and Herzegovinian history that was marginalized in Yugoslav historiography and defined by ideological requirements. The paper focuses on wartime circumstances and their influence on political, economic and demographic changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Special attention is dedicated to the conditions in the background, the state of the army at the front as well as other elements which impacted the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian army. It was possible to reach convincing conclusions founded on verified facts through critical evaluation of the existing literature and research of new archival sources, with the aim of obtaining documentation of diverse provenance. The author has attempted to remove historiographic stereotypes related to roles of Bosnians and Herzegovinians in the military organizations of the Habsburg Monarchy during the First World War which were created out of political needs or were for the same reason ignored or marginalized.

Predgovor / Foreword

Amra Šačić Beća — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Foreword

Adnan Busuladžić – Zaboravljena Narona – Arheološki nalazi iz Narone u antičkoj zbirci Zemaljskog muzeja Bosne i Hercegovine, Arheološki muzej Narona i Zemaljski muzej Bosne i Hercegovine, Vid – Sarajevo, 2025, 180 str.

Dina Vajzović-Balihodžić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book review

Emir O. Filipović, Late Medieval Southeast Europe Between Latin Christianity, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Ottoman Islam. Hagen University Press, Hagen, 2025, 347 pp.

Daniel Ziemann — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book Review

Memoari Jelice Belović- Bernadzikowske (Ljube T. Daničić), ur. Enes S. Omerović i Tomasz Jacek Lis, Univerzitet u Sarajevu – Institut za historiju i Historijski Arhiv Sarajevo, 2023.

Emina Mostić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book Review

Amila Kasumović i Sandra Biletić: Dekodiranje arhiva: Strategije čitanja arhivske građe na primjeru Komisije za poslove Bosne i Hercegovine (1878–1879), Arhiv Bosne i Hercegovine – Univerzite u Sarajevu - Filozofski fakultet ( Centar za historijska istraživanja (CeHiS), Sarajevo 2024, 361 str.

Minela Radušić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book Review

Hrvoje Petrić, Tomislav Branđolica, Ekonomska zbilja je crvena nit povijesti: hrvatska historiografija i ekonomska historija, Zagreb: Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu Centar za komparativnohistorijske i interkulturalne studije FF press, 2024, 212 str.

Dženita Sarač Rujanac — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book Review

Grupa autora, 75 godina u službi kulture / 75 Years in the Service of Culture, Muzej Sarajeva, Sarajevo, 2025, 293 str.

Dženana Kurtović — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Book Review

Gdje su svi drvodjelci nestali: novi prijedlog interpretacije kamenog i koštanog alata sa lokaliteta Lisičići kod Konjica, Bosna i Hercegovina / Where Have All the Woodworkers Gone: New Proposal for Interpreting Stone and Bone Tools from the Site of Lisičići Near Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jasenko Hadžihasanović — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the following text, a proposal is presented for a new interpretation of the stone and bone tools from the Neolithic site of Lisičići near Konjic. Due to the way data were recorded in the 1950s, it’s not possible to assign the tools to individual archaeological layers, and thus all analyzed finds of this kind are treated as Late Neolithic. For this reason, based on the literature, only a visual analysis of the objects is possible in order to make comparisons with other studies based on ethno-archaeology and experimental archaeology. The focus was on the use of the tools in woodworking, but additional suggestions were also provided regarding their potential use in making other objects used by the people at the time. In this way, a new perspective on the past of the community at Lisičići has been obtained. Additionally, the text presents a proposed model for comparing archaeological objects using the prior studies, for use in future research in analyses aimed at explaining the past.

Novi prilozi historiografiji Velikog Ilirskog ustanka – GLAD / New Contributions to the Historiography of the Great Illryan Uprising – FAMINE

Salmedin Mesihović — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The causes of Great Illyrian Uprising were economic, social and exploitative in nature, while the motive was the recruitment of soldiers from Dinaric mountain area of province of Illyricum. But the emergence of famine that affected Europe and the Mediterranean also contributed to acceleration of outbreak of the Uprising. This shortage of food was also felt in the next few years. It is possible that reasons for the famine were climatic disturbances, i.e. a certain cooling. Informations about hunger in period from 5th to 10th AD, appear in the chronological tables of Jerome of Stridon, Eusebius of Caesarea, and in the works of Cassius Dio, Veleius Paterculus, and Pliny the Elder. Famine also affected the insurgents, who were additionally threatened with Tiberius’ “scorched earth” strategy. The situation with the food supply began to improve only in the second decade of the first century AD.

Majke i djeca na rimskim nadgrobnim spomenicima iz Hercegovine / Mothers and Children on Roman Tombstones from Herzegovina

Almir Marić, Amra Šačić Beća — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper analyzes tombstones depicting mothers and children from the Roman period in the territory of present-day Herzegovina. Special attention is given to the role of women and children in funerary inscriptions, as well as to family relations in general. In this context, sepulchral monuments from several microregions, such as the area of eastern Herzegovina, the Trebižat valley and the Upper Neretva area were analyzed. The monuments discovered in these regions display certain specific features concerning women and children in commemorative practices. In addition, epithets are discussed as one of the common features found on epigraphic monuments throughout Herzegovina.

Proces kristijanizacije na tlu današnje Bosne i Hercegovine u antičko doba / The Process of Christianization on the Territory of Present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina in Ancient Times

Edin Veletovac — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The paper addresses the Christianization process in the territory that is present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, with greater emphasis on the territory that was part of the former Roman province of Dalmatia. Based on the written and archaeological material, the text analyses the spread of Christianity in the said territory from the very beginning in the 1st century AD to the end of Antiquity. Through the criticism of written and the analysis of archaeological finds, the objective is to present a broader picture of this process, establish the direction of its action, and clarify the cause-and-effect relationship between different aspects of the Christianization process.

Trgovi i stepen urbanizacije na prostoru Gornjeg Podrinja u srednjem vijeku / Markets and the Level of Urbanization in the Gornje Podrinje Region During the Middle Ages

Elmedina Duranović — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines the urban characteristics of medieval market settlements in the Gornje Podrinje region, with particular focus on Foča, Goražde, and Ustikolina. Drawing upon available sources and relevant scholarly literature, the study explores key determinants of urbanity, including spatial organization, the presence of urban elements, and the trajectory of urban development. In contrast to other urban settlements in medieval Bosnia, these markets were distinguished by a pronounced local character in their commercial activities, rendering them unique within the regional context. A pivotal factor in their emergence and evolution was the passage of one of the most significant caravan routes through this area, along which a series of trade centers developed – thus positioning travel corridors as dynamic spaces of urbanization. The aim of the paper is to assess the degree of urbanization of the most developed markets, to present their spatial structure and identify urban elements, and to highlight the specific, spontaneous, and organic course of their urban development, devoid of planned design.

Nekretnine bosanskih velikaša u Dubrovniku: neke dileme oko kuće i zemljišnih posjeda Hrvatinića / Real Estate of Bosnian Nobles in Ragusa: Some Issues Concerning the House and Landed Property of the Hrvatinić

Almir Peco — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines the management and utilization of properties owned by the Hrvatinić noble family in Ragusa, offering a critical reassessment of previous historiographical interpretations. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between the nobleman Tvrtko Borovinić and the house acquired by Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić. With additional historical sources, the rental value of the aforementioned house can be traced up to the early seventeenth century. By following the rent payments, certain irregularities and disparities in their amounts are revealed, which may serve as indicators of potential changes in the economic status of the property in question. The analysis also includes an evaluation of the rental value of the Hrvatinić estates in Primorje, as well as a rectification of an earlier misinterpretation concerning the location of Balša Hercegović’s estate.

Djeca vojvode Ivaniša Vlatkovića / Children of Duke Ivaniš Vlatković

Adis Zilić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the last two decades, historiography has detected several descendants of Duke Ivaniš Vlatković, specifically two daughters and one son. This article is a shorter contribution to supplement the Vlatkovićs genealogy, using the example of the children of their prominent representative from the middle and second half of the 15th century, a man who was active precisely in the time frame when this noble family played a significant role in the political life of Bosnia and during several decades after the fall of a large part of this country under Ottoman rule. The known information about the children of Duke Ivaniš Vlatković is supplemented with a new member.

Nova arheološka istraživanja grobalja kasnog srednjeg vijeka na prostoru srednje Bosne / New Archaeological Research on Late Medieval Cemeteries in Central Bosnia

Edin Bujak, Ajla Sejfuli, Dina Vajzović-Balihodžić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents an overview of recent archaeological investigations conducted at several Late Medieval necropolises with stećci (medieval tombstones) in the area of Central Bosnia , mainly around Travnik (Klisa, Gajani, Ovnak, Obišenjak, Mašeta, Glavica), as well as at the localities of Kopošići, Divičani, Metaljica-Vilovac, Stupić, Arnautovići, and Markov kamen. The research was conducted primarily as protective or preliminary investigations (e.g., Klisa, Ovnak, Kopošići) , and largely as part of a project studying the genetic characteristics of the medieval Bosnian population (Genetic Characteristics of the Inhabitants of Medieval Bosnia).

Nišan s prikazima životinja iz harema Ali-pašine džamije: pitanje kontinuiteta likovne tradicije srednjeg vijeka u ranom osmanskom periodu / A Gravestone (Nišan) with Animal Motifs in the Graveyard of the Ali-paša Mosque: On the Continuity of Medieval Artistic Tradition in the Early Ottoman Period

Haris Dervišević, Andrea Mekić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper focuses on a gravestone (nišan) located in the graveyard (harem) of the Ali-paša Mosque in Sarajevo, which represents an valuable example of funerary sculpture from the early Ottoman period in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The monument has not yet been the subject of a detailed scholarly analysis. Available sources indicate that it remains in situ and dates back to the second half of the 15th century. The area where it was erected was part of the estate of Balaban, son of Bogčin. The analysed nišan consists of two elements, a headstone (bašlık) and a footstone (ajaklık). Due to its form and accompanying motifs, this nišan can be considered a significant monument for understanding the cultural transition process between the medieval and Ottoman periods in Bosnia.

Arhitektonska djelatnost Ludwiga Hubera u okviru Građevinskog odjeljenja Zemaljske vlade BiH / Architectural Activity of Ludwig Huber within the Construction Department of the Provincial Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mirha Šabanović — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Architect Ludwig Huber, like most government officials of the Monarchy, belongs to the group of foreign architects and engineers who arrived to Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 19th century, excluding a small number of officials with a high school diploma, among whom the first local names were recorded, especially after the establishment of the Technical School in Sarajevo. Although he did not leave a large number of signed projects, he made a significant contribution to the formation and development of new styles in architecture, especially in the field of residential architecture, through his published works in the journals of the Monarchy and his involvement in the Technical Club in Sarajevo. His body of work has not yet been monographically processed and has only been partially covered within general overviews of 19th and 20th-century architecture. Due to the extensive nature of his entire oeuvre, this study focuses on his independent projects and engagements on public buildings as an official in the Construction Department. During the period of establishing and reorganizing the construction service, the enactment of the first construction regulations and regulations, partial regulatory and cadastral plans, as well as numerous other legally binding documents for all future owners and designers of buildings, the Construction Department of the Provincial Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina played a significant role between 1878 and 1918. When builders from Croatia, predominantly Czech and Austrian architects, left Bosnia and Herzegovina during the first decade, Huber became an active collaborator in the newly formed Department. The beginning of his work was marked by less significant projects and work tasks, but also by projects influenced strongly by already renowned architects at the head of the Department. Analyzing these works by Huber provides insight into interesting creative considerations, teamwork, and the process of meeting the functional requirements of buildings, previously determined by construction styles established by the Joint Ministry of Finance, as well as the inevitable project revisions by court architects from Vienna. A detailed analysis of the body of public building projects, in comparison to residential architecture projects, reveals the extent to which Huber’s interests and affinities for different styles continuously evolved and adapted. This paper is based on archival and library research, rare periodicals, and both published and unpublished texts.

Herojstvo socijalističke izgradnje u likovnoj umjetnosti Bosne i Hercegovine / The Heroism of Socialist Construction in the Visual Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Asja Mandić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The heroism of socialist construction, a key narrative in the process of post-war Yugoslav reconstruction, was rooted in the legacy of the National Liberation Struggle and the ideals that secured victory over the enemy. The fighting spirit of solidarity, unity, determination, and self-sacrifice carried over into the country’s modernization efforts, as seen in the widespread mobilization of diverse social groups and youth immediately after the war and during the implementation of the First Five-Year Plan (1947–1952).
Bosnia and Herzegovina became a center of industrialization and infrastructural reconstruction, which inevitably influenced artistic production, especially in the years when visual art had a documentary-propaganda function, thereby participating in legitimizing the ruling ideology. Through an analysis of the institutions that regulated its production and distribution apparatus, as well as dominant conceptions of art, this paper explores how art contributed to shaping the image of heroic construction. In this context, particular emphasis is placed on the activities of the Association of Artists of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1945 and 1952, encompassing its annual exhibitions, the related art criticism, and its role within the cultural sphere.

Međunarodne izložbe i politike predstavljanja Bosanskohercegovački umjetnici u jugoslavenskom umjetničkom prostoru sedme i osme decenije 20. stoljeća / International Exhibitions and Politics of Presentation Bosnian-Herzegovinian Artists in the Yugoslav Art Space of the Seventh and Eighth Decades of the 20th Century

Aida Abadžić Hodžić — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The paper presents and analyzes polemics and expert evaluations of one of the most ambitious and complex Yugoslavian exhibitions, entitled “Art on the Soil of Yugoslavia from Prehistory to the Present.” This exhibition was organized at the proposal of André Malraux, the Minister of Culture in the French Government at the time. It was first presented at the Grand Palais in Paris before being relocated to Sarajevo in 1971. The complexity and sensitivity of the political climate at that time largely influenced the organization of this exhibition, providing a framework for understanding attitudes toward Bosnian cultural heritage and contemporary art. Additionally, it will offer context for examining Yugoslav representation policies in the visual arts at the international level. The analysis of this exhibition is of particular importance for Bosnian art and culture, because the seventh and eighth decades of the 20th century represent the most significant period in the contemporary cultural history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Geneza retribucije i kulture sjećanja na cesti Bihać – Bosanski Petrovac: Od puta AVNOJ-a do puta Armije RBiH / Genesis of Retribution and the Culture of Memory on the Bihać–Bosanski Petrovac Road: From the Road of AVNOJ to the Road of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dino Dupanović — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Along the road from Bihać to Bosanski Petrovac, once known as the “AVNOJ Road” and today as the “Army of RBiH Road” monuments shape a landscape of the past where memories of events and victims from 1941–1945 and 1992–1995 intertwine. The research explores how the renaming of the road and the narratives attached to it influence the perception of the memorial landscape. Some memorials remain silent about certain sufferings or neglect them entirely, while others are dedicated to fallen soldiers and the Partisan struggle, prioritizing specific narratives. Individual sites of memory in the early 1990s would become places that incited hatred and revenge against the other national and ethnic community. Contemporary monuments from both wars partially “communicate”, yet often on national lines, reflecting ethnic and political tensions. This local history raises a broader question: how do memorial landscapes shape memory and attitudes toward the past in contexts of multiple, often conflicting traumas?

“Etničko čišćenje” i vojno “išćenje terena” – pojmovno određenje i implikacije podudarnosti u nekim primjerima djelovanja Hercegovačkog korpusa tokom ljeta 1992 / “Ethnic Cleansing” and Military “Terrain Cleansing” – Terminological Determinants and Implications of Congruence in Some Examples of Actions of the Herzegovina Corps During the Summer of 1992

Mesud Šadinlija — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The term “ethnic cleansing” was introduced into the broad public, professional and legal use during the 1990’s and implied the politics and practices of ethnic homogenization of a certain area by employing force or intimidation to remove members of unwanted ethnic communities and groups from that area. Even though it was mostly implemented through the perpetration of crimes, various forms of war crimes and crimes against humanity above all, in itself it is not legally defined as punishable. Nevertheless, the term occupies an important place in the indictments and court verdicts, mostly in those created through the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, which did not consider “ethnic cleansing” as a mere product of war conflicts, but also as their goal. In a military sense, “terrain cleansing” implies the military use of detachments on a particular territory with the aim of destroying certain groups that represent or could represent danger for one’s own forces. The key issue is the identification of these groups that represent danger. In extreme situations, it is possible that whole groups of the population, identified according to the ethnic, religious or any other criteria, are marked as dangerous, defined as hostile and become the target of attack. In this case it can be said that the conduct of these military actions of “terrain cleansing” corresponds in the sense determination and incrimination to that which is termed “ethnic cleansing”. We have attempted to recognize the implications of this congruency between the terms “ethnic cleansing” and the military activities of “terrain cleansing” in the activities of the forces of the Herzegovina Corps of the Army of Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during June and July 1992. This period was marked by intensive military activities mostly in the valley of the Neretva River, then in the region of Podveležje and in the general operative direction Mostar – Nevesinje. Such a context, regardless of the extent and intensity of the fighting, could not in any way diminish or delay the obligation to respect the norms and laws of war. We have, therefore, extracted the portion of the activities on “terrain cleansing” from the overall activities of the forces of the Herzegovina Corps and have observed them exclusively in relation to the suffering of the civilian population.

Sarajevo u opsadi 1992‒1995: Život i stradanje srpskog stanovništva / Sarajevo Under Siege, 1992–1995: The Life and Suffering of the Serbian Population

Zilha Mastalić Košuta — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper analyzes the life of the Serbian population in the part of the city of Sarajevo that, during the 1992–1995 war, was under siege by units of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), and later by the Army of the Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (from August 1992 known as the Army of Republika Srpska). The military formations that encircled Sarajevo during the four-year siege, with the aim of gaining control over the city, carried out a "coordinated, systematic, and prolonged campaign of shelling and sniper activity” intended to "kill, maim, wound, and terrorize the civilian population of Sarajevo.” The paper covers key aspects of everyday life in the besieged city, including social and political activities, material culture and living conditions, as well as forms of civilian suffering. Special emphasis is placed on the position of the Serbian population that remained in Sarajevo after April 1992 and who, together with other citizens, were exposed to systematic shelling and sniper fire, as well as to shortages of basic existential resources such as water, electricity, and gas. The paper examines in detail the establishment, activities, and significance of social organizations of the Serbian community, primarily the Serbian Consultative Council and the Serbian Civic Council. Through an analysis of their activities, the contribution of these organizations to the preservation of the sovereignty and integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the protection of human and civil rights, and the affirmation of equality and democratic principles under wartime conditions is demonstrated. Special attention is also devoted to religious life in the besieged city and to the activities of the humanitarian organization Dobrotvor. A separate section of the paper addresses the problems and forms of violence to which the Serbian population in Sarajevo was exposed, including an analysis of the extent of judicial prosecution of crimes. Through a comparative review of available lists of killed and missing Serbs, verified through relevant archival and judicial sources as well as scholarly research, the reliability of the data and differences among the records are assessed. By using credible archival materials, judicial documentation from international and domestic courts, final court judgments, scholarly research, and other relevant sources, the paper provides a comprehensive overview of the various dimensions of life and suffering of the Serbian population within the besieged part of Sarajevo and contributes to an understanding of the complexity of wartime everyday life in a multiethnic urban environment.

Doprinos Odsjeka za historiju Filozofskog fakulteta Univerziteta u Sarajevu nastavi historije u Bosni i Hercegovini (1950‒2025) / The Contribution of the Department of History of the Faculty of Philosophy – University of Sarajevo to History Teaching in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1950-2025)

Melisa Forić Plasto — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Since its founding, the Department of History of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo in addition to its significant scientific contribution to the development of historiography in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has played an important role in the work of numerous generations of researchers, scientists, museologists and the largest number of history teachers. History teaching methodology as a key area in the education of future teachers has been represented in all study program curricula since 1950 until today, and the methodologists engaged in the Department of History have, through their work, connected scientific achievements, teaching theory and teaching practice into a functional whole that has given its mark to the teaching of history in primary and secondary schools. The paper intends to present the aforementioned contribution of the methodologists and professors of the Department of History in the development and shaping of curricula, textbooks, strategies and other programs for teaching history in Bosnia and Herzegovina from its establishment to the modern era. This contribution is most visible through history textbooks, professional and scientific works in the field of history teaching, professional development, and discussions regarding changes in teaching content and teaching practices.

Impressum

Editorial — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Impressum