Veliki Gradac Archaeological Site, Grbavac

Veliki Gradac is a hill in the northwestern part of Župa dubrovačka, on the boundary of the settlements of Donji Brgat and Grbavac. It is interesting because it is one of the most important hillfort settlements of Župa, inhabited from the 13th century BC to the 12th century.

The prehistoric settlement was on an oval plateau of about 250 x 100 m, and remains of a rampart survive along the southwestern edge. Pottery fragments and the toponym Burnum, from which the old Romance name of Župa, Brenum, probably derives, point to a hillfort. A late antique settlement from the 2nd to the 7th century is confirmed by pottery and the remains of cisterns and buildings; judging by fragments of an early Christian altar screen from the 6th century, one of them had a sacred purpose. Together with Spilan at the eastern end of Župa, Veliki Gradac is the largest hillfort settlement with continuity of life from the late Bronze Age to the Middle Ages and with originally preserved ancient architecture.

A protected cultural good, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-6543.

Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence.