2549) "Archeological Treasures - Vitko's Stecak", Bosnia and Herzegovina: "Archaeological Treasures Stamp Series": A postage stamp of 1.10 BAM brought out by HP Mostar: Date of Stamp issue: 12.05.2022:
Bosnia and Herzegovina now has three posts:
Bosnia and Herzegovina Post (BH Posta, Sarajevo), Croatian Posts (HP Mostar, Mostar) and Serbian Posts (Srpska Poste, Banja Luka).
This Stamp Series is being brought out by HP Mostar (Mostar Posts):
About Stećak or Stećci:
Stećak or Stećci in plural form is the name for monumental medieval tombstones, that lie scattered across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the border parts of Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia.
An estimated 60,000 are found within the borders of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of 10,000 are found in what are today Croatia (4,400), Montenegro (3,500), and Serbia (2,100), at more than 3,300 odd sites with over 90% in poor condition.
Appearing in the mid 12th century, with the first phase in the 13th century, the custom of cutting and using stećci tombstones reached its peak in the 14th and 15th century, before being discontinued in the very early 16th century during the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They were a common tradition amongst Bosnian, Catholic and Orthodox Church followers alike, and were used by both Slavic and the Vlach populations.
Stećci are inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO since 2016, with a selection of some 4,000 individual monoliths, grouped in necropolises at 28 locations, of which 22 are in Bosnia and Herzegovina, two in Croatia, three in Montenegro, and three in Serbia. The one of the best preserved collection of these tombstones is Radimlja, west of Stolac in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
For my post on Radimilja Stecak, please visit the following link:
6) "Archaeological Treasures - Stecak Necropolis Radimlja", Bosnia and Herzegovina Post ( HP Mostar) on the Stecak Necropolis Radmilja: Date of stamp issue: 12.05.2020
About Archaeological Treasure - Vitko`s Stecak:
Vitko's stećak, medieval tomb stone, was the most beautiful and most ornately decorated stećak of the Barevište necropolis, located in the vicinity of Široki Brijeg (Mokro).
Stećak in the shape of a ridge, with pedestal, bearing the inscription "a se leži vitko na svomь plemenitomь“ ("here lies Vitko on his noble resting place"), is presently located in front of the National Museum of BiH in Sarajevo where it was taken to in the 1960s.
Vitko's stećak is in the shape of a ridge, with an ornamental three-leafed vine woven around it, and it dates to the 14th or 15th century.
The stećak bears the inscription written in Bosnian Cyrillic script (or Bosančica) and three figural ornaments - a male figure, circular dance (kolo) and deer hunt.
This is the first mention of a name in the area of Široki Brijeg, and the name Vitko itself testifies to the Slavic naming heritage.
The inscription was written in the vernacular with influences of the Church-Slavonic language, and it carries a strong message of the medieval man.
The scene of a deer hunt depicts a hunter on a horse, followed by dogs, killing a deer with his spear.
The second scene is a kolo with two men and two women in long robes holding their arms on each-other's shoulders. The male figure on the side panel of the stećak is depicted with the right arm akimbo and the left arm raised.
A replica of Vitko's stećak was placed in the front yard of a school in Mokro in 2020.
The Stamp:
A First Day Cover (FDC) depicting the deer hunt taken from Vitco's Stecak at bottom left.
At top right is affixed the postage stamp issued cancelled with a special Cancellation Handstamp/Postmark depicting a part of the Stecak.
A Sheetlet of eight Stamps.
6) i) "Archaeological Treasures - Stecak Necropolis Radmlija", Bosnia and Herzegovina Post (HP Mostar) on the Stecak Necropolis Radmilja: Date of stamp issue: 12.05.2020
Santosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for sharing this informative post."
Thank you so much, Khanna sahab for visiting this post.
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