Conny Waters –<\/strong> AncientPages.com – <\/strong>During two days of exploration on the Sava River, a team of divers from the Museum of the Franciscan Monastery of Vrata Bosne made an extraordinary discovery.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n At the bottom of the river in Tolisa, northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, divers found a large quantity of iron bars of different shapes, likely dating back to the 1st or 2nd century BC.<\/p>\n The discovery is undoubtedly a significant event in the archaeological record of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prior to this find, the region had only one similar artifact in its collections.<\/p>\n Only<\/span> a few countries in Western and Central Europe has<\/span> larger<\/span> collections of such prehistoric ingots<\/span>. Neighboring countries like Croatia had one copy, and Slovenia two or three of them.<\/p>\n Behind<\/span> this successful project is a local<\/span> historian,<\/span>\u00a0Pero<\/span> Matki\u0107, devoted to Posavina region <\/em>located <\/span>along the Sava river, spanning from the Julian Alps to the Danube. Posavina’s large area covers parts of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, and has a rich history and culture.<\/p>\n Image credit: Muzej Franjeva\u010dkog samostana Tolisa Vrata Bosne<\/em><\/p>\n Pera Matki\u0107 noticed quite accidentally strange<\/span> objects<\/span> in the\u00a0 Sava’s waters, last year; he photographed them and sent to specialists, and so it’s started. Now, the discovery made in the Sava River\u00a0 is considered as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the Balkans.<\/span><\/p>\n The two-day<\/span> work<\/span> in the water completed<\/span> last Tuesday<\/span> was led<\/span> by a team led by archaeologist Krunoslav Zub\u010di\u0107 and expert Nikica Spudi\u0107.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The works were coordinated by museum director<\/span> Joza<\/span> Jezer\u010di\u0107<\/span>.<\/em> What started with one man’s passion led to the involvement of a team of experts.<\/span><\/p>\n The number of the excavated iron bars excavated could potentially<\/span> exceed<\/span> the total number of similar<\/span> artifacts known<\/span> so<\/span> far throughout Europe. Each bar is an evidence of ancient advanced technology and widespread trade contacts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Large](\"https:\/\/www.ancientpages.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ingotsbosnienaug14.jpg\")
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