Necropolis of Boljuni

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The necropolis is located in the hamlet Boljuni, which is a part of the village Bjelojevići, 15 km southwest of Stolac, by the road Stolac - Hutovo Blato. It is situated in the valley below the village houses, and distributed into two groups some 400 meters apart. In the surrounding area there are traces of Illyrians (fort and tumuli), and nearby there is the site Crikvina, probably from late antiquity, and the remains of the cemetery (early medieval?). Tombstones (stećak) of Boljuni have many common characteristics with the tombstones of Eastern Herzegovina, and especially with the tombstones of Stolac and Čapljina area – Radimlja, Opličići and Nekuka. The tombstones are set in rows and oriented exclusively in the west – east direction, or with a small deviation from this direction. The necropolis in Boljuni numbers 274 tombstones, 92 of which are decorated and 19 of which have inscriptions, making it one of the country’s few large necropolises. With its number and the forms of tombstones, their ornaments and symbols, and a relatively large number of inscriptions, the necropolis in Boljuni provides valuable historical data and rich visual material.