In the territory of the municipalities of Aranđelovac and Topola, several dozen archaeological sites have been registered. Research at certain locations, whether systematic or exploratory, has provided an insight into life in this area from prehistory to the late Middle Ages. The most notable among them are:
The first explored Paleolithic settlements on the territory of Serbia were Gradac near Batočina and Risovača Cave. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Branko Gavela, archaeological and paleontological excavations in Risovača lasted, with interruptions, from 1953 until 1976. In the cave deposits, traces of life of ancient hunters and gatherers were discovered, who in the Middle Paleolithic created the Mousterian culture. This site also served as a shelter for an extinct human species — the Neanderthals — during the period from about 50,000 to 35,000 years ago.
The large Neolithic site of Dizaljka, located in the village of Lipovac and partly in Brezovac, is one of the first Late Stone Age sites registered in Serbia, in 1911, by Professor Miloje Vasić. The first trial excavations were carried out by the National Museum in Belgrade in 1930, under the supervision of Miodrag Grbić, and then again in 1931 and 1933, in cooperation with an American expedition led by V. Fuchs. After eight and a half decades, the National Museum in Aranđelovac and the Archaeological Institute in Belgrade resumed research at Dizaljka. In addition to structures, numerous artifacts were discovered belonging to the later phase of the Neolithic — the Vinča culture.
The barbarian invasions in the second half of the 4th century forced the population living in the lowland areas to move to the less accessible peaks of the surrounding mountains and hills, fortifying them. Thus, a fortified settlement was established on one of the peaks of Vencać, which, with interruptions, remained in use until the 10th/11th century. The first excavations here were carried out in 2002 (by the National Museum in Belgrade and the Museum in Aranđelovac), and since 2023 the National Museum in Aranđelovac, together with the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Kragujevac, has been conducting systematic research. Part of the western rampart with the entrance gate and towers has been uncovered. Not far from Gradina, in 2018–2019, a Late Antique necropolis was excavated, belonging to the inhabitants of this fortification.
The legend of the last Serbian despot, Pavle Bakić, and his “Palace” on Vencać, was the reason for the first excavations at this site in 2004, where later (in 2011) the remains of a large church with a necropolis were discovered, in the immediate vicinity of the palace. Systematic archaeological research, still ongoing, began in 2016, organized by the National Museum in Aranđelovac.
The site known as “Bakić’s Palace,” at the foot of Mount Vencać, was first investigated in 2004. This led archaeologists to uncover a church with a necropolis located near the palace, after which the site received its current name. Systematic excavations, still in progress today, started in 2016 through the cooperation of the National Museum in Aranđelovac and the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Dejan Radičević. At the site, a church was discovered whose architectural and stylistic features correspond to the 14th century. Frescoes found on preserved walls and in construction debris date the church more precisely to the middle of that century.
Alongside the sanctuary, the medieval population practiced burials, which continued even after the church ceased to function, preserving the site’s cultic significance until the early 19th century. Since 2023, research at the site has been focused on the structure known as “Bakić’s Palace,” which indicates a residential-type building with a basement room.
The remains of a medieval monastery on Rudnik, in the village of Manojlovci, known in tradition as “Đura’s Cells” and recorded in Turkish registers of the 16th century, were discovered in 2013 and have been researched, with interruptions, to this day. Excavations uncovered the monastery church, the residential quarters (konak), and accompanying structures, as well as most of the necropolis.
The church was built and painted during the Despotate, in the first decades of the 15th century, while the konak dates to the Ottoman period, when the narthex was also added. In the naos, large areas of medieval frescoes have been preserved. The monastery was abandoned at the end of the 17th century. Conservation and restoration works are currently being carried out on the uncovered structures.
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