RGOTINA STONE

Mining and Metallurgical Centre

Rgotina Stone is a rocky formation located 4 km northwest of the village of Rgotina in the Zaječar District. Meandering through this unique limestone landscape, the Borska River has carved a 2.5 km-long canyon adorned with stunning stone sculptures and numerous, mostly unexplored caves. Due to its abundant mineral resources and strategic, easily defensible location, this natural wonder has been inhabited since ancient times. Even today, remnants of a former Roman castrum can still be seen at the site. It is assumed that Rgotina Stone once hosted a fortified artisan and trading centre, which thrived from the late 3^rd century until the mid-5^th century, likely ceasing to exist after the Hun invasion in 441 AD. This late antique fortress is thought to have been the focal point of the surrounding ore-rich region, controlling an intersection of important roads that connected the Danube Limes through the Timok Valley and the mines in the Bor Basin with the Morava Valley.

It is believed that the area around Rgotina has been inhabited since time immemorial. The earliest evidence of this is a fragmented Neolithic clay figurine, discovered in 1952 at the “Srbokvarac” worksite at a depth of 1.5 meters, as well as a piece of a stone hammer. In the 19th century, the Austrian travel writer Felix Kanitz suggested that a prehistoric settlement once existed atop Rgot Stone, based on various movable archaeological finds such as pottery fragments, iron Celt axes, and a finely crafted 10 cm long flint. Kanitz also noted the remains of a Roman fortification built at the very edge of the formation, which likely served to protect the route leading to Taliata near Donji Milanovac. Although the ancient name of this fortification is unknown, some scholars connect the village of Rgotina with the site of Argentares in the region of Ad Aquas, near present-day Prahovo, as mentioned by the historian Procopius of Caesarea.

ABOVE: Map of the site

ABOVE LEFT: Stunning rock formations and meanders of the Rgotina Gorge

ABOVE RIGHT: The Zaječar-Majdanpek railway winds through the gorge

The remnants of the fortification are situated on a hill wedged between the canyon of the Borska River and the road leading to Bor, at an elevation of around 380 meters. The site can only be accessed via a path from the pass on the sloping southern side, while the other three sides are bordered by steep cliffs. From this vantage point, which offers sweeping views of Mount Stol, Veliki Krš, and Deli Jovan to the north and Rtanj, Tupižnica, and Vrška Čuka to the south, one could easily monitor the route connecting the Timok Valley with the mining region around Bor.

Traces of a wall built from broken stone bound with mortar can be observed on the western side of the hill. The wall extends east to west, perpendicular to the hilltop, and is preserved over a length of 4.8 meters with a width of 1.4 meters and a maximum height of 1.8 meters. Discoveries such as moulds, ingots, and finished products made of bronze, silver, gold, and iron indicate primary metallurgical activity at the site and surrounding area.

As the site has not undergone detailed archaeological research, its tentative dating is based on the nearby ancient necropolis in the village of Rgotina, as well as a few artefacts (fragments of pottery, part of a bone comb, pieces of slag, and plaster) recovered from illegal excavations at the fortification. Unfortunately, the Rgotina Stone site has become a frequent target for treasure hunters searching for ancient artefacts, who have extensively dug up the area, damaging the remains of the wall in the process.

ABOVE: The Roman castrum was situated at the highest point of Rgotina Hill

ABOVE LEFT: The fortress oversaw the route connecting the mines in the Bor basin to the Timok Valley

ABOVE RIGHT: Sparse remnants of the rampart

At the foot of Rgotina Stone, there was a civilian settlement—either a town (civitas) or a village (vicus metalla)—that served as the centre of the entire mining and metallurgical region. The nearby necropolis, which housed masonry tombs from the 4^th century, also contained stone gravestones and altars dedicated to Roman deities. Two kilometres to the east, on the Straža plateau, the Romans constructed another fort. When Felix Kanitz visited, it was in complete ruins, with scattered stones and bricks, making it difficult to discern its layout. He identified the structure as a hexagon with a diameter of approximately 120 meters, featuring five semicircular corner towers and an entrance gate on the eastern side. This fortification is known to have been built in the 4^th century and later restored during the reign of Justinian I.

List of References

ABOVE: View of Mount Stol from Rgotina Stone

Antiquities in the Village

One kilometre below the village lie the ruins of a Roman city, where locals have continuously extracted stones. In the past, Latin-inscribed tablets have been discovered there. In the fields beneath the village of Rgotina, situated two hours north of Zaječar, the remnants of an ancient town known as Gradište can be found, as noted by M. Đ. Milićević. The residents of Rgotina recount that this site once hosted a Roman watchtower. Above the village, about five kilometres away, on a high cliff referred to as Rgotina Stone, there are the remains of another ancient settlement. On Židovska Glavica, close to this fortress, one can find arrows or items called “džide.” Additionally, there are sites known as Crkvište and Ravnište, along with traces of “Trajan’s Road,” which passed over Kosa, east of the village. Fragments of bricks, pottery, various weapons, and Roman coins—occasionally golden ones referred to as “šljivak”—can be discovered near these locations, as well as in the ancient settlement of Tolovac.

(Based on the book “Crna Reka” by Marinko Stanojević)