PREHISTORIC TIMES
(until 1 st century A.D.)
„The ravages of time“, frequent wars, natural disasters, and insufficient concern, have irredeemably impoverished our town, berefit it of exceptional treasure from Christian, Moslem and Jewish temples, as well as of innumerable secular edifices and movable property. That is why the first chapter of this text will deal with ancient inhabitants and vanished landmarks of Banja Luka. Although the name of our town was first mentioned in 1494, about some five centuries ago, its past is much longer. Archeological researches reliably prove that people inhabited the wider area of the town more than 50000 years ago. The most important localities to confirm this are Pecine in Klasnice (findings from the period between 50000 and 35000 B.C.), Brdasce in Laktasi (34000-24000 B.C.) and Kastel in Banja Luka (2000-1800 B.C.). It is well-known that the Illyrian tribe (Maezaei) and the Panonian tribe lived in our areas in the Pre-Roman times. This is verified by the findings in the villages of Donja Dolina, Radmanovci, Karanovac, Susnjari, Hrvacani and Laminci, along with the remains of the material culture in Kastel. It seems that the Illyrian tribe of Oseriates lived on the territory of the town itself.
