Archaeology as a Collection of Objets D'Art Artfacts. Austro-Hungarian Occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the Birth of (Non) Scientific Archaeology

According to local historiography, the development of archaeological research and archaeology in Bosnia and Herzegovina began with considerable political changes, marked by the Berlin Congress in 1878 and the establishment of Austro-Hungarian governance. Among numerous political and social transformations, one of the priorities was founding the provincial institution of the National Museum, which has predominantly highlighted the country’s archaeology. From its foundation in 1888 until the dissolution of Austria-Hungary and the end of the First World War, the National Museum in Sarajevo conducted extensive field research, resulting in many significant discoveries. However, a number of concerns indicate a distinct loss and a neglect of context for these archaeological finds. By analysing the various correspondence of archaeologists of the period, it can be noted that for many known sites and archaeological finds referenced in numerous later interpretations of the past, it is almost impossible to determine even the approximate locations of the discovery. For this reason, we must consider most of the archaeological finds from this era in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a group of artefacts that have only collectable, nonscientific value for modern archaeological understandings of the past