Bratislava's Interesting Prehistoric & Roman History

In the current region where Bratislava is located in 1957, along the borough of the Devinska Nova Ves, the three skeletons of the Pliopithecus Vindobonensis were found which were dated to be about 25-25 million years old. Remnant teeth of the Griphopithecus suessi that is believed to be 14 to 10 million years old were also found in 1902 at the same location.

Moreover other remains of the hand axes and the things owned by the Homo heidelbergensis who were believed to exist for over 0.43 million years ago and the Neanderthal man were also uncovered. The major territorial abode of the town can be found in Neolithic. It was in Eneolithic where the first abode of Bratislava’s medieval castle was founded.

The Urnfield culture which defined the younger part of the period many settlements were created in the Bronze Age. Major indications can be seen from the final period of the Podoli Culture during Bronze Age at the Devin castle. This was evident during the early development of Bronze Age was created in some key places such in the rock cliff beyond the River Morava that joins the Danube river. The main center of settlement was transformed into a historical center of the Bratislava’s castle.

It was believed that the town area where the river cross and the castle on the hill are main point of the Hallstatt Culture prince. It was in the eastern part of the city where the excavation of the barrows was done. An important town known as the Celtic oppidum was built sometime 125 BC to 50 BC by the Celts during the Iron Age period with castle hill and historical place created. Along the castle hill acropolis settlement were built with crafts and farming.

The genuine town of Bratislava became a de facto region in the 9th century and later on the 11th century. There was evidence of silver coins that are marked with inscription mostly of biatec which is postulated to be the local prince’s name who gave the name of the place.

In mid-1st century King Burebista became victorious in the war against the Dacian forces which forced the Celts to fall back to Devin where they can build a smaller hill-fort abode that they can easily protect. The Celts were coerced however to ask help from the Romans from the other part of Danube when the Germans from the West came to their place.

The Danube River marked the main border of the Roman Empire during the 1st to the 4th century. The region was divided into south and north with the latter belonging to Rome and the former to the Free Barbaricum known as the German tribe Marcomanni. The remains of Gerulata from the border of Rome in the Rusovce suburb were extracted with the excavation of the farms and cemeteries of the town of Villa Rustica.

There are some strategic places where the Roman’s presence are constantly visible despite these places belonging to the Barbaricum. These places include the Stupava which has become the trading center, the Devin Castle hill where the garrison of the Romans were built and the Roman baths remains in Dubravka. It was during the Migration Period that the Slavs descended upon the area in the 5th and 6th centuries. The Eurasian Avars reached the area in 568 and Samo became the King of the Slavs in 623 where he created the the Samo’s Empire that functioned until 658.