Description
Dragoslav Srejović (Kragujevac, 8 October 1931 – Belgrade, 29 November 1996) one of the greatest archaeologists in our region, cultural anthropologist, University professor and academician. He completed his primary school and high school in Kragujevac, and graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, Group of Archaeology in 1954. Elected to the position of Research Assistant in 1958. Received doctorate in 1964 with his dissertation titled “Neolithic and Aeneolithic Anthropomorph Plastic in Yugoslavia”. Appointed to the position of Associate Professor in 1970; became a Full Professor in 1976. In 1974, he was elected a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), and a full member in 1983 as the youngest member ever admitted to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was the Director of the SANU Gallery since 1989, and the SANU Vice President since 1994.
Academician Srejović led archaeological excavations at 67 prehistoric and antiquity localities in Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro (Duklja, Srebrenica, Lepenski Vir, Vlasac, Divostin, Gamzigrad, Šarkamen, etc). He published more than 200 papers in the country and abroad. The excavations that he led in 1964 became a global sensation: the Palaeolith culture of Lepenski Vir from the period was revealed to the world, with the oldest Europe’s monumental sculpture and human settlement. He received the Belgrade October Award for the book published in 1969 – “Lepenski Vir – the New Prehistoric Culture in the Danube Valley”.
The archaeological excavations from 1970 till 1996 led by Dragoslav Srejović revealed another great discovery – the imperial Roman palace Felix Romuliana in Gamzigrad, the summer residence and mausoleum of the Roman emperor: Tetrarch Galerius. With his excavations, Professor Srejović scientifically clarified the existence of the fortified imperial palace, shattering the earlier misconceptions about the character and role of Romuliana. Today, the imperial palace Felix Romuliana is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The cities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Zaječar each have one street named after him.
After his death, the Dragoslav Srejović Foundation was established to promote large scientific and art projects within SANU.
Artistic realisation of the issue: MA Marija Vlahović, academic graphic artist.
