The study of pre-history of Bosnia and Herzegovina began at the end of the 19th century when the first research was carried out, leading to significant discoveries in Butmir. After a period of fruitful work, inspired by this discovery, which covered several important sites (Kraljevina near Novi Šeher and Lanište near Bosanski Brod), there was a period of stagnation, which lasts until the end of the World War II (1941-1945) during which there was no systematic research. The first random finding from the territory of North-East Bosnia (1924), from Donja Mahala, dates from this period.
Following the end of the World War II, the conditions for archaeological research were created in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a number of sites were discovered. According to one of the most prominent researchers Dr Alojz Benac, Systematic research leads to the fact “that Bosnia and Herzegovina has become almost the best researched and studied Neolithic area in Yugoslavia …” (Benac, 1968: 28). Significant research results that were made in the area of North-East Bosnia are associated with the second half of the twentieth century, when the Museum of East Bosnia was founded in Tuzla (1947).
Significant works began with research carried out in Gornja Tuzla from 1955 to 1958, and this was the first time that the Starčevo cultural layer across the border, i.e. across the Sava river, was identified, which served as the new data on the territorial distribution of this cultural group (Garašanin, 1979: 115-118).
In the same year, in 1955, during the construction works in Tuzla, the material was collected about the existence of a large Neolithic resort in the center of the city. Unfortunately, systematic research has not been carried out so far (Puš, 1957: 85). The excavations in 1957 in Grbača near Donja Slatina, Matići near Tolisa, Varoš near Koraj, then in Dobrovec near Čelić in 1963, in Batković near Bijeljina in 1966, at Korić Han and Kakmuž near Gračanica in 1971-1975, and Trnovica near Zvornik in 1976 and other localities, all led to the conclusion that the territory of North-East Bosnia was densely populated since the early Neolith period. Traces of a large number of Neolithic cultural groups can be found in this area, and in the context of the general Neolithic characteristics, these groups are distinguished by certain specificities: Starčevo, Vinča, Butmir, Posavina and Slavonian – Srijem (Benac, 1963: 27). Relationships between these groups are more or less clearly defined. Although there may be some discrepancies regarding the chronological orientation of particular groups; these discrepancies are especially emphasized in absolute chronology (Gimbutas, 1974: 16).
Archaeological research, with several recounting of potential localities in the Tuzla area, was carried out on Neolithic sites in Gornja Tuzla, the first probation excavation was done in October 2007, which in the course of 2008 became a planned and systematic research; and archaeological excavation at the present Trg Slobode (Freedom Square) in August 2008, which also confirmed the existence of a Neolithic settlement.
