The site of Gradina is located on the mountain Jelica (846 m). Throughout the time, different settlements changed on the area of 20 ha, since the Copper Age until the Early Middle Ages (beginning of the 9th century). The most important vestiges are represented by ramparts, churches and dwellings dated to the Early Byzantine period, i.e. Iustinian I reign (527-565) and his successors. It is assumed that on the site of Gradina arose fortified town within less than a century, where were found, so far, five churches with several build graves, tens of secular buildings and several hundred meters of ramparts made of stone, with a sporadic height of even 3 m. Different populations lived together on Gradina, where should be emphasized inhabitants of German origin, defined by typical clothing items and ceramics. Christians were dominant on Gradina that can be confirmed by a huge number of churches with typical inventory.
The everyday life is documented by numerous findings, where one part represents the import from the East. There was a greater number of iron and bone tools, partly produced in Gradina.
Many traces of a great fire, found in almost every building, point on a sudden and the most probably violent end of this Early Byzantine town at the 6th and the beginning of the 7th century.
During the Early Middle Age (8th – 9th century), a fortified Slavic settlement of a smaller scale was formed on the Early Byzantine town debris.