Thanks to the town's favourable natural environment - Stolac and its area have been settled since ancient times. Its rich hunting-grounds along with other natural benefits attracted prehistoric man, and later the Illyrians, Romans and Slavs, all of whom left a wealth of anthropological evidence.The area has been settled for at least 15,000 years, as evidenced by the markings in Badanj Cave, which experts have dated 12,000–16,000 BCE. Three kilometres west of Stolac is an impressive stećak necropolis dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries: Radimlja. These stećak tombstones are carved with epitaphs, detailed portraits of the deceased, and motifs such as grape vines, hunting scenes, and wild animals. Five of the Radimlja tombstones are thought to mark the graves of members of the Hrabren Miloradović Valachian family. Ali-paša Rizvanbegović (1783–1851), the semi-independent ruler (vizier) of Ottoman Herzegovina from 1833 to 1851, was born in the Begovina neighbourhood of Stolac.