A rare Illyrian helmet

Even in antiquity, the world was much larger than we like to believe today. One such often ignored corner is the southern Adriatic, both on the Italian peninsula and on the eastern mainland of the Balkans. Nowadays, the latter is occupied from north to south by Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania. In antiquity, there were mainly the Illyrians. 

Archaeologists have unearthed a rare bronze Illyrian helmet to prove the inter-relations and connections between the countries mentioned above and Greece. It was discovered in a rock-cut tomb on the peninsula of Pelješac, roughly 70 kilometers north of Dubrovnik.  

Made for a Greek warrior, the tomb in Croatia dates from the 4th century BC. 

The Etruscans and the Scythians may have commonly used this open-faced helmet before finding their way to Illyria. Although this type of helmet disappeared from Greece in the early 5th century BC, it survived in Illyria till the end of the 4th century BC. 

Despite reports from archaeologists that this type of helmet is rare, I have seen several examples in Greek museums. For instance, this early Illyrian helmet from the 8th-7th century BC at the Museum of Olympia, 

and yet another Illyrian helmet with a funerary gold band at the Archaeological Museum in Thessaloniki 

I suppose the helmet is rare because it is found in Croatia? However, archaeologists claim that only forty such helmets exist in all of Europe. Maybe I was just lucky to find a few of those rare examples? 

Anyway, the cave also contained the grave of a woman who wore a bronze bracelet. The site yielded thirty vases, mainly of Greek origin, although researchers believe they come from Attic and Italian workshops. They probably are the most expensive vessels of the time. 

Scholars had dated these tombs to some time before the late 4th/early 3rd century, i.e., before the foundation of nearby Korčula, the first colony. 

All in all, these findings will lead to a new understanding of the southern Adriatic's role in history.

[Top picture, Credit: Dubrovnik Museums]