2,500-year-old Illyrian helmet found in burial mound likely caused 'awe in the enemy'

By Owen Jarus published 22 hours ago
Archaeologists excavating a burial mound in Croatia have discovered a 2,500-year-old Illyrian helmet that may have been a votive offering.



2500-year-old metal helmet amongst rocks and dirt.
The 2,500-year-old helmet was found upright in a stone structure on the burial mound. (Image credit: Marta Kalebota)

Archaeologists in Croatia have discovered a 2,500-year-old metal helmet within an Illyrian burial mound that may have been a votive offering or part of a cult practice.

The helmet was unearthed in a stone structure within a burial mound at the Gomile archaeological site. It dates to sometime between the end of the sixth century B.C. and the beginning of the fourth century B.C., Hrvoje Potrebica, an archaeology professor at the University of Zagreb who is leading the excavation, told Live Science in an email.

The site of Gomile has multiple burial mounds and is located near the village of Zakotorac, on the Pelješac Peninsula near the Adriatic Sea. "Each mound [contains] multiple graves and each grave contain[s] multiple burials," Potrebica said.

According to ancient Greek records, a people the Greeks called the Illyrians flourished in the region around the time the helmet was made. The Illyrians were divided among different tribes and kingdoms and were gradually conquered by the Romans in a series of wars that occurred between 229 and 168 B.C.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2500-year-old-illyrian-helmet-found-in-burial-mound-likely-caused-awe-in-the-enemy













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