Archaeologists conducting excavations near the village of Zakotorac on Croatia’s Pelješac Peninsula have unearthed a well-preserved Greco-Illyrian helmet dating back over 2,500 years.

Archaeologists extract the helmet. Credit: Dubrovnik Museums

The excavation, a collaborative effort between the Dubrovnik Museums, the City Museum in Korčula, and the Dolenjski Museum, has been ongoing since 2020. Led by Dr. Domagoj Perkić from the Archaeological Museum in Dubrovnik, the team includes researchers from various insтιтutions such as the University of Zagreb and the Academy of Arts in Split.

Their work has uncovered multiple burial mounds containing skeletal remains and grave goods dating back to the 4th century BCE.

The helmet is the second of its kind found at the site. The first helmet, discovered in a tomb alongside iron weaponry, likely belonged to a member of the warrior elite. In contrast, the recently found helmet, dating to the 6th century BCE, was located in a dry stone-walled addition to a grave, suggesting it may have been a votive offering.

Detail of the Greek-Ilyrian helmet discovered near the village of Zakotorac. Credit: Dubrovnik Museums

Dr. Hrvoje Potrebica from the University of Zagreb’s Archaeology Department emphasizes the significance of finding two distinct helmet types at the same site, noting that they symbolize status and authority within ancient communities.

The discovery of these helmets is just one aspect of the ongoing excavations. They are accompanied by a plethora of remarkable grave goods, such as 15 bronze and silver fibulae, spiral bronze jewelry, bronze tweezers, needles, hundreds of glᴀss and amber beads, a bronze diadem, and over thirty vessels of Greek provenance, many crafted in workshops from Attica and Italy.

These findings reinforce the Pelješac Peninsula’s status as a crucial archaeological zone along the eastern Adriatic coast.