2,500-Year-Old Illyrian Helmet Excavated in a Burial Site in Croatia Could Be Votive Offering or Part of Cult Practice

Archaeologists found a helmet from a burial mound in Croatia. However, according to a report, the Illyrian helmet may have been part of a cult practice.

Illyrian Helmet a Votive Offering or Part of a Cult?

Archaeologists in Croatia have unearthed a metal helmet within an Illyrian burial mound that dates back 2,500 years. It may have been a votive offering or a cult ritual.

The helmet was discovered at the Gomile archeological site in a stone construction inside a burial mound. It was created perhaps around the close of the sixth century B.C. and the early fourth century B.C.,

According to Hrvoje Potrebica, a professor of archaeology at the University of Zagreb spearheading the project, the location of Gomile, on the Pelješac Peninsula close to the Adriatic Sea, is home to several burial mounds and is situated close to the settlement of Zakotorac.

"Each mound [contains] multiple graves and each grave contain[s] multiple burials," Potrebica said.

According to Potrebica, the recently discovered helmet appeared to be in "perfect condition" despite not having yet undergone conservation. The helmet's stone structure is distinct from every grave in the burial mound, showing that it was meant to be a votive offering "to deceased ancestors or part of some cult practice related to the whole mound and not [a] particular individual or grave," per Potrebica.

Meanwhile, Domagoj Perkić, the director of the Archaeological Museum, a division of Dubrovnik Museums, and an excavation researcher, claimed that if the newly discovered helmet was used in battle, it could have affected the enemy psychologically.

"Just try to imagine a warrior with a shiny [helmet] on his head, in the sun, on the eve of a battle ... that moment alone causes awe in the enemy," he explained.

By the time the helmet was made, the Illyrians were prosperous. In a series of battles between 229 and 168 B.C., the Romans progressively subjugated the Illyrians, who had been split among several tribes and kingdoms.

ALSO READ: 1,800-Year-Old Roman Military Based Unearthed in an Ancient City in Northern Israel

Strange 12-Sided Roman Object Unearthed

Meanwhile, a bizarre object was unearthed in the small village of Norton Disney, just outside of Lincolnshire. The experts were unsure about its purpose as the item was not mentioned in historical records.

The object is eight centimeters tall and weighs 245 grams. The dodecahedron comprises 75% copper, 7% tin, and 18% lead. It has a hole of varying sizes on each side.

With its 12 equal sides, some have theorized that the object might have been a dice in a Roman gambling game. On the other hand, if the army was moving, Dr. Jonathan Foyle, an archaeologist from the University of Bath, contended that different dodecahedron sizes might be more straightforward to transport.

Another commonly recognized theory claimed that these objects were knitting needles used to make glove fingers. Numerous knitters have created tutorials detailing the process of creating commodious garments using plastic replicas of Roman dodecahedrons.

There were also speculations that the gold ones were intended as decorative jewelry with perhaps religious overtones. The more mysterious ones are those fashioned of metal and similar materials. Others suggest that it could be a surveying or mathematical tool.

RELATED ARTICLE: 1,600-year-old Roman Dodecahedron Unearthed in Belgium: What Were Those Ancient Objects Used For?

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