engleski

Nakovana Cave Sanctuary and the Illyrian Cultural Identity in the First Millennium B.C.

The recent decade has witnessed a steady growth of interest in archaeological investigation of ethnicity, cultural identity and acculturation. While a coherent theoretical framework regarding these complex social phenomena in contexts of prehistoric archaeology remains elusive, it is already clear that multifaceted and detailed archaeological data are a prerequisite for addressing these issues successfully. One of the places where we may hope to recover such data are sites that have been preserved unusually well. The recently discovered cave sanctuary in Nakovana (Dalmatia) is an example of such a site. The cave was sealed soon after the sanctuary had been abandoned some two thousand years ago. During the last four centuries BC, it was used by local Illyrians as a ritual focus and a place of worship. It provides us with a unique insight into the autochtonous Illyrian spiritual world, and illustrates changes of Illyrian cultural identity that took place during the final period of their contact with, and integration into, the classic Graeco-Roman world.

anthropology; archaeology; cave; cultural identity; hellenistic period; Illyrians; Nakovana; religion; shrine

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