Croatian Adriatic Coast From Prehistoric Age Until Arrival of the Greeks

Culturally, the Adriatic is the Republic of Croatia's mostThe last millennium B.C. was the Iron Age and the time
important macroregion. All past periods of history haveof the Illyrian tribes distributed along the east Adriatic
left marks of the highest quality between Savudrijashore and in its hinterland (the Histri in Istria, Iapodi in
Point in Piran Bay in northern Istria and Prevlaka Point inLika, Liburni in the north-Croatian Littoral, Delmatae in
the Gulf of Bokakotorska at the furthest end ofcentral Dalmatia, Daorsi in the Neretva region, Ardiaei in
Dalmatia.south Dalmatia). Their most important remains are
Life has continued uninterrupted on the east Adriaticnumer­ous hillforts on the raised ground of coastal,
coast and deep into its hinterland from the oldest tipies,island and hin­terland areas, and grave mounds.
and this enormous wealth of culture and art can stillIllyrian settlemeiits like Nesactium near Pula and in other
today be experienced. There are ancient cities andIapodic and Liburnian localities enriched the Adriatic
settlements, his­toric buildings and archaeologicalheritage with striking exam­ples of plastic art and
sites, and countless paint­ings, sculptures andjewelry.
works of applied art, most,of them today found inWith the Greek colonists came the urbanization of
Croatian Adriatic museums.parts of the Croatian shore. Sailing in from various
The first traces of human settlements in Croatia datehome ports, they brought with them their great
from the Early Stone Age (Palaeolithic). The remainsexperience in building cities, architecture, sculpture and
of primeval man from Sandalj near Pula (over 800,000pottery production. The Doric Syracusians came to the
years old) are among Europe's most valuable findsisland of Vis in 389 B.C. and founded Issa, the first
relating to the first human habitations (archanthrop).Greek colony in the eastern Adriatic. They brought all
There are Late Stone Age (Neolithic) finds in thethese specialist skills with them, and the Issaeians
locality of Danilo near Sibenik. Of special importancespread it further as they founded new towns on the
are the remains of the Hvar Culture (between the fifthislands (Lumbarda on Korcula) and the mainland
and third millennium B.C.), which include discoveries in(Salona, Tragurion, Epetion). The Greek Parians chose
Grabceva and Markova Caves on the island of Hvarfor their Adriatic stronghold a deep inlet on the island of
and in other localities on neighbouring Dalmatian islandsHvar, where they founded Pharos (present-day Stari
and on the mainland. Its variously col­oured andgrad), while the Cnidians colonized the island of Korcula.
decorated pottery proves that strong links with otherThe remains of Hellenistic urban architecture can be
Mediterranean centres of that period already existed.recognized or con­jectured in all the cities
In the thousand years of the Bronze Age (betweenmentioned, and many important works of art have
1800 B.C. and 800 B.C.) pottery production continuedbeen preserved from that period. These include the
on Hvar and in the Dalmatian hinterland (the so-calledrelief of the god Kairos in Trogir, the bronze head of a
Cetina Cul­ture), and the first settlements of pilegoddess from Vis, a Tanagra figurine, a bronze genius
dwellings appeared on the Adriatic rivers.from Rab and many shards of painted pottery.