Monumental Hellenistic rampart found in Croatia

The monumental remains of the Hellenistic-era ramparts of the ancient Greek city of Epetion have been discovered in the village of Stobreč, near Split, Croatia. The well-preserved walls where discovered during an excavation in advance of new construction. The rampart from the Greek defenses is 230 feet long and as much as ten feet high in places, making it the most monumental and best preserved Greek rampart in Croatia.

Epetion was founded in the 4th century B.C. by colonists from Issa, an earlier Greek colony on the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea. The Hellenistic city was built over an early Illyrian settlement at a prime location with fertile arable land, inland trade routes and a sheltered bay for maritime trade. The colonists built a dry stone rampart built of heavy stone blocks to defend the city. Smaller sections of it were discovered in the first archaeological investigations of Stobreč in 1969 and 1973.

Conservators Silva Kukoč and Ivica Pleština, who are overseeing the site, highlighted that the area had long been recognized as having archaeological potential. Still, the extent and significance of the discoveries were unexpected. Further research is planned to ensure that the site is carefully studied and preserved. Minister Obuljen Koržinek assured that her ministry, along with the Split Conservation Department and the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, will continue to closely monitor the ongoing excavations.

The recent excavation is the most comprehensive investigation of the ancient city since the 1969 dig that first uncovered the Hellenistic ramparts. In addition to the long section of defensive walls, the excavation unearthed a megalithic building with a double gate, which suggests that Hellenistic Epetion extended north of the ramparts in the direction of the sea coast, significantly further than previously known. The archaeological team also uncovered layers of settlement going back as far as the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 3,500 years ago), expanding the known timeline of settlement of the area by thousands of years.

* This article was originally published here