ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL BRONZE VESSELS FROM THE IRON AGE CEMETERY OF BOROVA (ALBANIA): A COMMUNITY IN TRANSITION

The cemetery of Borova located in the region of Kolonja (south-east of Albania), had around 49 graves which contained rich inventories of pottery, jewellery, weapons, etc. These artifacts, which date mainly in the late Iron Age, i.e. around 6th-5th centuries BC, bear witness to the intensive exchanges in local productions with northern Greece. The typology of some tombs is closely associated with the princely graves of the Balkans as best evidenced by the richness of the inventory. The discovery of one bronze olpe, two bronze phiales and one bronze cylix demonstrates the presence of Greek Archaic and classical imports of bronze vases in the Illyrian territory. The geographical vicinity enabled for an active trade in the region. This was possibly the case between pastoral societies which did not trade highly valuable goods, as in the case of tombs in Trebenishte and Novi Pazar, but more modest findings in bronze. These artifacts indicate an Iron Age society in transition to the Archaic and classical period with the use of valuable bronze vases by the Illyrian chiefs as the first signs of their 'Hellenization'