Nakovanj

Nakovana is an archaeological site on the Peljesac peninsula in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, serving as the type-site for the East Adriatic Early Copper Age. Excavations revealed cultural deposits over 4.5 metres thick spanning from the Early Neolithic (c. 6000 BC) through the Hellenistic period. A sealed cave chamber discovered beyond the main shelter contained a phallic stalagmite surrounded by approximately 8,000 potsherds, 73% from fine Hellenistic vessels, representing the only known preserved Illyrian shrine. The site's intact sealed context makes it uniquely valuable for studying Illyrian religious practices from the 4th-1st centuries BC.