Huge Hellenistic city walls discovered in Croatia –

Monumental remains of the Hellenistic-era walls of the ancient Greek city of Epetion have been discovered in the village of Stobrec near Split, Croatia. The well-preserved walls were discovered during excavations that preceded the new construction. The walls of the Greek fortification are 230 feet long and are as high as 10 feet in places, making it the most monumental and best-preserved Greek wall in Croatia.

Epetion was founded in the 4th century BC by colonists from Issa, an early Greek colony on the Adriatic island of Vis. The Hellenistic city was built on the foundations of early Illyrian settlements and was ideally located with fertile arable lands, inland trade routes and sheltered bays for maritime trade. The colonists built dry stone walls with heavy stones to defend the city. Smaller parts of it were discovered during the first archaeological surveys of Stourbridge in 1969 and 1973.

Conservators Silva Kukoč and Ivica Pleština, who oversee the site, stress that the area has long been considered to have archaeological potential. Still, the scope and significance of these findings were unexpected. Further research is planned to ensure the site is carefully studied and preserved. Minister Obuyan Korzinek assured that her ministry, together with the Split Ministry of Conservation and the Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, will continue to closely monitor the ongoing excavations.

The recent excavations are the most comprehensive survey of the ancient city since the Hellenistic walls were first excavated in 1969. In addition to long sections of defensive wall, the excavations also unearthed A megalithic building with a double door, this suggests that Hellenistic Epetion extended much farther along the coast to the north of the city walls than previously known. The archaeological team also discovered The layers of settlement date back to the Middle Bronze Age (about 3,500 years ago), extending the known period of settlement in the area by thousands of years.