The Gradistë belt-plate is an

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

n silvered bronze belt-plate found in the village of Gradistë in south-eastern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

near

Lake Ohrid Lake Ohrid is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, with a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more th ...

. The decorative belt-plate dates from the early 3rd century BC around the year 280 BC. It depicts Illyrian warriors in combat both on foot and on horseback with a giant snake-dragon on the left and an unknown dead character with a face mask. The belt-plate shows the typical southern Illyrian shield used in southern

and the Illyrian helmet. The snake in the side symbolizes the religious role it played in the religion of the Illyrians According to several archaeologists the shields depicted in the Gradistë artifact indicate a widespread use of that particular shield type among Illyrians and

Ancient Macedonians The Macedonians (, ) were an ancient tribe that lived on the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Vardar, Axios in the northeastern part of Geography of Greece#Mainland, mainland Greece. Essentially an Ancient Greece, ancient ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gradiste Belt-Plate Illyrian art Illyrian Albania