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# Terracotta head in the guise of a Greek theatrical mask, 3rd-4th century BC, found in Black Lake Cave on Croatia's Pelješac peninsula
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/v-peshchere-chiornoe-ozero-na-khorvatskom-poluostrove-peleshats-nashli-terrakotovuiu-golovu-iii-iv-vek-do-n-e-v-grecheskoi-teatralnoi-maske/
- Published: 2026-05-27T06:58:53.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T05:26:00.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Archaeology, Faith

In Black Lake Cave on the Croatian peninsula of Pelješac, a terracotta head in the guise of a Greek theatrical mask, dating from the 3rd-4th century BC, has been found. The object is hollow, with a small hole for a cord: it hung on a wall. Vessels for wine were found beside it.

By all appearances the cave was a sanctuary. What exactly took place here is not known for certain, but the wine and the theatrical mask look very much like the props of a cult of Dionysus, or of his Illyrian double under another name.

This is one of three known Illyrian sanctuaries in the Dubrovnik area. Last year fragments of a terracotta figure of a Greek deity of the Classical period were found in the same cave. The cave has been in use since the Bronze Age, first as a temporary shelter, then as a necropolis, then as a place for rituals.

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_20652@27-05-2026_09-58-53.jpg)