There are numerous examples of

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 jewellery made of

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

. They were made from the start of the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

around 1000 BC, and their production continued down through the millennium. They are found in nearly all of

, from

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

in the north, to

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 ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

in the south. A group of small human and animal figures made out of amber are of particular interest. The sites with the most figures found are

Ripač Ripač ( sr-cyrl, Рипач) is a village in the municipality of Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ripač is the location of a border crossing with Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Centr ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

(15 figures in total of animals and humans) and

Ormož Ormož (; in older sources , , , Prekmurje Slovene: ''Ormošd'') is a town in the traditional region of Prlekija, part of Styria (Slovenia), Styria, in northeastern Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the Drava, Drava River and borders with Croa ...

in Slovenia (10 human and 13 animal figures). The purpose of these figures is still a mystery, and they could as well have been Illyrian deities, figures to represent the cult of the dead, or simply children's toys. Amber was a material that Illyrians were very fond of, and many of their jewellery and decorative objects were made of amber. The analysis of the

Iapodian The Iapodes (or Iapydes, Japodes; ; ) were an ancient people who dwelt north of and inland from the Liburnians, off the Adriatic coast and eastwards of the Istrian peninsula. They occupied the interior of the country between the ''Colapis'' (Kupa) ...

necropolis near Kompolje, Otočac, first excavated in the 1950s, showed a number of amber artifacts, including various beads and necklaces, as well as those shaped as human heads, human figures and birds.

References

{{Illyrians Illyrian art Ancient art