The Nakovana Zodiac: Fragments of an Astrologer's Board from an Illyrian-Hellenistic Cave Sanctuary

Abstract

Thirty tiny ivory fragments were recovered in year 2000 during excavations at Nakovana Cave in southern Croatia. The fragments were found in a cave sanctuary, associated with abundant Hellenistic fineware ceramics. They came from a series of ivory plaques engraved with zodiacal symbols, which most likely were parts of an atrologer’s bord. Archaeological context and direct dating indicate that this extraordinary find dates from around year 100 BC, which makes it the earliest known example of this class of objects.