Greek imports occur in Kosovo and Metohija as grave furniture since the 6 th
century B.C., and particularly intensively at the turn of the 6 th and 5th centuries
B.C. the most significant finds from this perion are those from the tumulus at
Romaja near Prizren and from the tomb at Pechka Banja.
Out of several dozen graves unearthed in tumulus I at Romaja only eight
contained in tumulus I at Romaja only eight contained imported objects or those to
which influence from the south could be ascribed. First of all, those are two
double-bladed swords – ksyphoi with the blade enlarged in the middle and a
cruciform hilt, found in graves 5 and 9 and dated to the second half of the 6 th
century B.C. another such sword is known among the fortuitous finds from the site
of Shiroko near Suva Reka as well as from the well-known princely tombs at Novi
Pazar and Atenica, although in fragments. In addition to swords two more iron
double axes of the labris type should be mentioned (graves 1 and 17) which also
belong to theolder burials on this necropolis. Axes similar to these are known from
the graves dating from the same period from Macedonia (Rechica near Ohrid) and
from Albania (Bazje/Mati), which may point to the direction of their expansion
towards the north from the area where traditions of the former old links with the
Greek world had been preserved for a long time.
In addition to Greek weapons, in graves 1 and 12 at Romaja fragments of
wheel-made ceramics, most probbaby of kylix, were uncovered while in graves 5
and 30 almost completely preserved vases were found.
The comparison of the Greek ceramics from graves with the ceramics
originating from hillfort settlements of the Early Iron age shows a slightly different
picture in relation to the finds from Pechka Banja and from the Romaja tumulus.
On the hillforts Belacevac, Gornje Gadimlje, Cernica and Hisar starting from the
6th century B.C., if not even earlier, wheel-made ceramics occur in a greater
number, with the possibility of two groups being singled out: the first group
consists of ceramics with more impressive traits of the lonic cultural circle
characteristic of the older horizon, while the second group encompasses the greybaked ceramcs with imitate Attic shapes of vessels of the late 5th and the 4th
century B.C. In addition to these, relatively rare specimens of black-varnished and
red-figure ceramics of the St. Valentin type occur as well.
It can be noted that among the ceramic wares in Kosovo hillforts there are
hardly any Hellenistic ceramics dating from the 3rd to the 2nd century B.C. with the
exception of a few small fragments of vases decorated in the West Slope style,
although a number of grey ceramic wares of indigenous manufacture can be
considered to belong to this period.