A remarkable archaeological discovery on the picturesque Croatian island of Vis has confirmed the existence of democracy in this part of the world over 2,300 years ago. Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a council hall from the ancient Greek city-state of Issa, marking the first time that public architecture from this period has been uncovered in Croatia.

“Issa brought democracy. It was founded 400 years before Christ, and we now have clear evidence that it was a democratic community. Democracy spread from here across what is now modern-day Croatia,” Dinko Radić, director of the Zavičajni muzej grada Visa (Local History Museum of the Town of Vis), told HRT. The incredible discovery, part of a four-month excavation project, has already led to a major shift in the historical understanding of Issa. Until now, it was believed that Issa declined with the fall of classical Greece. However, new evidence shows the city endured for centuries longer.

The site reveals carefully arranged stone blocks, which once supported wooden benches. It was here that the councillors of ancient Issa would have gathered to debate, resolve disputes and make decisions on all matters of civic life. Likely situated next to the agora, the council hall served as the political heart of the city.

“This site is unique because it offers a historical horizon of nearly 800 years. We can trace activity here up to the sixth century AD,” explained archaeologist Vinko Udiljak, also of the Local History Museum of the Town of Vis.

The find is considered one of the most significant in the country.

“For an archaeologist, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said fellow archaeologist Antonio Nađ.

In addition to the council hall, researchers have uncovered a well-preserved Greek street, a late antique structure believed to have been used as a shop and a colonnade dating back to the first century BC.

“We believe the colonnade can be linked to the construction efforts of Quintus Numerius Rufus, a known associate of Julius Caesar during his time in Egypt with Cleopatra,” added Udiljak.

Issa was an island town and the most important Greek colony in Croatia and the Adriatic Sea. Its foundation is associated with Dionysius the Elder’s colonizing efforts in the first half of the 4^th century BC. The town was built on Gradina Hill by the island’s deep bay, which was formerly called St. George’s Harbour. Inside its walls, the terraced city descended to the sea, and it was subdivided by numerous north-south streets (stenopoi) and a smaller number of east-west streets (plateiai), which created a uniform urban layout of residential neighbourhoods. As a port, Issa had an impressive waterfront quay also made of immense stone blocks that can still be seen under the sea in the southern part of the town and at places around Prirovo Peninsula.

This incredible discovery comes as researchers made a startling find using cutting-edge AI that could upset previous assumptions about Roman history. The Lower Germanic Lines, now in the Netherlands, had been considered the northernmost outpost of the Roman Empire. However, the discovery of a fort at the Hoog Buurlo site in Veluwe, dated to the second century AD, 15.5 miles north of that frontier, suggests the Romans had pushed further.