During the last few centuries BC, central and southern Dalmatia were places of conflict between three peoples: 1) the local indigenous people who acted either as independent communities or as part of a larger tribal alliance such as the Illyrian kingdom; 2) the colonizing Greeks (Knidos, Syracuse, Paros and Issa); and 3) the Romans. Historical sources and archeological material both confirm that a significant part of their interaction took place on the island of Korčula (Corcyra Melaina/Nigra), located on the border of the most significantly Hellenized area of Central Dalmatian and Illyrian coastline of South Dalmatia. The leading indigenous community on the island most likely resided in the hillfort of Kopila. Research on the Kopila necropolis carried out since 2012 and presented in this article serves as the basis for understanding the ways in which this type of community adapted to the historical events of the region. Combined with data from recent research at Nadin, a hillfort dating back to the Early Iron Age, a brief overview of the contemporaneous situation in southern Liburnia will be proposed.