Roman and late-antique Butrint: excavations and survey 2000-2001

Abstract

The Roman and Byzantine port of Butrint, situated on the SW coast of Albania directly opposite the island of Corfu, has been the focus of a major research project since 1994. The investigation of the site and its hinterland commenced with excavations within the walled town and a survey of sites and monuments in the region (Hodges et al 1997). Despite a brief hiatus caused by civil unrest in Albania in 1997, work continued with excavation and study seasons in 1998 and 1999. The results of the first five years of the project are due to be published shortly (Hodges, Bowden and Lako, forthcoming).The second phase of the Butrint project, starting in 2000, has encompassed a wide variety of research aims. They have included extensive research on the archives of the Italian mission that conducted large-scale excavations between 1928 and 1942. Among other finds, this resulted in the discovery of the manuscript of L. Ugolini's Albania antica vol. 4, the hitherto unpublished results of the Italian excavation of the Hellenistic and Roman theatre (Gilkes, forthcoming). Other archival research has focussed on the records of the communist-period archaeological investigations, and has resulted in a much better understanding of the aims and results of these projects, which in some cases are almost wholly unpublished. Our project is also concerned with the controlled development of the site for tourism. This has resulted in the expansion of the UNESCO World Heritage site to 2900 ha and the creation of a National Park with the intent of protecting the archaeological and natural landscape around Butrint (Hodges and Martin 2000; Martin 2001). The present report is a synthesis of the first results of the major excavations of 2000 and 2001. While it is possible (and indeed likely) that interpretations may change as excavations continue, it was felt that the material was of sufficient interest to justify an interim statement.

The 2005 Remote-Sensing Survey of the South-Eastern Bozburun Peninsula, Turkey: Shipwreck Discoveries and their Analyses

“…Precise archaeological equivalents for Type 2 amphoras have not been located to date. They are similar in body‐style to the later 7th/8th century example from the Trinconch Palace in Albania, but the handles are more robust (Bowden et al , 2002: 225–7, fig. 23.34).…”

Battling Water: The Frontiers of Archaeological Excavations at Butrint (1928–2014)

“…(Bowden and Përzhita 2004b, 181, fig. 10.6)The emphasis of research during this time was the Triconch Palace, which saw a second phase of excavations between 2000 and 2003 (Hodges et al 2000; Bowden, Hodges and Lako 2002, 201–9; Hodges, Bowden, and Lako 2004; Bowden and Hodges 2011). According to Hodges (2011a, vii), The Triconch Palace excavations at Butrint seemed a wonderfully simple endeavour when in 1993 we first agreed with our Albanian colleagues to work here … Only in time did we comprehend the difficulties of excavating in thick woodland that was regularly waterlogged by the higher water-table, and suffered from a stifling humidity because the trees screened off the afternoon breezes from the Ionian Sea.Like the Baptistery, excavations of the Triconch Palace were obstructed by the water table.…”

“…In 2000, the Butrint Foundation began a second phase of research, marked by increased interest in the Roman period of the city. Excavations were initiated at Diaporit, centred on the Byzantine Basilica and Roman villa complex overlooking Lake Butrint (Bowden, Hodges and Lako 2002, 209–19; Bowden and Përzhita 2004a). Given its size and waterside location near Butrint, the villa has been considered a candidate for the villa of Cicero's confidant, Titus Pomponius Atticus, who is known to have owned an estate at Buthrotum as early as 68 bc (Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 1.5, 1.13, 1.16.15–18, 2.1.11, 2.7.5).…”

“…Given its size and waterside location near Butrint, the villa has been considered a candidate for the villa of Cicero's confidant, Titus Pomponius Atticus, who is known to have owned an estate at Buthrotum as early as 68 bc (Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 1.5, 1.13, 1.16.15–18, 2.1.11, 2.7.5). The ruins of the villa extend to the shoreline and continue for a distance of 10 m into the lake (Bowden, Hodges and Lako 2002, 209; Bowden 2003, 62). The earliest phases of the complex are submerged beneath the water table, which prevented the project from examining deposits earlier than the first century ad .…”