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Butrint

February 27, 2024

Butrint (Greek: Βουθρωτόν and Βουθρωτός[2], romanized: Bouthrōtón, Latin: Buthrōtum, Albanian: Butrint) was an ancient Greek polis and later Roman city and the seat of an early Christian bishopric in Epirus.

Butrint
Butrint (in Albanian)
Boυθρωτόν Bouthroton (in Greek)
Buthrotum (in Latin)
Theatre of Buthrotum
Location in Albania
LocationVlorë County, Albania
RegionChaonia  
Coordinates39°44′44″N 20°1′14″E / 39.74556°N 20.02056°E / 39.74556; 20.02056
TypeSettlement
History
PeriodsAntiquity and Middle Ages
Site notes
ArchaeologistsLuigi Maria Ugolini and Hasan Ceka
Public accessyes
CriteriaCultural: iii
Reference570
Inscription1992 (16th Session)
Extensions1999
Endangered1997 to 2005
Official nameButrint
Designated28 March 2003
Reference no.1290[1]

Originally a settlement of the Greek tribe of the Chaonians,[3][4][5] it became a colony of Corcyra (modern day Corfu) in the state of Epirus and later a Roman colonia and a bishopric. It entered into decline in Late Antiquity, before being abandoned during the Middle Ages after a major earthquake flooded most of the city. In modern times it is an archeological site in Vlorë County, Albania, some 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Sarandë, close to the Greek border. It is located on a hill overlooking the Vivari Channel and is part of the Butrint National Park. Today Bouthrotum is a Latin Catholic titular see and also features the Ali Pasha Castle.

The city is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Albania. On the strength of the immense wealth of cultural, historical and natural value with a considerable history, Butrint was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 and further a National Park in 2000 under the leadership of Auron Tare, its first director.[6][7]

History edit

Prehistory edit

The earliest archaeological evidence of settled occupation dates to between 10th and 8th centuries BC, although some claim that there is earlier evidence of habitation dating from the 12th century BC.[8][need quotation to verify]

Ancient Greek period edit

 
Map of Ancient Buthrotum

Excavation at Bouthroton has yielded Proto-Corinthian pottery of the 7th century and then Corinthian and Attic pottery of the 6th century, however there are no indications of a prehistoric settlement.[9] Bouthroton was in a strategically important position due its access to the Straits of Corfu, and its location at the crossroads of mainland Greece and Magna Graecia, the Greek and the "barbarian" worlds.[10] Thus, it became one of the two ancient ports in lower Chaonia, the other being Onchesmos (modern Sarandë).[11]

Bouthroton (modern day Butrint) was originally one of the major centres of the Epirote tribe of the Chaonians,[12] part of the northwestern Greek group of tribes.[13] They had close contacts to the Corinthian colony of Corcyra (modern Corfu). According to the Roman writer Virgil, its legendary founder was the seer Helenus, a son of king Priam of Troy, who had moved West after the fall of Troy with Neoptolemus and his concubine Andromache. Both Virgil and the Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus recorded that Aeneas visited Bouthroton after his own escape from the destruction of Troy.

The acropolis was erected on a hill on the bank of a lake Butrint (or lake Bouthrotum). The first extension of the 7th century BC acropolis occurred during the 5th century BC.[14] During the first years of the second Peloponnesian War (413-404 BC) the Corkyreans built fortifications stretching from Ksamil to Buthrotum. Buthrotum being previously an independent city, became subject to nearby Corfu.[15]

By the 4th century BC it had grown in importance and included a theatre, a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius and an agora. The acropolis of Bouthrotum was protected by three circuit walls. The last and outer wall was erected around 380 BC enclosing and area of 4ha. This 870m-long wall included bastions and five gates.[16] Two of the most important gates were known as Scean and Lion gate.[17] Moreover, the agora, the stoas, the residential zone and the theatre were located in a separate walled area.[14]

Several inscriptions in Buthrotum describe the organization of the Chaonians in the beginning of the 3rd cent. BC. which show that they too had an annual leader called Prostates (Greek: Προστάτης Protector).[13] The Greek calendar of Bouthroton appears in the oldest known analog computer, the so-called Antikythera Mechanism (c. 150 to 100 BC).[18][19]

The theatre is known for the impressive number of inscriptions carved on its stones. Most of them deal with manumissions and give a great amount of details on the city during the Hellenistic era.[20] The names of those slaves were almost exclusively Greek with a few exception of Latin ones which bore Greek family names.[21]

In 228 BC Buthrotum became a Roman protectorate alongside Corfu.[22] In the middle of the second century BC Buthrotum was the centre of an independent state, possibly the "Koinon of the Prasaiboi", as listed in the list of the theorodokoi at the Oracle of Delphi.[23]

Ancient Roman period edit

 
Bronze coin minted at Buthrotum during the reign of Augustus (27 BC–14 AD). The ethnic legend BVTHR is inscribed on the reverse.[24]

In the next century, it became a part of a province of Macedonia. In 44 BC, Caesar designated Buthrotum as a colony to reward soldiers who had fought for him against Pompey. Local landholder Titus Pomponius Atticus objected to his correspondent Cicero who lobbied against the plan in the Senate. As a result, only small numbers of colonists were settled.

 
Remains of the baptistery

In 31 BC, Roman Emperor Augustus fresh from his victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium renewed the plan to make Buthrotum a veterans' colony. New residents expanded the city and the construction included an aqueduct, a Roman bath, houses, a forum complex and a nymphaeum. During that era the size of the town was doubled.[25] A number of new structures were built next to the existing ones especially around the theatre and the temple of Asklepeios.[26]

In the 3rd century AD, an earthquake destroyed a large part of the town, levelling buildings in the suburbs on the Vrina Plain and in the forum of the city centre. Excavations have revealed that city had already been in decline. However, the settlement survived into the late antique era, becoming a major port in the province of Old Epirus. The town of late antiquity included the grand Triconch Palace, the house of a major local notable that was built around 425.

Byzantine and possible Slavic period edit

The walls of the city were extensively rebuilt, most probably at the end of the 5th century, perhaps by Byzantine Emperor Anastasius. The Ostrogoths under Indulf raided the Ionian coast in 550 and may have attacked Buthrotum. In the end of 6th century groups of Slavs possibly arrived at Buthrotum.[27] Evidence from the excavations shows that importation of commodities, wine and oil from the Eastern Mediterranean continued into the early years of the 7th century when the early Byzantine Empire lost these provinces. During the period of Slavic invasions and population movements in the wider region Butrotum was one of the few cities in Epirus that survived and retained its status as a seat of a bishopric without interruption.[28]

Because of the scarcity of sources, it is difficult to assess whether Buthrotos was controlled by Slavs or Byzantines between the 7th to 10th centuries.[29] Byzantine written sources of that time mention that Saint Elias of Enna was detained as a spy in Bouthrotos, while Arsenios of Corfu (876-953) noted the marine wealth of the town.[30] The Grand Basilica of Buthrotum was built during the first half of the 6th century on the northeast side of the settlement.[31] Other monuments include the Acropolic Basilica (4th century), the Triconch Palace (6th century), the Baptistery with a large, complex mosaic (6th century), the Lake Gate church (9th century) and the Baptistery church (9th century).[32] Colonization by the Byzantine authorities seems to coincide during the reign of Leo VI (886-912). Imperial administrators of that time possibly governed the region from the "oikos" (Greek: οίκος, residence) from Vrina plain rather than from the citadel.[30] Archaeological records become stronger in the 10th century.[30]

 
The Agora of Buthrotum

The inventories of bishoprics from the 10th to 12th centuries identify the bishop of Butrint as subject to the metropolitan bishopric of Naupaktos, the ecclesiastical province that took the name of the old provincial capital of Nicopolis.[33] Arab traveller Muhammad al-Idrisi noted in the 12th century that Buthrotum is a densely populated city with a number of markets.[34]

It remained an outpost of the Byzantine empire fending off assaults from the Normans until 1204 when following the Fourth Crusade, the Byzantine Empire fragmented, Buthrotum falling to the breakaway Despotate of Epirus. In the following centuries, the area was a site of conflict between the Byzantines, the Angevins of southern Italy, and the Venetians.

Between Angevins, Byzantine Empire and Despotate of Epirus edit

The fortifications were probably strengthened by Byzantine Emperor Michael I.[35]

In 1267, Charles of Anjou took control of both Butrint and Corfu, leading to further restorations of the walls and the Grand Basilica. In 1274, Byzantine forces re-entered Butrint, an act which caused conflict between the Byzantines and the Despotate of Epirus, because Despot Nikephoros considered the site to be his domain.[36] Despite deep religious differences between the Catholic Charles of Anjou and the staunchly Orthodox Nikephoros, the two allied against Byzantine Emperor Michael, and together drove the Byzantines from the area in 1278.[36] Then, pressed by Charles, Nikephoros ultimately ended up recognizing Charles' rights to all the town that Michael II had awarded to Manfred of Hohenstaufen as part of his wife Helen's dowry, as Charles was his successor, thus ceding to him Butrint as well as the entire Acroceraunian Coast from Vlora to Butrint.[36]

As part of the Angevin Regnum Albaniae edit

See also: Regnum Albaniae

From 1284 Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II was in control of most of today's Albania and Angevin control on the Balkan mainland was limited to Butrinto, the later formed a single administrative unit together with nearby Corfu.[37] In the 14th century the site shared a similar fate with Corfu.[37] Butrint remained under Angevin rule until 1386, with only two other interruptions: in 1306, and in 1313–1331.[38] In 1305-1306 it was controlled by the Despot of Epirus, Thomas I Komnenos Doukas.[39] Butrint became Catholic after it was conquered by the Angevins, and remained so throughout the fourteenth century.[38]

Hodges argues that the "episodic" defensive investment in Butrint as a town during this period demonstrates that it still possessed an active urban population, although not one urban dwelling had been identified at the time of writing. Hodges argues this indicates that dwellings were concentrated on the slopes of the northern citadel. The Orthodox Bishopric was transferred to nearby Glyki in 1337 or 1338. The town was reduced in size during the end of the 14th century, due to the tumultuous unrest in the region.[40]

Between Venice and the Ottoman Empire edit

The dogal Republic of Venice purchased the area including Corfu from the Angevins in 1386; however, the Venetian merchants were principally interested in Corfu and Butrinto once again declined.

 
Butrinto, a Venetian enclave on the Ottoman mainland

By 1572 the wars between Venice and the Ottoman Empire had left Butrinto ruinous and the acropolis was abandoned, while at the order of Domenico Foscarini, the Venetian commander of Corfu, the administration of Butrinto and its environs was shifted to a small triangular fortress associated with the extensive fish weirs. The area was lightly settled afterwards, occasionally being seized by the Ottoman Turks, in 1655 and 1718, before being recaptured by the Venetians. Its fisheries were a vital contributor to the supply of Corfu, and olive growing together with cattle and timber were the principal economic activities.[41]

The Treaty of Campo Formio of 1797 split between France and Austria the territory of the Republic of Venice, which France had just occupied and abolished, and under article 5 of the treaty, Butrinto and the other former Venetian enclaves in Albania came under French sovereignty.[42]

However, in 1799, the local Ottoman Albanian ruler Ali Pasha Tepelena conquered it, and after his death, it officially became a part of the Ottoman Empire until Albania gained its independence in 1912. By that time, the site of the original city had been unoccupied for centuries and was surrounded by malarial marshes. During Ottoman rule in Epirus, the inhabitants of Butrint displayed continuous support for Greek revolutionary activities.[43]

Modern Albania edit

In 1913, after the end of the First Balkan War, Butrint was ceded to Greece but Italy challenged the decision and in the Treaty of London the region was given to the newly created Albania. As such Butrint was located near the southern border of the newly established Albanian state in a largely Greek-speaking territory.[44] The local Greek population was enraged and created an Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus, for six months, before it was reluctantly ceded to Albania, with peace assured by Italian peacekeeping force until 1919.[45] Italy rejected the decision because it didn't want Greece to control both sides of the Straits of Corfu.[46]

Ecclesiastical history edit

Residential bishopric edit

 
Remains of the Grand Basilica

In the early 6th century, Buthrotum became the seat of a bishopric and new construction included the Buthrotum baptistery, one of the largest such paleochristian buildings of its type, and a basilica. The diocese of Buthrotum was initially a suffragan of the Metropolis of Nicopolis, the metropolitan capital of Epirus Vetus and in the papal sway, but in the 9th and 10th centuries it is listed with the suffragans of Naupaktos, which succeeded ruined Nicopolis as provincial capital and metropolis of the new Byzantine theme of Nicopolis,[47] bringing it in the sway of the Byzantine Patriarchate of Constantinople. After the 14th century, it was under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Ioannina.

Two of its Byzantine (pre-Eastern Schism) bishops are mentioned in extant documents:

Latin residential bishopric edit

A Latin see was established circa 1250 under the Italian name Butrinto, functioning under Angevin and Venetian rule, but suppressed circa 1400. The 6th-century basilica was rebuilt by king Charles I of Naples in 1267.

 
Butrint theatre on the reverse of a 2012 2000 Lekë banknote
Known Latin bishops
  • Nicola, O.P. (? – 1311.02.15)
  • Nicola, O.P. (1311.05.23 – ?)
  • Nicola da Offida, O.F.M. (? – 1349.06.15)
  • Francesco (? – ?)
  • Arnaldo Simone (? – 1355.02.13)
  • Giacomo, O.P. (1356.10.12 – ?)
  • Lazzarino, O.F.M. (1366.02.09 – ?)

Catholic titular see edit

Buthrotum is today listed by the Catholic Church as a Latin titular see [51] since the diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as titular bishopric of Buthrotum (Latin) / Butrinto (Curiate Italian) / Butrint (Albanian).

Following titular bishops have been nominated:

Archaeological excavations edit

 
Statue of a Roman soldier found in Buthrotum

The first modern archaeological excavations began in 1928 when the Fascist government of Benito Mussolini's Italy sent an expedition to Butrint. The aim was geopolitical rather than scientific, aiming to extend Italian hegemony in the area. The leader was an Italian archaeologist, Luigi Maria Ugolini who despite the political aims of his mission was a good archaeologist. Ugolini died in 1936, but the excavations continued until 1943 and the Second World War. They uncovered the Hellenistic and Roman part of the city including the "Lion Gate" and the "Scaean Gate" (named by Ugolini for the famous gate at Troy mentioned in the Homeric Iliad).

After the communist government of Enver Hoxha took Albania over in 1944, foreign archaeological missions were banned. Albanian archaeologists including Hasan Ceka continued the work. Nikita Khrushchev visited the ruins in 1959 and suggested that Hoxha should turn the area into a submarine base. The Albanian Institute of Archaeology began larger scale excavations in the 1970s. Since 1993 further major excavations have taken place led by the Butrint Foundation in collaboration with the Albanian Institute of Archaeology. Recent excavations in the western defences of the city have revealed evidence of the continued use of the walls, implying the continuation of life in the town. The walls themselves certainly seem to have burnt down in the 9th century, but were subsequently repaired.

After the collapse of the communist regime in 1992, the new democratic government planned various major developments at the site. The same year remains of Butrint were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. A major political and economic crisis in 1997 and lobbying stopped the airport plan and UNESCO placed it on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of looting, lack of protection, management and conservation. Archaeological missions during 1994–9 uncovered further Roman villas and an early Christian church.[27]

In 2004,[52] archaeological excavations continued under principal investigator, David R. Hernandez.[53]

Climate change means that the site, especially the area of the ancient theatre and Roman forum, can sometimes be covered with water, and a new management plan for both the cultural and natural assets has been implemented.[54]

Directions edit

The site of Butrint is accessible from Sarandë, along a road first built in 1959 for a visit by the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. This road was upgraded during the summer of 2010. The construction was somewhat of an environmental disaster and may yet threaten Butrint's World Heritage Site status. The ancient city is becoming a popular tourist destination, attracting day-trippers from the nearby Greek holiday island of Corfu. Hydrofoils (30 minutes) and ferries (90 minutes) run daily between the New Port in Corfu Town and Saranda. Many visitors from Corfu use chartered coach services to visit Butrint from Sarandë, and additionally, a regular public bus service runs between Sarandë port and Butrint. Others arrive from the Qafe Bote border crossing with Greece near Konispol and cross the Vivari Channel by the cable ferry at Butrint.

Gallery edit

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Notable locals edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Butrint". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, O709.1
  3. ^ Borza, Eugene N. (1992). In the Shadow of Olympus: the Emergence of Macedon (Revised ed.). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Speakers of these various Greek dialects settled different parts of Greece at different times during the Middle Bronze Age, with one group, the 'northwest' Greeks, developing their own dialect and peopling central Epirus. This was the origin of the Molossian or Epirotic tribes. [...] a proper dialect of Greek, like the dialects spoken by Dorians and Molossians. ... The western mountains were peopled by the Molossians (the western Greeks of Epirus).
  4. ^ Crew, P. Mack (1982). The Cambridge Ancient History – The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries BC, Part 3: Volume 3 (Second ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. That the Molossians... spoke Illyrian or another barbaric tongue was nowhere suggested, although Aeschylus and Pindar wrote of Molossian lands. That they in fact spoke greek was implied by Herodotus' inclusion of Molossi among the Greek colonists of Asia Minor, but became demonstrable only when D. Evangelides published two long inscriptions of the Molossian State, set up p. 369 BC at Dodona, in Greek and with Greek names, Greek patronymies and Greek tribal names such as Celaethi, Omphales, Tripolitae, Triphylae etc. As the Molossian cluster of tribes in the time of Hecataeus included the Orestae, Pelagones, Lyncestae, Tymphaei and Elimeotae, as we have argued above, we may be confident that they too were Greek-speaking.
  5. ^ Hammond, NGL (1994). Philip of Macedon. London, UK: Duckworth. Epirus was a land of milk and animal products ... The social unit was a small tribe, consisting of several nomadic or semi-nomadic groups, and these tribes, of which more than seventy names are known, coalesced into large tribal coalitions, three in number: Thesprotians, Molossians and Chaonians ... We know from the discovery of inscriptions that these tribes were speaking the Greek language (in a West-Greek dialect).
  6. ^ UNESCO. "Butrint". whc.unesco.org.
  7. ^ (PDF). imk.gov.al (in Albanian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  8. ^ Ceka, Neritan; transl. Pranvera Xhelo (2002). Buthrotum: Its History & Monuments. Tirana: Cetis Tirana. p. 19. ISBN 978-99927-801-2-1.
  9. ^ The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 3, Part 3: The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries BC, p. 269, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-23447-4, 1982
  10. ^ David R. Hernandez, "Bouthrotos (Butrint) in the Archaic and Classical Periods: The Acropolis and Temple of Athena Polias", Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Vol.86, No. 2 (April–June 2017), p. 205.
  11. ^ Cabanes, P. (1997). "The Growth of the Cities". Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization. Ekdotikē Athēnōn: 92. ISBN 9789602133712. Lower Chaonia utilized the port of Onchesmos (modern Hagioi Saranta) and Bouthrotos
  12. ^ Strabo. The Geography. Book VII, Chapter 7.5 (LacusCurtius).
  13. ^ a b Boardman, John (1994). The Cambridge Ancient History: The fourth century B.C. Cambridge University Press. p. 437. ISBN 9780521233484. The north-west Greeks occupied a large area, extending in the west from the Gulf of Ambracia to the Gulf of Oricum ... The main groups from south to north were called Thesproti, Athamanes, Molossi, Atintanes, Chaones, Parauaei, ...
  14. ^ a b Ioanna, Andreou (1997). "Urban Organization". Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization. Ekdotikē Athēnōn: 100. ISBN 9789602133712. Bouthrotos, which is situated on a hill on the bank of the lake of the same name, was laid out in the fifth century around an acropolis dating from the seventh century B.C. The walled area at the highest part of the hill, measuring 600x150 m. was ... The agora with its stoas, theatre etc. was organised in a separate, also fortified area.
  15. ^ Hammond, N. G. L (1997). "The Tribal Systems of Epirus and Neighbouring Areas down to 400 B.C." Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization: 56. ISBN 9789602133712. The early years of the Second Peloponnesian War ... fortification wall in Epirus-, and it is evident that Bouthrotos, an independent city in the time of Hekataios, was made subject to Kerkyra.
  16. ^ Ceka, p22
  17. ^ Stillwell, Richard (2017). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton University Press. p. 175. ISBN 9781400886586.
  18. ^ Freeth, Tony; Bitsakis, Yanis; Moussas, Xenophon; Seiradakis, John. H.; Tselikas, A.; Mangou, H.; Zafeiropoulou, M.; Hadland, R.; et al. (30 November 2006). "Decoding the ancient Greek astronomical calculator known as the Antikythera Mechanism" (PDF). Nature. 444 Supplement (7119): 587–91. Bibcode:2006Natur.444..587F. doi:10.1038/nature05357. PMID 17136087. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  19. ^ Freeth, Tony; Jones, Alexander (2012). "The Cosmos in the Antikythera Mechanism". Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. Retrieved 19 May 2014
  20. ^ Pierre Cabanes, "Nouvelles inscriptions d'Albanie Méridionale (Bouthrotos et Apollonia)", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, Bd. 63 (1986), pp. 137–155.
  21. ^ Winnifrith, Tom (2002). Badlands, Borderlands: A History of Northern Epirus/Southern Albania. Duckworth. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7156-3201-7. manumission inscriptions at Butrint, where the names of slaves manumitted are almost all Greek, confirm this...family members
  22. ^ The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. C. Knight. 1836.
  23. ^ Cabanes, P. (1997). "From Alexander Molossus to Pyrrhus: Political Developments". Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization. Ekdotikē Athēnōn: 122. ISBN 9789602133712. The list of thearodokoi of Delphi in the middle of the second century34 confirms that at this period Bouthrotos was the centre of an independent state which was visited by the theoroi
  24. ^ Andrew M. Burnett, Michel Amandry, Pere Pau Ripollès, Roman provincial coinage. : Volume I, From the death of Caesar to the death of Vitellius 44 BC-AD 69, London/Paris, 1992, n°1394.2.
  25. ^ Hodges, Richard; Bowden, William; Lako, Kosta; Richard Andrews (2004). Byzantine Butrint: excavations and surveys 1994–1999. Oxbow Books. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-84217-158-5. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  26. ^ Cabanes, P. (1997). "From Alexander Molossus to Pyrrhus: Political Developments". Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization. Ekdotikē Athēnōn: 126. ISBN 9789602133712. "At Bouthrotos, it is enough to compare the theatre, built of grey poros, with all the Roman structures surrounding it: the skene and the neighbouring buildings, the new sanctuary of Asklepios and the areas next to it
  27. ^ a b Hodges, Richard; Bowden, William; Lako, Kosta; Richard Andrews (2004). Byzantine Butrint: excavations and surveys 1994–1999. Oxbow Books. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-84217-158-5. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  28. ^ Chrysos, E. (1997). "The Foundation of the Themes of Kephallenia, Dyrrachion and Nikopolis". Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization: 188. ISBN 9789602133712. The foundation of the theme of Nikopolis also marked the end of the transitional period associated with the Slavic invasions and settlements... only two of the old cities have survived -Hadrianoupolis, ... and Bouthrotos, for which we possess exiguous but sufficient evidence of continuity and survival.
  29. ^ Richard Hodges (2008). Rise and Fall of Byzantine Butrint. Butrint Foundation. p. 19.
  30. ^ a b c Decker, Michael J. (25 February 2016). The Byzantine Dark Ages. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4725-3605-1.
  31. ^ Giakoumēs, Geōrgios K.; Vlassas, Grēgorēs; Hardy, David A. (1996). Monuments of Orthodoxy in Albania. Doukas School. p. 96. ISBN 9789607203090.
  32. ^ Pratt, Suzanna (2013). The impact of heritage management on local communities in the hinterland of Butrint National Park, southern Albania (Thesis). p. 17. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  33. ^ Hodges, Richard; Bowden, William; Lako, Kosta (28 February 2020). Byzantine Butrint: Excavations and Surveys 1994-99. Oxbow Books. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-78570-870-1.
  34. ^ Prinzing, G. (1997). "Political, Social and Economic Developments". Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization. Ekdotikē Athēnōn: 194. ISBN 9789602133712.
  35. ^ Hansen, Inge Lyse; Hodges, Richard; Leppard, Sarah (2013). Butrint 4: The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town. Oxbow Books. p. 277. ISBN 9781782971023.
  36. ^ a b c Lala, Etleva (2008). Regnum Albaniae. Pages 37-38: Nikephoros I Angelos (1271-1296)... The relations between the despot of Epiros and the king of the Regnum Albaniae varied at different times, but mostly they were cordial because they had a common enemy in Michael VIII. The relationship which developed between them is rather astonishing considering the fact that Charles was a favored vassal of the papacy while Nikephoros was Orthodox, a staunch opponent of the union of the churches and thus an enemy of papal plans in the Byzantine lands... He even used the chance to fight Michael openly, when Byzantine troops entered Butrint (1274), which Despot Nikephoros considered to be his own. Nikephoros was able to retake Butrint from the Byzantines only in 1278, and pressed by Charles, he was forced to make a formal vassal submission to him, yielding to the latter the newly recovered town as well as the port of Sopot. By recognizing Charles’ right to all the towns that Michael II had awarded to Manfred of Hohenstaufen as the dowry of Helen, Nikephoros also surrendered the port of Himara to the Anjous. As a result Charles acquired possession of the Adriatic coast from the Acroceraunian promontory (below the Bay of Vlora) down to Butrinti.
  37. ^ a b Hodges, Richard; Bowden, William; Lako, Kosta (28 February 2020). Byzantine Butrint: Excavations and Surveys 1994-99. Oxbow Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-78570-870-1.
  38. ^ a b Lala, Etleva (2008). Regnum Albaniae. Page 147
  39. ^ Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  40. ^ Hansen, Inge Lyse; Hodges, Richard; Leppard, Sarah (2013). Butrint 4: The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town. Oxbow Books. p. 16. ISBN 9781782971023. The episodic investment in defending Butrint as a town in the 13th and 14th centuries shows it still possessed an active urban population. Paradoxically not one urban dwelling has yet been identified. These, we may surmise, were concentrated on the slopes of the northern citadel, and perhaps on the steep south-facing lower slopes of the acropolis... In all probability the town had been dwindling in size sine the tumultuous unrest in the region during the later 14th century. Moving the bishopric to Glyki in 1337/38, however, removed a powerful urban institution, and with increasing Ottoman pressure to capture the important fishing here..."
  41. ^ During his short career as an ensign in a Venetian regiment, 20-year-old Casanova spent 3 days on Butrinto guarding galley slaves cutting and loading timber on 4 galleys. He mentions the objective of this once-a-year routine was mainly to 'show the flag' and safeguard Venice's rights to that nearly deserted outpost. Giacomo Casanova, Histoire de ma vie, Librairie Plon, Paris, vol II, chap V, p. 198-199.
  42. ^ "Treaty of Campo Formio 1797". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  43. ^ Fleming, K. E. (14 July 2014). The Muslim Bonaparte: Diplomacy and Orientalism in Ali Pasha's Greece. Princeton University Press. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-1-4008-6497-3. ... Parga, Vonitza, Preveza, and Butrinto. In 1401 the peoples of Parga had established the precedent of colluding with Venice by placing themselves voluntarily under Venetian protection, thus staying the advance of the Ottomans. ... These territories came to be known for their staunch support of the Greek revolutionary cause, and Parga colluded with the independent Orthodox peoples of Souli in their chronic battles with Ali Pasha.
  44. ^ Hansen, Inge Lyse; Hodges, Richard; Leppard, Sarah (2013). Butrint 4: The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town. Oxbow Books. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-84217-462-3. First it was isolated in a no mans land on the southern border of the new republic of Albania in a largely Greek-speaking territory.
  45. ^ Hodges, Richard (November 2016). The Archaeology of Mediterranean Placemaking: Butrint and the Global Heritage Industry. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 23. ISBN 978-1350006621.
  46. ^ Lyse Hansen, Inge; Hodges, Richard; Leppard, Sarah (January 2013). Butrint 4: The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town. Oxbow Books. pp. 2, 309. ISBN 978-1842174623.
  47. ^ Heinrich Gelzer, Ungedruckte und ungenügend veröffentlichte Texte der Notitiae episcopatuum, in: Abhandlungen der philosophisch-historische classe der Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1901, p. 557, nº 564.
  48. ^ Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, p. 430
  49. ^ Michel Lequien, Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus, Paris 1740, Vol. II, coll. 139-142
  50. ^ Konrad Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, vol. 1 2019-07-09 at the Wayback Machine, p. 143
  51. ^ Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 855
  52. ^ Dame, Marketing Communications: Web // University of Notre. "David - Hernandez // Department of Classics // University of Notre Dame". Department of Classics. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  53. ^ Hernandez, David R. (2017). "Bouthrotos (Butrint) in the Archaic and Classical Periods: The Acropolis and Temple of Athena Polias". Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. 86 (2): 205–271. doi:10.2972/hesperia.86.2.0205. ISSN 0018-098X. JSTOR 10.2972/hesperia.86.2.0205. S2CID 164963550.
  54. ^ Miziri, Ela; Meshini, Mariglen; Zoto, Rudina (2023). "Butrint National Park 'Integrated Management Plan' – Combining Natural Park with Cultural Heritage". Internet Archaeology (62). doi:10.11141/ia.62.2.

Sources and external links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Butrint.
  • GCatholic with incumbent bio links
 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Butrint.
 
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Butrinto".
 
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Buthrotum".

General information edit

  • The Butrint Foundation
  • Butrinti 2000 International Festival of Theater
  • Photo Albums
  • Visiting Butrint

History articles edit

  • on Butrint from The History Channel
  • Rome and Albanian history from Albania.com
  • Albania's Long-lost Roman City, BBC
  • In Pictures: Sights of Butrint, BBC
  • Coins from Butrint: Numismatic research on archaeological excavation - The British Museum

Further reading edit

  • Ceka N., Butrint: A guide to the city and its monuments (Migjeni Books) Tirana 2005)
  • Crowson A., "Butrint from the Air", in Current World Archaeology 14 (2006).
  • Hansen, Inge Lyse and Richard Hodges, eds., Roman Butrint: An Assessment. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2007.
  • Hodges, R.; Bowden, W.; Lako, K. (2004), Byzantine Butrint: Excavations and Surveys 1994–99 (PDF), Oxford: Oxbow Books
  • Richard Hodges and Matthew Logue, "The Mid-Byzantine Re-Birth of Butrint", Minerva 18, #3 (May/June 2007): 41–43.
  • A. M. Liberati, L. Miraj, I. Pojani, F. Sear, J. Wilkes and B. Polci, ed. by O. J. Gilkes. The Theatre at Butrint. Luigi Maria Ugolini's Excavations at Butrint 1928-1932, (Albania Antica IV) (Supplementary volume no. 35. Published by the British School at Athens, 2003).
  • Jarrett A. Lobell, Ages of Albania (Archeology magazine March/April 2006)
  • Ugolini L. M., Butrinto il Mito D'Enea, gli Scavi. Rome: Istituto Grefico Tiberino, 1937 (reprint Tirana: Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 1999)

February 27, 2024
butrint, greek, Βουθρωτόν, Βουθρωτός, romanized, bouthrōtón, latin, buthrōtum, albanian, ancient, greek, polis, later, roman, city, seat, early, christian, bishopric, epirus, albanian, boυθρωτόν, bouthroton, greek, buthrotum, latin, theatre, buthrotumlocation,. Butrint Greek Boy8rwton and Boy8rwtos 2 romanized Bouthrōton Latin Buthrōtum Albanian Butrint was an ancient Greek polis and later Roman city and the seat of an early Christian bishopric in Epirus ButrintButrint in Albanian Boy8rwton Bouthroton in Greek Buthrotum in Latin Theatre of ButhrotumLocation in AlbaniaLocationVlore County AlbaniaRegionChaonia Coordinates39 44 44 N 20 1 14 E 39 74556 N 20 02056 E 39 74556 20 02056TypeSettlementHistoryPeriodsAntiquity and Middle AgesSite notesArchaeologistsLuigi Maria Ugolini and Hasan CekaPublic accessyesUNESCO World Heritage SiteCriteriaCultural iiiReference570Inscription1992 16th Session Extensions1999Endangered1997 to 2005Ramsar WetlandOfficial nameButrintDesignated28 March 2003Reference no 1290 1 Originally a settlement of the Greek tribe of the Chaonians 3 4 5 it became a colony of Corcyra modern day Corfu in the state of Epirus and later a Roman colonia and a bishopric It entered into decline in Late Antiquity before being abandoned during the Middle Ages after a major earthquake flooded most of the city In modern times it is an archeological site in Vlore County Albania some 14 kilometres 8 7 mi south of Sarande close to the Greek border It is located on a hill overlooking the Vivari Channel and is part of the Butrint National Park Today Bouthrotum is a Latin Catholic titular see and also features the Ali Pasha Castle The city is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Albania On the strength of the immense wealth of cultural historical and natural value with a considerable history Butrint was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 and further a National Park in 2000 under the leadership of Auron Tare its first director 6 7 Contents 1 History 1 1 Prehistory 1 2 Ancient Greek period 1 3 Ancient Roman period 1 4 Byzantine and possible Slavic period 1 5 Between Angevins Byzantine Empire and Despotate of Epirus 1 6 As part of the Angevin Regnum Albaniae 1 7 Between Venice and the Ottoman Empire 1 8 Modern Albania 2 Ecclesiastical history 2 1 Residential bishopric 2 2 Latin residential bishopric 2 3 Catholic titular see 3 Archaeological excavations 4 Directions 5 Gallery 6 Notable locals 7 See also 8 References 9 Sources and external links 9 1 General information 9 2 History articles 10 Further readingHistory editPrehistory edit The earliest archaeological evidence of settled occupation dates to between 10th and 8th centuries BC although some claim that there is earlier evidence of habitation dating from the 12th century BC 8 need quotation to verify Ancient Greek period edit nbsp Map of Ancient ButhrotumExcavation at Bouthroton has yielded Proto Corinthian pottery of the 7th century and then Corinthian and Attic pottery of the 6th century however there are no indications of a prehistoric settlement 9 Bouthroton was in a strategically important position due its access to the Straits of Corfu and its location at the crossroads of mainland Greece and Magna Graecia the Greek and the barbarian worlds 10 Thus it became one of the two ancient ports in lower Chaonia the other being Onchesmos modern Sarande 11 Bouthroton modern day Butrint was originally one of the major centres of the Epirote tribe of the Chaonians 12 part of the northwestern Greek group of tribes 13 They had close contacts to the Corinthian colony of Corcyra modern Corfu According to the Roman writer Virgil its legendary founder was the seer Helenus a son of king Priam of Troy who had moved West after the fall of Troy with Neoptolemus and his concubine Andromache Both Virgil and the Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus recorded that Aeneas visited Bouthroton after his own escape from the destruction of Troy The acropolis was erected on a hill on the bank of a lake Butrint or lake Bouthrotum The first extension of the 7th century BC acropolis occurred during the 5th century BC 14 During the first years of the second Peloponnesian War 413 404 BC the Corkyreans built fortifications stretching from Ksamil to Buthrotum Buthrotum being previously an independent city became subject to nearby Corfu 15 By the 4th century BC it had grown in importance and included a theatre a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius and an agora The acropolis of Bouthrotum was protected by three circuit walls The last and outer wall was erected around 380 BC enclosing and area of 4ha This 870m long wall included bastions and five gates 16 Two of the most important gates were known as Scean and Lion gate 17 Moreover the agora the stoas the residential zone and the theatre were located in a separate walled area 14 Several inscriptions in Buthrotum describe the organization of the Chaonians in the beginning of the 3rd cent BC which show that they too had an annual leader called Prostates Greek Prostaths Protector 13 The Greek calendar of Bouthroton appears in the oldest known analog computer the so called Antikythera Mechanism c 150 to 100 BC 18 19 The theatre is known for the impressive number of inscriptions carved on its stones Most of them deal with manumissions and give a great amount of details on the city during the Hellenistic era 20 The names of those slaves were almost exclusively Greek with a few exception of Latin ones which bore Greek family names 21 In 228 BC Buthrotum became a Roman protectorate alongside Corfu 22 In the middle of the second century BC Buthrotum was the centre of an independent state possibly the Koinon of the Prasaiboi as listed in the list of the theorodokoi at the Oracle of Delphi 23 Ancient Roman period edit nbsp Bronze coin minted at Buthrotum during the reign of Augustus 27 BC 14 AD The ethnic legend BVTHR is inscribed on the reverse 24 In the next century it became a part of a province of Macedonia In 44 BC Caesar designated Buthrotum as a colony to reward soldiers who had fought for him against Pompey Local landholder Titus Pomponius Atticus objected to his correspondent Cicero who lobbied against the plan in the Senate As a result only small numbers of colonists were settled nbsp Remains of the baptisteryIn 31 BC Roman Emperor Augustus fresh from his victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium renewed the plan to make Buthrotum a veterans colony New residents expanded the city and the construction included an aqueduct a Roman bath houses a forum complex and a nymphaeum During that era the size of the town was doubled 25 A number of new structures were built next to the existing ones especially around the theatre and the temple of Asklepeios 26 In the 3rd century AD an earthquake destroyed a large part of the town levelling buildings in the suburbs on the Vrina Plain and in the forum of the city centre Excavations have revealed that city had already been in decline However the settlement survived into the late antique era becoming a major port in the province of Old Epirus The town of late antiquity included the grand Triconch Palace the house of a major local notable that was built around 425 Byzantine and possible Slavic period edit The walls of the city were extensively rebuilt most probably at the end of the 5th century perhaps by Byzantine Emperor Anastasius The Ostrogoths under Indulf raided the Ionian coast in 550 and may have attacked Buthrotum In the end of 6th century groups of Slavs possibly arrived at Buthrotum 27 Evidence from the excavations shows that importation of commodities wine and oil from the Eastern Mediterranean continued into the early years of the 7th century when the early Byzantine Empire lost these provinces During the period of Slavic invasions and population movements in the wider region Butrotum was one of the few cities in Epirus that survived and retained its status as a seat of a bishopric without interruption 28 Because of the scarcity of sources it is difficult to assess whether Buthrotos was controlled by Slavs or Byzantines between the 7th to 10th centuries 29 Byzantine written sources of that time mention that Saint Elias of Enna was detained as a spy in Bouthrotos while Arsenios of Corfu 876 953 noted the marine wealth of the town 30 The Grand Basilica of Buthrotum was built during the first half of the 6th century on the northeast side of the settlement 31 Other monuments include the Acropolic Basilica 4th century the Triconch Palace 6th century the Baptistery with a large complex mosaic 6th century the Lake Gate church 9th century and the Baptistery church 9th century 32 Colonization by the Byzantine authorities seems to coincide during the reign of Leo VI 886 912 Imperial administrators of that time possibly governed the region from the oikos Greek oikos residence from Vrina plain rather than from the citadel 30 Archaeological records become stronger in the 10th century 30 nbsp The Agora of ButhrotumThe inventories of bishoprics from the 10th to 12th centuries identify the bishop of Butrint as subject to the metropolitan bishopric of Naupaktos the ecclesiastical province that took the name of the old provincial capital of Nicopolis 33 Arab traveller Muhammad al Idrisi noted in the 12th century that Buthrotum is a densely populated city with a number of markets 34 It remained an outpost of the Byzantine empire fending off assaults from the Normans until 1204 when following the Fourth Crusade the Byzantine Empire fragmented Buthrotum falling to the breakaway Despotate of Epirus In the following centuries the area was a site of conflict between the Byzantines the Angevins of southern Italy and the Venetians Between Angevins Byzantine Empire and Despotate of Epirus edit The fortifications were probably strengthened by Byzantine Emperor Michael I 35 In 1267 Charles of Anjou took control of both Butrint and Corfu leading to further restorations of the walls and the Grand Basilica In 1274 Byzantine forces re entered Butrint an act which caused conflict between the Byzantines and the Despotate of Epirus because Despot Nikephoros considered the site to be his domain 36 Despite deep religious differences between the Catholic Charles of Anjou and the staunchly Orthodox Nikephoros the two allied against Byzantine Emperor Michael and together drove the Byzantines from the area in 1278 36 Then pressed by Charles Nikephoros ultimately ended up recognizing Charles rights to all the town that Michael II had awarded to Manfred of Hohenstaufen as part of his wife Helen s dowry as Charles was his successor thus ceding to him Butrint as well as the entire Acroceraunian Coast from Vlora to Butrint 36 As part of the Angevin Regnum Albaniae edit See also Regnum Albaniae From 1284 Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II was in control of most of today s Albania and Angevin control on the Balkan mainland was limited to Butrinto the later formed a single administrative unit together with nearby Corfu 37 In the 14th century the site shared a similar fate with Corfu 37 Butrint remained under Angevin rule until 1386 with only two other interruptions in 1306 and in 1313 1331 38 In 1305 1306 it was controlled by the Despot of Epirus Thomas I Komnenos Doukas 39 Butrint became Catholic after it was conquered by the Angevins and remained so throughout the fourteenth century 38 Hodges argues that the episodic defensive investment in Butrint as a town during this period demonstrates that it still possessed an active urban population although not one urban dwelling had been identified at the time of writing Hodges argues this indicates that dwellings were concentrated on the slopes of the northern citadel The Orthodox Bishopric was transferred to nearby Glyki in 1337 or 1338 The town was reduced in size during the end of the 14th century due to the tumultuous unrest in the region 40 Between Venice and the Ottoman Empire editThe dogal Republic of Venice purchased the area including Corfu from the Angevins in 1386 however the Venetian merchants were principally interested in Corfu and Butrinto once again declined nbsp Butrinto a Venetian enclave on the Ottoman mainlandBy 1572 the wars between Venice and the Ottoman Empire had left Butrinto ruinous and the acropolis was abandoned while at the order of Domenico Foscarini the Venetian commander of Corfu the administration of Butrinto and its environs was shifted to a small triangular fortress associated with the extensive fish weirs The area was lightly settled afterwards occasionally being seized by the Ottoman Turks in 1655 and 1718 before being recaptured by the Venetians Its fisheries were a vital contributor to the supply of Corfu and olive growing together with cattle and timber were the principal economic activities 41 The Treaty of Campo Formio of 1797 split between France and Austria the territory of the Republic of Venice which France had just occupied and abolished and under article 5 of the treaty Butrinto and the other former Venetian enclaves in Albania came under French sovereignty 42 However in 1799 the local Ottoman Albanian ruler Ali Pasha Tepelena conquered it and after his death it officially became a part of the Ottoman Empire until Albania gained its independence in 1912 By that time the site of the original city had been unoccupied for centuries and was surrounded by malarial marshes During Ottoman rule in Epirus the inhabitants of Butrint displayed continuous support for Greek revolutionary activities 43 Modern Albania edit In 1913 after the end of the First Balkan War Butrint was ceded to Greece but Italy challenged the decision and in the Treaty of London the region was given to the newly created Albania As such Butrint was located near the southern border of the newly established Albanian state in a largely Greek speaking territory 44 The local Greek population was enraged and created an Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus for six months before it was reluctantly ceded to Albania with peace assured by Italian peacekeeping force until 1919 45 Italy rejected the decision because it didn t want Greece to control both sides of the Straits of Corfu 46 Ecclesiastical history editResidential bishopric edit nbsp Remains of the Grand BasilicaIn the early 6th century Buthrotum became the seat of a bishopric and new construction included the Buthrotum baptistery one of the largest such paleochristian buildings of its type and a basilica The diocese of Buthrotum was initially a suffragan of the Metropolis of Nicopolis the metropolitan capital of Epirus Vetus and in the papal sway but in the 9th and 10th centuries it is listed with the suffragans of Naupaktos which succeeded ruined Nicopolis as provincial capital and metropolis of the new Byzantine theme of Nicopolis 47 bringing it in the sway of the Byzantine Patriarchate of Constantinople After the 14th century it was under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Ioannina Two of its Byzantine pre Eastern Schism bishops are mentioned in extant documents Stephanus signed the joint letter of the bishops of Epirus Vetus to Emperor Leo I the Thracian in the aftermath of the killing of Patriarch Proterius of Alexandria in 458 Matthaeus signed the synodal letter of the bishops of the province to Pope Hormisdas in 516 concerning the ordination of Metropolitan John of Nicopolis 48 49 50 It became a Latin Church see under Angevin and Venetian rule Latin residential bishopric edit A Latin see was established circa 1250 under the Italian name Butrinto functioning under Angevin and Venetian rule but suppressed circa 1400 The 6th century basilica was rebuilt by king Charles I of Naples in 1267 nbsp Butrint theatre on the reverse of a 2012 2000 Leke banknoteKnown Latin bishopsNicola O P 1311 02 15 Nicola O P 1311 05 23 Nicola da Offida O F M 1349 06 15 Francesco Arnaldo Simone 1355 02 13 Giacomo O P 1356 10 12 Lazzarino O F M 1366 02 09 Catholic titular see edit Buthrotum is today listed by the Catholic Church as a Latin titular see 51 since the diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as titular bishopric of Buthrotum Latin Butrinto Curiate Italian Butrint Albanian Following titular bishops have been nominated Louis Bertrand Tirilly SS CC 1953 11 16 1966 06 21 as last Apostolic Vicar of Marquesas Islands George Frendo 7 7 2006 17 11 2016 O P Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Tirane Durres Albania 7 7 2006 17 11 2016 also Secretary General of Episcopal Conference of Albania 2016 05 05 Friar Giovanni Salonia O F M Cap 10 2 2017 resigned 27 4 2017 as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Palermo Zdenek Wasserbauer 16 6 1965 Auxiliary Bishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague since 19 5 2018Archaeological excavations edit nbsp Statue of a Roman soldier found in ButhrotumThe first modern archaeological excavations began in 1928 when the Fascist government of Benito Mussolini s Italy sent an expedition to Butrint The aim was geopolitical rather than scientific aiming to extend Italian hegemony in the area The leader was an Italian archaeologist Luigi Maria Ugolini who despite the political aims of his mission was a good archaeologist Ugolini died in 1936 but the excavations continued until 1943 and the Second World War They uncovered the Hellenistic and Roman part of the city including the Lion Gate and the Scaean Gate named by Ugolini for the famous gate at Troy mentioned in the Homeric Iliad After the communist government of Enver Hoxha took Albania over in 1944 foreign archaeological missions were banned Albanian archaeologists including Hasan Ceka continued the work Nikita Khrushchev visited the ruins in 1959 and suggested that Hoxha should turn the area into a submarine base The Albanian Institute of Archaeology began larger scale excavations in the 1970s Since 1993 further major excavations have taken place led by the Butrint Foundation in collaboration with the Albanian Institute of Archaeology Recent excavations in the western defences of the city have revealed evidence of the continued use of the walls implying the continuation of life in the town The walls themselves certainly seem to have burnt down in the 9th century but were subsequently repaired After the collapse of the communist regime in 1992 the new democratic government planned various major developments at the site The same year remains of Butrint were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites A major political and economic crisis in 1997 and lobbying stopped the airport plan and UNESCO placed it on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of looting lack of protection management and conservation Archaeological missions during 1994 9 uncovered further Roman villas and an early Christian church 27 In 2004 52 archaeological excavations continued under principal investigator David R Hernandez 53 Climate change means that the site especially the area of the ancient theatre and Roman forum can sometimes be covered with water and a new management plan for both the cultural and natural assets has been implemented 54 Directions editThe site of Butrint is accessible from Sarande along a road first built in 1959 for a visit by the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev This road was upgraded during the summer of 2010 The construction was somewhat of an environmental disaster and may yet threaten Butrint s World Heritage Site status The ancient city is becoming a popular tourist destination attracting day trippers from the nearby Greek holiday island of Corfu Hydrofoils 30 minutes and ferries 90 minutes run daily between the New Port in Corfu Town and Saranda Many visitors from Corfu use chartered coach services to visit Butrint from Sarande and additionally a regular public bus service runs between Sarande port and Butrint Others arrive from the Qafe Bote border crossing with Greece near Konispol and cross the Vivari Channel by the cable ferry at Butrint Gallery edit nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Notable locals editSaint Therinus 3rd century saint Donatus of Euroea 4th century saintSee also editVenetian Acropolis Castle Venetian Triangular Castle Lake Butrint Channel of Vivari Butrint National Park List of Catholic dioceses in Albania List of cities in ancient Epirus Excavations of the Roman Forum at ButrintReferences edit Butrint Ramsar Sites Information Service Retrieved 25 April 2018 Stephanus of Byzantium Ethnica O709 1 Borza Eugene N 1992 In the Shadow of Olympus the Emergence of Macedon Revised ed Princeton New Jersey Princeton University Press Speakers of these various Greek dialects settled different parts of Greece at different times during the Middle Bronze Age with one group the northwest Greeks developing their own dialect and peopling central Epirus This was the origin of the Molossian or Epirotic tribes a proper dialect of Greek like the dialects spoken by Dorians and Molossians The western mountains were peopled by the Molossians the western Greeks of Epirus Crew P Mack 1982 The Cambridge Ancient History The Expansion of the Greek World Eighth to Sixth Centuries BC Part 3 Volume 3 Second ed Cambridge UK Cambridge University Press That the Molossians spoke Illyrian or another barbaric tongue was nowhere suggested although Aeschylus and Pindar wrote of Molossian lands That they in fact spoke greek was implied by Herodotus inclusion of Molossi among the Greek colonists of Asia Minor but became demonstrable only when D Evangelides published two long inscriptions of the Molossian State set up p 369 BC at Dodona in Greek and with Greek names Greek patronymies and Greek tribal names such as Celaethi Omphales Tripolitae Triphylae etc As the Molossian cluster of tribes in the time of Hecataeus included the Orestae Pelagones Lyncestae Tymphaei and Elimeotae as we have argued above we may be confident that they too were Greek speaking Hammond NGL 1994 Philip of Macedon London UK Duckworth Epirus was a land of milk and animal products The social unit was a small tribe consisting of several nomadic or semi nomadic groups and these tribes of which more than seventy names are known coalesced into large tribal coalitions three in number Thesprotians Molossians and Chaonians We know from the discovery of inscriptions that these tribes were speaking the Greek language in a West Greek dialect UNESCO Butrint whc unesco org Per Shpalljen Park Kombetar Ne Mbrojtje Te Shtetit Te Zones Arkeologjike Te Butrintit PDF imk gov al in Albanian Archived from the original PDF on 2017 10 27 Retrieved 2018 02 14 Ceka Neritan transl Pranvera Xhelo 2002 Buthrotum Its History amp Monuments Tirana Cetis Tirana p 19 ISBN 978 99927 801 2 1 The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3 Part 3 The Expansion of the Greek World Eighth to Sixth Centuries BC p 269 Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 23447 4 1982 David R Hernandez Bouthrotos Butrint in the Archaic and Classical Periods The Acropolis and Temple of Athena Polias Hesperia The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens Vol 86 No 2 April June 2017 p 205 Cabanes P 1997 The Growth of the Cities Epirus 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization Ekdotike Athenōn 92 ISBN 9789602133712 Lower Chaonia utilized the port of Onchesmos modern Hagioi Saranta and Bouthrotos Strabo The Geography Book VII Chapter 7 5 LacusCurtius a b Boardman John 1994 The Cambridge Ancient History The fourth century B C Cambridge University Press p 437 ISBN 9780521233484 The north west Greeks occupied a large area extending in the west from the Gulf of Ambracia to the Gulf of Oricum The main groups from south to north were called Thesproti Athamanes Molossi Atintanes Chaones Parauaei a b Ioanna Andreou 1997 Urban Organization Epirus 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization Ekdotike Athenōn 100 ISBN 9789602133712 Bouthrotos which is situated on a hill on the bank of the lake of the same name was laid out in the fifth century around an acropolis dating from the seventh century B C The walled area at the highest part of the hill measuring 600x150 m was The agora with its stoas theatre etc was organised in a separate also fortified area Hammond N G L 1997 The Tribal Systems of Epirus and Neighbouring Areas down to 400 B C Epirus 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization 56 ISBN 9789602133712 The early years of the Second Peloponnesian War fortification wall in Epirus and it is evident that Bouthrotos an independent city in the time of Hekataios was made subject to Kerkyra Ceka p22 Stillwell Richard 2017 The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites Princeton University Press p 175 ISBN 9781400886586 Freeth Tony Bitsakis Yanis Moussas Xenophon Seiradakis John H Tselikas A Mangou H Zafeiropoulou M Hadland R et al 30 November 2006 Decoding the ancient Greek astronomical calculator known as the Antikythera Mechanism PDF Nature 444 Supplement 7119 587 91 Bibcode 2006Natur 444 587F doi 10 1038 nature05357 PMID 17136087 Retrieved 20 May 2014 Freeth Tony Jones Alexander 2012 The Cosmos in the Antikythera Mechanism Institute for the Study of the Ancient World Retrieved 19 May 2014 Pierre Cabanes Nouvelles inscriptions d Albanie Meridionale Bouthrotos et Apollonia Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik Bd 63 1986 pp 137 155 Winnifrith Tom 2002 Badlands Borderlands A History of Northern Epirus Southern Albania Duckworth p 70 ISBN 978 0 7156 3201 7 manumission inscriptions at Butrint where the names of slaves manumitted are almost all Greek confirm this family members The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge C Knight 1836 Cabanes P 1997 From Alexander Molossus to Pyrrhus Political Developments Epirus 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization Ekdotike Athenōn 122 ISBN 9789602133712 The list of thearodokoi of Delphi in the middle of the second century34 confirms that at this period Bouthrotos was the centre of an independent state which was visited by the theoroi Andrew M Burnett Michel Amandry Pere Pau Ripolles Roman provincial coinage Volume I From the death of Caesar to the death of Vitellius 44 BC AD 69 London Paris 1992 n 1394 2 Hodges Richard Bowden William Lako Kosta Richard Andrews 2004 Byzantine Butrint excavations and surveys 1994 1999 Oxbow Books p 54 ISBN 978 1 84217 158 5 Retrieved 8 January 2011 Cabanes P 1997 From Alexander Molossus to Pyrrhus Political Developments Epirus 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization Ekdotike Athenōn 126 ISBN 9789602133712 At Bouthrotos it is enough to compare the theatre built of grey poros with all the Roman structures surrounding it the skene and the neighbouring buildings the new sanctuary of Asklepios and the areas next to it a b Hodges Richard Bowden William Lako Kosta Richard Andrews 2004 Byzantine Butrint excavations and surveys 1994 1999 Oxbow Books p 54 ISBN 978 1 84217 158 5 Retrieved 8 January 2011 Chrysos E 1997 The Foundation of the Themes of Kephallenia Dyrrachion and Nikopolis Epirus 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization 188 ISBN 9789602133712 The foundation of the theme of Nikopolis also marked the end of the transitional period associated with the Slavic invasions and settlements only two of the old cities have survived Hadrianoupolis and Bouthrotos for which we possess exiguous but sufficient evidence of continuity and survival Richard Hodges 2008 Rise and Fall of Byzantine Butrint Butrint Foundation p 19 a b c Decker Michael J 25 February 2016 The Byzantine Dark Ages Bloomsbury Publishing p 57 ISBN 978 1 4725 3605 1 Giakoumes Geōrgios K Vlassas Gregores Hardy David A 1996 Monuments of Orthodoxy in Albania Doukas School p 96 ISBN 9789607203090 Pratt Suzanna 2013 The impact of heritage management on local communities in the hinterland of Butrint National Park southern Albania Thesis p 17 Retrieved 25 August 2019 Hodges Richard Bowden William Lako Kosta 28 February 2020 Byzantine Butrint Excavations and Surveys 1994 99 Oxbow Books p 69 ISBN 978 1 78570 870 1 Prinzing G 1997 Political Social and Economic Developments Epirus 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization Ekdotike Athenōn 194 ISBN 9789602133712 Hansen Inge Lyse Hodges Richard Leppard Sarah 2013 Butrint 4 The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town Oxbow Books p 277 ISBN 9781782971023 a b c Lala Etleva 2008 Regnum Albaniae Pages 37 38 Nikephoros I Angelos 1271 1296 The relations between the despot of Epiros and the king of the Regnum Albaniae varied at different times but mostly they were cordial because they had a common enemy in Michael VIII The relationship which developed between them is rather astonishing considering the fact that Charles was a favored vassal of the papacy while Nikephoros was Orthodox a staunch opponent of the union of the churches and thus an enemy of papal plans in the Byzantine lands He even used the chance to fight Michael openly when Byzantine troops entered Butrint 1274 which Despot Nikephoros considered to be his own Nikephoros was able to retake Butrint from the Byzantines only in 1278 and pressed by Charles he was forced to make a formal vassal submission to him yielding to the latter the newly recovered town as well as the port of Sopot By recognizing Charles right to all the towns that Michael II had awarded to Manfred of Hohenstaufen as the dowry of Helen Nikephoros also surrendered the port of Himara to the Anjous As a result Charles acquired possession of the Adriatic coast from the Acroceraunian promontory below the Bay of Vlora down to Butrinti a b Hodges Richard Bowden William Lako Kosta 28 February 2020 Byzantine Butrint Excavations and Surveys 1994 99 Oxbow Books p 86 ISBN 978 1 78570 870 1 a b Lala Etleva 2008 Regnum Albaniae Page 147 Kazhdan Alexander ed 1991 The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium Oxford and New York Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 504652 6 a href Template Cite encyclopedia html title Template Cite encyclopedia cite encyclopedia a Missing or empty title help Hansen Inge Lyse Hodges Richard Leppard Sarah 2013 Butrint 4 The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town Oxbow Books p 16 ISBN 9781782971023 The episodic investment in defending Butrint as a town in the 13th and 14th centuries shows it still possessed an active urban population Paradoxically not one urban dwelling has yet been identified These we may surmise were concentrated on the slopes of the northern citadel and perhaps on the steep south facing lower slopes of the acropolis In all probability the town had been dwindling in size sine the tumultuous unrest in the region during the later 14th century Moving the bishopric to Glyki in 1337 38 however removed a powerful urban institution and with increasing Ottoman pressure to capture the important fishing here During his short career as an ensign in a Venetian regiment 20 year old Casanova spent 3 days on Butrinto guarding galley slaves cutting and loading timber on 4 galleys He mentions the objective of this once a year routine was mainly to show the flag and safeguard Venice s rights to that nearly deserted outpost Giacomo Casanova Histoire de ma vie Librairie Plon Paris vol II chap V p 198 199 Treaty of Campo Formio 1797 Retrieved 8 June 2016 Fleming K E 14 July 2014 The Muslim Bonaparte Diplomacy and Orientalism in Ali Pasha s Greece Princeton University Press pp 70 71 ISBN 978 1 4008 6497 3 Parga Vonitza Preveza and Butrinto In 1401 the peoples of Parga had established the precedent of colluding with Venice by placing themselves voluntarily under Venetian protection thus staying the advance of the Ottomans These territories came to be known for their staunch support of the Greek revolutionary cause and Parga colluded with the independent Orthodox peoples of Souli in their chronic battles with Ali Pasha Hansen Inge Lyse Hodges Richard Leppard Sarah 2013 Butrint 4 The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town Oxbow Books p 1 ISBN 978 1 84217 462 3 First it was isolated in a no mans land on the southern border of the new republic of Albania in a largely Greek speaking territory Hodges Richard November 2016 The Archaeology of Mediterranean Placemaking Butrint and the Global Heritage Industry Bloomsbury Academic p 23 ISBN 978 1350006621 Lyse Hansen Inge Hodges Richard Leppard Sarah January 2013 Butrint 4 The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town Oxbow Books pp 2 309 ISBN 978 1842174623 Heinrich Gelzer Ungedruckte und ungenugend veroffentlichte Texte der Notitiae episcopatuum in Abhandlungen der philosophisch historische classe der Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften 1901 p 557 nº 564 Pius Bonifacius Gams Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae Leipzig 1931 p 430 Michel Lequien Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus Paris 1740 Vol II coll 139 142 Konrad Eubel Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi vol 1 Archived 2019 07 09 at the Wayback Machine p 143 Annuario Pontificio 2013 Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978 88 209 9070 1 p 855 Dame Marketing Communications Web University of Notre David Hernandez Department of Classics University of Notre Dame Department of Classics Retrieved 2020 09 20 Hernandez David R 2017 Bouthrotos Butrint in the Archaic and Classical Periods The Acropolis and Temple of Athena Polias Hesperia The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens 86 2 205 271 doi 10 2972 hesperia 86 2 0205 ISSN 0018 098X JSTOR 10 2972 hesperia 86 2 0205 S2CID 164963550 Miziri Ela Meshini Mariglen Zoto Rudina 2023 Butrint National Park Integrated Management Plan Combining Natural Park with Cultural Heritage Internet Archaeology 62 doi 10 11141 ia 62 2 Sources and external links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Butrint GCatholic with incumbent bio links nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Butrint nbsp Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article Butrinto nbsp Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article Buthrotum General information edit Butrint National Park The Butrint Foundation Butrinti 2000 International Festival of Theater Photo Albums Visiting Butrint Butrint in AlbaniaHistory articles edit More information on Butrint from The History Channel Rome and Albanian history from Albania com Albania s Long lost Roman City BBC In Pictures Sights of Butrint BBC 176 photos from the archeological site of Butrint Coins from Butrint Numismatic research on archaeological excavation The British MuseumFurther reading editCeka N Butrint A guide to the city and its monuments Migjeni Books Tirana 2005 Crowson A Butrint from the Air in Current World Archaeology 14 2006 Hansen Inge Lyse and Richard Hodges eds Roman Butrint An Assessment Oxford Oxbow Books 2007 Hodges R Bowden W Lako K 2004 Byzantine Butrint Excavations and Surveys 1994 99 PDF Oxford Oxbow Books Richard Hodges and Matthew Logue The Mid Byzantine Re Birth of Butrint Minerva 18 3 May June 2007 41 43 A M Liberati L Miraj I Pojani F Sear J Wilkes and B Polci ed by O J Gilkes The Theatre at Butrint Luigi Maria Ugolini s Excavations at Butrint 1928 1932 Albania Antica IV Supplementary volume no 35 Published by the British School at Athens 2003 Jarrett A Lobell Ages of Albania Archeology magazine March April 2006 Ugolini L M Butrinto il Mito D Enea gli Scavi Rome Istituto Grefico Tiberino 1937 reprint Tirana Istituto Italiano di Cultura 1999 Portals nbsp Architecture nbsp History nbsp Society Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Butrint amp oldid 1210570931 Ecclesiastical history, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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