fbpx
Wikipedia

Lezhë

January 05, 2023

This article is about the city in Albania. For other uses, see Lezhë (disambiguation).

Lezhë[a] (Albanian: [ˈlɛˈʒə], definite Albanian form: Lezha) is a city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Lezhë County and Lezhë Municipality.

Lezhë
Municipality
Photomontage of Lezhë
Emblem
Lezhë
Coordinates: 41°46′55″N 19°38′40″E / 41.78194°N 19.64444°E / 41.78194; 19.64444Coordinates: 41°46′55″N 19°38′40″E / 41.78194°N 19.64444°E / 41.78194; 19.64444
Country Albania
CountyLezhë
Settled4th century BC
Government
 • MayorPjerin Ndreu[1] (PS)
Area
 • Municipality509.1 km2 (196.6 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Municipality
65,633
 • Municipality density130/km2 (330/sq mi)
 • Municipal unit
15,510
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal Code
4500
Area Code(0)215
Websitelezha.gov.al

One of the main strongholds of the Labeatai,[2] the earliest of the fortification walls of Lezhë are of typical Illyrian construction and are dated to the late 4th century BC.[3] Lezhë was one of the main centres of the Illyrian kingdom.[4] During the conflicts with Macedon, it was captured by Philip V becoming the Macedonian outlet to the Adriatic Sea.[5] The city was later recovered by the Illyrians. It was subjected to Rome after the Roman-Illyrian wars and the fall of Gentius' realm.[4] Lezhë was the site of the League of Lezhë where Skanderbeg united the Albanian lords in the fight against the Ottoman Empire.

Name

The city is mentioned in ancient sources as Lissós (Ancient Greek: Λισσός) and Lissus (Latin: Lissus, Lissum).[6] It is also attested in numismatic material. The ethnicon ΛΙΣΣΙΤΑΝ /LISSITAN/ is found on coin inscriptions of the Hellenistic era. It is considered a Greek toponym, deriving from the Greek λισσός /lissós/, meaning 'smooth, smooth rock, gruff'.[7]

The ancient name Lissus evolved into its modern form Lezhë (archaic: Lesh[6]) through Albanian sound changes.[8] In Turkish, the town is known as Leş or Eşim and in Italian as Alessio. Lezhë is also known as Alise, Alexiensis, Eschenderari, or Mrtav.[9]

History

Early history

 
The Iron Age fortification was built on the Mal i Shëlbuemit (413 m high, right), called later Acrolissus; the proper city of Lissus was built on an adjacent hill (172 m high, left).[10]

From the early Mycenaean period (1600-1450 BC) a free exchange pattern is confirmed with the centres of Mycenaean Greece as seen by various swords (C and D type) unearthed in Lezhë.[11] The earliest human constructions have an Illyrian character and appear on the site from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.[12] The settlement with its fortifications was built on a 413-metre-high mountain, the Mal i Shëlbuemit, from at least the 8th century BC,[13] and was located near the mouth of the Drin river.[14]

 
Lezha castle on the 172 m hill.
 
Ruins of Hellenistic fortification walls built during the Illyrian urban period.

In antiquity the area was described as the territory of the Illyrii tribe (the "Illyrians proper"; Ancient Greek: Ἰλλυριοί, Illyrioi; Latin: Illyrii or Illyrii propriae dicti).[15]

Diodorus ("Library", 15.1, c. 1st century BC) mentions that Dionysius of Syracuse founded a "city called Lissos" in the year 385 BC,[16] as part of a strategy by Dionysius to secure Syracusan trade routes along the Adriatic.[17] Diodorus calls it a polis.[18] It has been suggested that the Syracusan colony mentioned by Diodorus was in fact more likely established at Issa near the island of Pharos, not at Lissus (modern Lezhë) which was too distant for the events described by the ancient historian. Meanwhile, Issa is known from other evidence to be a Syracusan foundation.[19][20][21] Pierre Cabanes notes that there is nothing to connect Lissos with Syracuse except Diodorus' account, and even if Diodorus' account is accepted as accurate, it is very likely that this colony had a short life.[19]

The earliest of the fortification walls of the proto-urban settlement are of typical Illyrian construction and are dated to the late 4th century BC.[22] The transition from the Iron Age fortification of Acrolissus (on the 413 m Shëlbuem mountain) to the proper Illyrian city of Lissus was continuous. The city was built on a lower hill (172 m) near the Iron Age fortification.[10] It was surrounded by ramparts that faced the low valley of the Drin river and the sea coast. Its function was to guard the route inland, to ensure defense against possible attacks from the sea, and to furnish a secure anchorage for the Illyrian ships.[14]

By the 3rd century BC, Lissus was one of the main cities of the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaean and Labeatan dynasties.[4] In the 228 BC peace treaty with Rome, the Illyrian queen Teuta promised not to sail south of Lissus at the mouth of the Drin river with more than two lembi (Illyrian light ships), even those had to be unarmed.[23] But when Rome was engaged in a war against the Celtic peoples of the Po Valley in northern Italy about the years 225–222 BC, Illyrian commander Demetrius detached the Atintani tribe from their alliance with Rome. Moreover, he sailed south of Lissus and engaged in piracy in violation of the 228 BC peace treaty. In the summer of 221 BC, tensions in Greece increased as Macedonia allied with the Achaean League against the Aetolian League, and the Illyrians attacked in their typical manner. Demetrius and Scerdilaidas sailed with 90 lembi south of Lissus. When they failed an assault on Pylos (western Peloponnese), they separated their fleets and Scerdilaidas returned north with 40 ships, while Demetrius plundered the Cyclades with 50 ships.[24]

In Roman times Lissus was located in a territory inhabited by the Labeatae, however ancient sources never relate it with this tribe. Taking in account archaeological and historical considerations, the city of Lissus should have been founded in a Labeatan context, but perhaps by the time of Teuta's fall in the end of the 3rd century BC, on a Greek model it was organized as a polis turning away from its ethnic context.[25] The dissociation from the ethnic to the polis coincided with Philip V of Macedon's conquest of a number of cities in Illyria.[26] In 211 BC, Philip V captured Acrolissus, the citadel of Lissus, and Lissos surrendered to him,[27] becoming the Macedonian outlet to the Adriatic Sea.[19] The town was later recovered by the Illyrians. It was in Lissus that Perseus of Macedon negotiated an alliance against Rome with the Illyrian king Gentius, and it was from Lissus that Gentius organized his army against the Romans. Lissus maintained a large degree of municipal autonomy under both Macedonian and Illyrian rule, as evidenced by the coins minted there.[28] During the reign of Gentius in the first half of the 2nd century BC, Lissus minted coins for the Illyrian ruler.[29] The city was of some importance in the Roman Civil War, being taken by Marc Antony [30] and then remaining loyal to Caesar. In Roman times, the city was part of the province of Epirus Nova,[31]

Middle ages

 
The grave of Skanderbeg and Lezhë Castle on its hill. The structure was the former Selimie Mosque.

During the reign of Justinian I (527-565) the local fortress was possibly mentioned as Alistion in the Synecdemus of Hierocles.[32] At early 590s Lissus was captured by Slavic populations.[33] Byzantine control was re-established during the early 9th century.[34]

Albanian lord Vladislav Jonima of the Jonima family was acknowledged by the Pope as a ruler of a territory around Lezhë in 1319. He had the title of Count of Dioclea and of the seaside Albania.[35] At the end of the 14th century, Albanian lord Dhimitër Jonima was lord of a territory between Mat and Lezhë.[36]

In the Middle Ages, Lezha (known in Italian as Alessio) frequently changed masters until the Venetians took possession of it in 1386. It still belonged to them when Skanderbeg died, but In 1478 it fell into the hands of Turks during the siege of Shkodra, except for a short period (1501–1506) when it returned to Venetian domination.[9] Because it was under the Venetian control, it was chosen in 1444 by Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg as a neutral place for the convention of Albanian nobles and lords of the area aiming at organizing their common defence against the Turks.[37]

Lezha was the site of the League of Lezhë where Skanderbeg united the Albanian princes in the fight against the Ottoman Empire.

Skanderbeg was buried in the cathedral of Lezhë which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas and later used as Selimie Mosque.

Contemporary

Today Lezhë is a growing city. Its proximity to the port of Shëngjin as well as its location on the national road between the Montenegrin border to the North and Tirana to the South makes it an attractive location for industry and business.

Majority of the people from Lezhë descend from the Zadrima, Mirdita and Malësia/Malësi e madhe regions of northwestern Albania. The people from Zadrima and Mirdita are native to Lezhë and the surrounding area. The Malësor clans from Malësia, such as Kelmendi, Shkreli, and Kastrati had settled Lezhë and surrounding areas around 100–300 years ago. In terms of religion, Lezha has a Catholic majority (70-80%) and a Muslim minority (30-20%).

Geography

 
View over Lezhë and the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast in the distance.

Lezhë Municipality lies within Lezhë County as part of the Northern Region of Albania and consists of the adjacent administrative units of Balldren, Blinisht, Dajç, Kallmet, Kolsh, Shëngjin, Shënkoll, Ungrej, Zejmen with Lezhë constituting the municipal seat.[38][39][40] The municipality spans between the Plain of Zadrima in the north, the Pukë-Mirditë Highlands in the east, the mouth of the Mat River in the south and the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast in the west.[41] It covers 509.1 km2.[38][42]

Climate

As of the Köppen climate classification, Lezhë falls under the periphery of the hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) zone with an average annual temperature of 14.6 °C (58.3 °F).[43]

Infrastructure

There are urban buses throughout the city and international and national buses. Lezhe has a train station not far from the center. The line starts in Durrës and ends in Shkodër. It is functional but not frequently.

The main highway in Lezhe is SH 1, connecting it with Shkodër to the north and the Durrës-Kukës Highway (A1, intersection at Milot) to the south. The SH32 connects Lezhe with Shëngjin on the coast.

Demography

The population of the municipality of Lezhë at the 2011 census was 65,633,[b] of which 15,510 in the city proper.[44]

Culture

The association football club is KS Besëlidhja Lezhë. Although primarily concerned with football, KS Besëlidhja also participates in sports such as wrestling and beach volleyball.

From 2004 an excavation started around the ancient Acropolis of Lissos and the Skanderbeg Memorial, which revealed Hellenistic, Roman and Early Byzantine buildings, tombs and other findings.[45]

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The city of Lezhë is historically known as Lissos, Lissus or Lissum.
  2. ^ The population of the municipality results from the sum of the administrative units in the former as of the 2011 Albanian census.[38]

References

  1. ^ "Kryetari i Bashkisë" (in Albanian). Bashkia Lezhë. from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  2. ^ Waterfield 2014, p. 49.
  3. ^ Stylianou 1998, p. 194.
  4. ^ a b c Shehi 2015, p. 34.
  5. ^ Cabanes 2008, p. 177; Shehi 2015, p. 34
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot 1934, p. 915: "Lissus".
  7. ^ Lippert & Matzinger 2021, p. 132.
  8. ^ Katičić 1976, p. 186.
  9. ^ a b Catholic Encyclopedia, article "Alessio (Lissus, Alexiensis)"
  10. ^ a b Shpuza 2014, p. 118; Shehi 2015, p. 34
  11. ^ Bejko, Lorenc (2002). "Mycenaean Presence and Influence in Albania". Greek Influence Along the East Adriatic Coast. Kniževni Krug: 12. ISBN 9789531631549. Retrieved 4 April 2020. The variety of C and D type swords reported from central and northern Albania (Mat river valley, Lezhë, Shkodër), and their provenience from burial contexts, confirm the free exchange pattern with the Mycenaean centers of this part of the country, as in the early Mycenaean period.
  12. ^ Shpuza 2014, pp. 106, 116, 118: "All the sites described above are situated in the Lowlands of Shkodra, in small hills, which create a protection system of all the area. A similar fortification can be found also at Akrolissos, [...] The chronological framework for the dating of such fortifications is the Final Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age."
  13. ^ Elsie 2010, p. 272.
  14. ^ a b Wilkes 1992, p. 135; Cabanes 2008, p. 177
  15. ^ Matijašić 2011, p. 299; Boardman & Sollberger 1982, pp. 628–629
  16. ^ Wilkes & Fischer-Hansen 2004, p. 325: "In 385 Dionysios of Syracuse assisted the Parians to establish a settlement on Pharos, having already sent a colony to the Adriatic and founded “a city called Lissos” (no. 82) (Diod. 15.13.4)." p.332: "Lissos was founded shortly before 385 by Dionysios I [...] on the steep slope of a hill, modern Lezha [...] a site already occupied by Illyrian settlers."
  17. ^ Evans, A., Destani, B., Ancient Illyria, an archeological exploration. IB Tauris, 2007. p. 276.
  18. ^ Wilkes & Fischer-Hansen 2004, p. 332.
  19. ^ a b c Cabanes 2008, p. 177.
  20. ^ Wilkes 1992, p. 115: "It has been proposed that it was this place [Issa] and not Lissus far to the south at the mouth of the Drin from which help came to the Greeks on Pharos, since Issa lies only 25 miles away."
  21. ^ Wilkes & Fischer-Hansen 2004, p. 325: "The place from which Dionysios’ fleet came could be the later Illyrian fortress of Lissos (Lezhe) at the mouth of the river Drin in northern Albania, which has an impressive circuit of late Hellenistic masonry fortifications, but is more likely to be in fact the other Greek colony in the area, Issa (Vis) on the island of the same name and known from other evidence to be a Syracusan foundation."
  22. ^ Wilkes 1992, p. 135; Cabanes 2008, p. 177; Stylianou 1998, p. 194; Shehi 2015, p. 34
  23. ^ Wilkes 1992, pp. 161–162; Errington 1989, pp. 89–90
  24. ^ Wilkes 1992, pp. 162–163; Errington 1989, pp. 91–92
  25. ^ Papadopoulos 2016, p. 382.
  26. ^ Shpuza 2017, p. 43.
  27. ^ Polybius 8.13-14
  28. ^ Arthur Evans (2007). Ancient Illyria: An Archaeological Exploration. I.B.Tauris. p. 276. ISBN 9781845111670.
  29. ^ Shpuza 2014, p. 122.
  30. ^ Plutarch (1920). Life of Antony. Loeb Classical Edition. p. 7.4.
  31. ^ Epirus Vetus: The Archaeology of a Late Antique Province (Duckworth Archaeology) by William Bowden, 2003, ISBN 0-7156-3116-0,2003, page 233, of Lissus in Epirus Nova
  32. ^ Winnifrith, Tom (2002). Badlands, Borderlands: A History of Northern Epirus/Southern Albania. Duckworth. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-7156-3201-7. Also for Justinian's reign there survives a catalogue of towns in the Empire, the Synecdemus of Hierocles." "In Epirus Nova we find Apollonia, Byllis, Amantia, Pulcheropolis (Berat), Aulon (Vlore), Lychnidus (Ohrid) and the unknown Alistion, possible the modern Lezhe, and Skepton
  33. ^ Pohl, Walter (2018). The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822. Cornell University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-5017-2940-9.
  34. ^ Curta, Florin (2019). Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages (500-1300) (2 vols). BRILL. p. 308. ISBN 978-90-04-39519-0. The fortress in Lezhe farther to the north along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, was reoccupied in the early 9th century
  35. ^ Schmitt, Oliver Jens (2001), Das venezianische Albanien (1392-1479), München: R. Oldenbourg Verlag GmbH München, p. 87, ISBN 3-486-56569--9, Vladislav Jonima, als Zupan, später als „Graf von Dioclea und Küstenalbanien"
  36. ^ Anamali, Skënder; Prifti (2002) (in Albanian). Historia e popullit shqiptar në katër vëllime. Botimet Toena. ISBN 99927-1-622-3 p. 267
  37. ^ Schmitt Jens O.(2009) Skanderbeg, Der neue Alexander auf dem Balkan, Verlag Friedrich Pustet, pp. 55,56
  38. ^ a b c "Pasaporta e Bashkisë Lezhë" (in Albanian). Porta Vendore. from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  39. ^ (PDF). Instituti i Statistikës (INSTAT). May 2014. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  40. ^ "Law nr. 115/2014" (PDF) (in Albanian). pp. 6373–6374. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  41. ^ (PDF) (in Albanian). Bashkia Lezhë. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  42. ^ "Bashkia Lezhë" (in Albanian). Albanian Association of Municipalities (AAM). from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  43. ^ "Climate: Lezhë". Climate-Data. from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  44. ^ Nurja, Ines. "Censusi i popullsisë dhe banesave/ Population and Housing Census–Lezhë (2011)" (PDF). Tirana: Institute of Statistics (INSTAT). p. 84. (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  45. ^ Karl-Franzens Universitat, Lissus excavation report 2004. 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography

  • Beekes, Robert S. P. (2009). Beek, Lucien van (ed.). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-32186-1.
  • Boardman, John; Sollberger, E. (1982). J. Boardman; I. E. S. Edwards; N. G. L. Hammond; E. Sollberger (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History: The Prehistory of the Balkans; and the Middle East and the Aegean world, tenth to eighth centuries B.C. Vol. III (part 1) (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521224969.
  • Errington, R. M. (1989). "Rome and Greece to 250 B.C.". In A. E. Astin; F. W. Walbank; M. W. Frederiksen; R. M. Ogilvie (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History: Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 B.C. Vol. VIII (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 81–106. ISBN 0-521-23448-4.
  • Eckstein, Arthur M. (2008). Rome Enters the Greek East: From Anarchy to Hierarchy in the Hellenistic Mediterranean, 230-170 B.C. Malden, MA.; Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
  • Elsie, Robert (2010). (PDF). Historical Dictionaries of Europe. Vol. 75 (2 ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 255. ISBN 978-0810861886. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2014.
  • Gaffiot, Félix (1934). Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français. Hachette.
  • Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière (1966). "The Kingdoms in Illyria circa 400-167 B.C.". The Annual of the British School at Athens. British School at Athens. 61: 239–253. doi:10.1017/S0068245400019043. JSTOR 30103175. S2CID 164155370.
  • Katičić, Radoslav (1976). Ancient Languages of the Balkans. Mouton. ISBN 978-9027933058.
  • Lippert, Andreas; Matzinger, Joachim (2021). Die Illyrer: Geschichte, Archäologie und Sprache. Kohlhammer Verlag. ISBN 9783170377103.
  • Matijašić, Ivan (2011). ""Shrieking like Illyrians": Historical geography and the Greek perspective of the Illyrian world in the 5th century BC". Arheološki Vestnik. 62: 289–316.
  • Papadopoulos, John (2016). "Komai, Colonies and Cities in Epirus and Southern Albania: The Failure of the Polis and the Rise of Urbanism on the Fringes of the Greek World". In Molloy, Barry P.C. (ed.). Of Odysseys and Oddities: Scales and Modes of Interaction Between Prehistoric Aegean Societies and their Neighbours. Oxbow Books. pp. 435–460. ISBN 978-1-78570-232-7.
  • Shehi, Eduard (2015). Terra sigillata en Illyrie méridionale et en Chaonie: importations et productions locales (IIe S. AV. J.-C. -IIe S. AP. J.-C.). Col·lecció Instrumenta (in French). Vol. 48. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Publicacions i Edicions. ISBN 978-84-475-4238-3.
  • Shpuza, Saimir (2014). Dyczek, Piotr (ed.). "Iron Age Fortifications and the Origin of the City in the Territory of Scodra". Novensia. Warszawa: Ośrodek Badań nad Antykiem Europy Południowo-Wschodniej. 25: 105–126. ISBN 978-83-934239-96. ISSN 0860-5777.
  • Shpuza, Saimir; Dyczek, Piotr (2015). "Scodra, de la capitale du Royaume Illyrien à la capitale de la province romaine". In Jean-Luc Lamboley; Luan Përzhita; Altin Skenderaj (eds.). L'Illyrie Méridionale et l'Épire dans l'Antiquité – VI (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Diffusion De Boccard. pp. 269–278. ISBN 978-9928-4517-1-2.
  • Shpuza, Saimir (2017). Dyczek, Piotr (ed.). "Scodra and the Labeates. Cities, rural fortifications and territorial defense in the Hellenistic period". Novensia. Warszawa: Ośrodek Badań nad Antykiem Europy Południowo-Wschodniej. 28: 41–64. ISBN 978-83-946222-5-1. ISSN 0860-5777.
  • Stylianou, P. J. (1998). A Historical Commentary on Diodorus Siculus, book 15. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-815239-6.
  • Cabanes, Pierre (2008). "Greek Colonisation in the Adriatic". In Tsetskhladze, Gocha R. (ed.). Greek Colonisation: An Account of Greek Colonies and Other Settlements Overseas. Vol. 2. Brill. pp. 155–186. ISBN 9789047442448.
  • Waterfield, Robin (2014). Taken at the Flood: The Roman Conquest of Greece. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-166414-4.
  • Wilkes, John J. (1992). The Illyrians. Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-19807-5.
  • Wilkes, J. J.; Fischer-Hansen, Tobias (2004). "The Adriatic". In Mogens Herman Hansen; Thomas Heine Nielsen (eds.). An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis. Oxford University Press. pp. 321–337. ISBN 0-19-814099-1.

External links

  • lezha.gov.al – Official Website (in Albanian)

January 05, 2023
lezhë, this, article, about, city, albania, other, uses, disambiguation, albanian, ˈlɛˈʒə, definite, albanian, form, lezha, city, republic, albania, seat, county, municipality, municipalityphotomontage, emblemcoordinates, 78194, 64444, 78194, 64444, coordinate. This article is about the city in Albania For other uses see Lezhe disambiguation Lezhe a Albanian ˈlɛˈʒe definite Albanian form Lezha is a city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Lezhe County and Lezhe Municipality LezheMunicipalityPhotomontage of LezheEmblemLezheCoordinates 41 46 55 N 19 38 40 E 41 78194 N 19 64444 E 41 78194 19 64444 Coordinates 41 46 55 N 19 38 40 E 41 78194 N 19 64444 E 41 78194 19 64444Country AlbaniaCountyLezheSettled4th century BCGovernment MayorPjerin Ndreu 1 PS Area Municipality509 1 km2 196 6 sq mi Population 2011 Municipality65 633 Municipality density130 km2 330 sq mi Municipal unit15 510Time zoneUTC 1 CET Summer DST UTC 2 CEST Postal Code4500Area Code 0 215Websitelezha gov alOne of the main strongholds of the Labeatai 2 the earliest of the fortification walls of Lezhe are of typical Illyrian construction and are dated to the late 4th century BC 3 Lezhe was one of the main centres of the Illyrian kingdom 4 During the conflicts with Macedon it was captured by Philip V becoming the Macedonian outlet to the Adriatic Sea 5 The city was later recovered by the Illyrians It was subjected to Rome after the Roman Illyrian wars and the fall of Gentius realm 4 Lezhe was the site of the League of Lezhe where Skanderbeg united the Albanian lords in the fight against the Ottoman Empire Contents 1 Name 2 History 2 1 Early history 2 2 Middle ages 2 3 Contemporary 3 Geography 3 1 Climate 3 2 Infrastructure 4 Demography 5 Culture 6 Notable people 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 External linksName EditThe city is mentioned in ancient sources as Lissos Ancient Greek Lissos and Lissus Latin Lissus Lissum 6 It is also attested in numismatic material The ethnicon LISSITAN LISSITAN is found on coin inscriptions of the Hellenistic era It is considered a Greek toponym deriving from the Greek lissos lissos meaning smooth smooth rock gruff 7 The ancient name Lissus evolved into its modern form Lezhe archaic Lesh 6 through Albanian sound changes 8 In Turkish the town is known as Les or Esim and in Italian as Alessio Lezhe is also known as Alise Alexiensis Eschenderari or Mrtav 9 History EditEarly history Edit The Iron Age fortification was built on the Mal i Shelbuemit 413 m high right called later Acrolissus the proper city of Lissus was built on an adjacent hill 172 m high left 10 From the early Mycenaean period 1600 1450 BC a free exchange pattern is confirmed with the centres of Mycenaean Greece as seen by various swords C and D type unearthed in Lezhe 11 The earliest human constructions have an Illyrian character and appear on the site from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age 12 The settlement with its fortifications was built on a 413 metre high mountain the Mal i Shelbuemit from at least the 8th century BC 13 and was located near the mouth of the Drin river 14 Lezha castle on the 172 m hill Ruins of Hellenistic fortification walls built during the Illyrian urban period In antiquity the area was described as the territory of the Illyrii tribe the Illyrians proper Ancient Greek Ἰllyrioi Illyrioi Latin Illyrii or Illyrii propriae dicti 15 Diodorus Library 15 1 c 1st century BC mentions that Dionysius of Syracuse founded a city called Lissos in the year 385 BC 16 as part of a strategy by Dionysius to secure Syracusan trade routes along the Adriatic 17 Diodorus calls it a polis 18 It has been suggested that the Syracusan colony mentioned by Diodorus was in fact more likely established at Issa near the island of Pharos not at Lissus modern Lezhe which was too distant for the events described by the ancient historian Meanwhile Issa is known from other evidence to be a Syracusan foundation 19 20 21 Pierre Cabanes notes that there is nothing to connect Lissos with Syracuse except Diodorus account and even if Diodorus account is accepted as accurate it is very likely that this colony had a short life 19 The earliest of the fortification walls of the proto urban settlement are of typical Illyrian construction and are dated to the late 4th century BC 22 The transition from the Iron Age fortification of Acrolissus on the 413 m Shelbuem mountain to the proper Illyrian city of Lissus was continuous The city was built on a lower hill 172 m near the Iron Age fortification 10 It was surrounded by ramparts that faced the low valley of the Drin river and the sea coast Its function was to guard the route inland to ensure defense against possible attacks from the sea and to furnish a secure anchorage for the Illyrian ships 14 By the 3rd century BC Lissus was one of the main cities of the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaean and Labeatan dynasties 4 In the 228 BC peace treaty with Rome the Illyrian queen Teuta promised not to sail south of Lissus at the mouth of the Drin river with more than two lembi Illyrian light ships even those had to be unarmed 23 But when Rome was engaged in a war against the Celtic peoples of the Po Valley in northern Italy about the years 225 222 BC Illyrian commander Demetrius detached the Atintani tribe from their alliance with Rome Moreover he sailed south of Lissus and engaged in piracy in violation of the 228 BC peace treaty In the summer of 221 BC tensions in Greece increased as Macedonia allied with the Achaean League against the Aetolian League and the Illyrians attacked in their typical manner Demetrius and Scerdilaidas sailed with 90 lembi south of Lissus When they failed an assault on Pylos western Peloponnese they separated their fleets and Scerdilaidas returned north with 40 ships while Demetrius plundered the Cyclades with 50 ships 24 In Roman times Lissus was located in a territory inhabited by the Labeatae however ancient sources never relate it with this tribe Taking in account archaeological and historical considerations the city of Lissus should have been founded in a Labeatan context but perhaps by the time of Teuta s fall in the end of the 3rd century BC on a Greek model it was organized as a polis turning away from its ethnic context 25 The dissociation from the ethnic to the polis coincided with Philip V of Macedon s conquest of a number of cities in Illyria 26 In 211 BC Philip V captured Acrolissus the citadel of Lissus and Lissos surrendered to him 27 becoming the Macedonian outlet to the Adriatic Sea 19 The town was later recovered by the Illyrians It was in Lissus that Perseus of Macedon negotiated an alliance against Rome with the Illyrian king Gentius and it was from Lissus that Gentius organized his army against the Romans Lissus maintained a large degree of municipal autonomy under both Macedonian and Illyrian rule as evidenced by the coins minted there 28 During the reign of Gentius in the first half of the 2nd century BC Lissus minted coins for the Illyrian ruler 29 The city was of some importance in the Roman Civil War being taken by Marc Antony 30 and then remaining loyal to Caesar In Roman times the city was part of the province of Epirus Nova 31 Middle ages Edit The grave of Skanderbeg and Lezhe Castle on its hill The structure was the former Selimie Mosque During the reign of Justinian I 527 565 the local fortress was possibly mentioned as Alistion in the Synecdemus of Hierocles 32 At early 590s Lissus was captured by Slavic populations 33 Byzantine control was re established during the early 9th century 34 Albanian lord Vladislav Jonima of the Jonima family was acknowledged by the Pope as a ruler of a territory around Lezhe in 1319 He had the title of Count of Dioclea and of the seaside Albania 35 At the end of the 14th century Albanian lord Dhimiter Jonima was lord of a territory between Mat and Lezhe 36 In the Middle Ages Lezha known in Italian as Alessio frequently changed masters until the Venetians took possession of it in 1386 It still belonged to them when Skanderbeg died but In 1478 it fell into the hands of Turks during the siege of Shkodra except for a short period 1501 1506 when it returned to Venetian domination 9 Because it was under the Venetian control it was chosen in 1444 by Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg as a neutral place for the convention of Albanian nobles and lords of the area aiming at organizing their common defence against the Turks 37 Lezha was the site of the League of Lezhe where Skanderbeg united the Albanian princes in the fight against the Ottoman Empire Skanderbeg was buried in the cathedral of Lezhe which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas and later used as Selimie Mosque Contemporary Edit Today Lezhe is a growing city Its proximity to the port of Shengjin as well as its location on the national road between the Montenegrin border to the North and Tirana to the South makes it an attractive location for industry and business Majority of the people from Lezhe descend from the Zadrima Mirdita and Malesia Malesi e madhe regions of northwestern Albania The people from Zadrima and Mirdita are native to Lezhe and the surrounding area The Malesor clans from Malesia such as Kelmendi Shkreli and Kastrati had settled Lezhe and surrounding areas around 100 300 years ago In terms of religion Lezha has a Catholic majority 70 80 and a Muslim minority 30 20 Geography Edit View over Lezhe and the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast in the distance Lezhe Municipality lies within Lezhe County as part of the Northern Region of Albania and consists of the adjacent administrative units of Balldren Blinisht Dajc Kallmet Kolsh Shengjin Shenkoll Ungrej Zejmen with Lezhe constituting the municipal seat 38 39 40 The municipality spans between the Plain of Zadrima in the north the Puke Mirdite Highlands in the east the mouth of the Mat River in the south and the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast in the west 41 It covers 509 1 km2 38 42 Climate Edit As of the Koppen climate classification Lezhe falls under the periphery of the hot summer Mediterranean climate Csa zone with an average annual temperature of 14 6 C 58 3 F 43 Infrastructure Edit There are urban buses throughout the city and international and national buses Lezhe has a train station not far from the center The line starts in Durres and ends in Shkoder It is functional but not frequently The main highway in Lezhe is SH 1 connecting it with Shkoder to the north and the Durres Kukes Highway A1 intersection at Milot to the south The SH32 connects Lezhe with Shengjin on the coast Demography EditThe population of the municipality of Lezhe at the 2011 census was 65 633 b of which 15 510 in the city proper 44 Culture EditThe association football club is KS Beselidhja Lezhe Although primarily concerned with football KS Beselidhja also participates in sports such as wrestling and beach volleyball From 2004 an excavation started around the ancient Acropolis of Lissos and the Skanderbeg Memorial which revealed Hellenistic Roman and Early Byzantine buildings tombs and other findings 45 Notable people EditSkanderbeg the National Hero of Albania Antonio Bruti 16th century merchant and diplomat Anton Kryezezi Bishop of Lezhe Leke Dukagjini prince Jonima Gjoni family noble family Gjergj Fishta Catholic priest and poet Ndoc Gjetja poet Henri Ndreka soccer player capped with Albania Robert Grizha soccer player Erjon Dushku soccer player Renato Malota soccer player Ornel Gega rugby union player Tosol Bardhi 16th century Albanian Catholic Priest See also EditList of settlements in Illyria List of mayors of LezheNotes Edit The city of Lezhe is historically known as Lissos Lissus or Lissum The population of the municipality results from the sum of the administrative units in the former as of the 2011 Albanian census 38 References Edit Kryetari i Bashkise in Albanian Bashkia Lezhe Archived from the original on 3 November 2021 Retrieved 8 November 2021 Waterfield 2014 p 49 Stylianou 1998 p 194 a b c Shehi 2015 p 34 Cabanes 2008 p 177 Shehi 2015 p 34 a b Gaffiot 1934 p 915 Lissus Lippert amp Matzinger 2021 p 132 Katicic 1976 p 186 a b Catholic Encyclopedia article Alessio Lissus Alexiensis a b Shpuza 2014 p 118 Shehi 2015 p 34 Bejko Lorenc 2002 Mycenaean Presence and Influence in Albania Greek Influence Along the East Adriatic Coast Knizevni Krug 12 ISBN 9789531631549 Retrieved 4 April 2020 The variety of C and D type swords reported from central and northern Albania Mat river valley Lezhe Shkoder and their provenience from burial contexts confirm the free exchange pattern with the Mycenaean centers of this part of the country as in the early Mycenaean period Shpuza 2014 pp 106 116 118 All the sites described above are situated in the Lowlands of Shkodra in small hills which create a protection system of all the area A similar fortification can be found also at Akrolissos The chronological framework for the dating of such fortifications is the Final Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age Elsie 2010 p 272 a b Wilkes 1992 p 135 Cabanes 2008 p 177 Matijasic 2011 p 299 Boardman amp Sollberger 1982 pp 628 629 Wilkes amp Fischer Hansen 2004 p 325 In 385 Dionysios of Syracuse assisted the Parians to establish a settlement on Pharos having already sent a colony to the Adriatic and founded a city called Lissos no 82 Diod 15 13 4 p 332 Lissos was founded shortly before 385 by Dionysios I on the steep slope of a hill modern Lezha a site already occupied by Illyrian settlers Evans A Destani B Ancient Illyria an archeological exploration IB Tauris 2007 p 276 Wilkes amp Fischer Hansen 2004 p 332 a b c Cabanes 2008 p 177 Wilkes 1992 p 115 It has been proposed that it was this place Issa and not Lissus far to the south at the mouth of the Drin from which help came to the Greeks on Pharos since Issa lies only 25 miles away Wilkes amp Fischer Hansen 2004 p 325 The place from which Dionysios fleet came could be the later Illyrian fortress of Lissos Lezhe at the mouth of the river Drin in northern Albania which has an impressive circuit of late Hellenistic masonry fortifications but is more likely to be in fact the other Greek colony in the area Issa Vis on the island of the same name and known from other evidence to be a Syracusan foundation Wilkes 1992 p 135 Cabanes 2008 p 177 Stylianou 1998 p 194 Shehi 2015 p 34 Wilkes 1992 pp 161 162 Errington 1989 pp 89 90 Wilkes 1992 pp 162 163 Errington 1989 pp 91 92 Papadopoulos 2016 p 382 Shpuza 2017 p 43 Polybius 8 13 14 Arthur Evans 2007 Ancient Illyria An Archaeological Exploration I B Tauris p 276 ISBN 9781845111670 Shpuza 2014 p 122 Plutarch 1920 Life of Antony Loeb Classical Edition p 7 4 Epirus Vetus The Archaeology of a Late Antique Province Duckworth Archaeology by William Bowden 2003 ISBN 0 7156 3116 0 2003 page 233 of Lissus in Epirus Nova Winnifrith Tom 2002 Badlands Borderlands A History of Northern Epirus Southern Albania Duckworth p 75 ISBN 978 0 7156 3201 7 Also for Justinian s reign there survives a catalogue of towns in the Empire the Synecdemus of Hierocles In Epirus Nova we find Apollonia Byllis Amantia Pulcheropolis Berat Aulon Vlore Lychnidus Ohrid and the unknown Alistion possible the modern Lezhe and Skepton Pohl Walter 2018 The Avars A Steppe Empire in Central Europe 567 822 Cornell University Press p 149 ISBN 978 1 5017 2940 9 Curta Florin 2019 Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages 500 1300 2 vols BRILL p 308 ISBN 978 90 04 39519 0 The fortress in Lezhe farther to the north along the coast of the Adriatic Sea was reoccupied in the early 9th century Schmitt Oliver Jens 2001 Das venezianische Albanien 1392 1479 Munchen R Oldenbourg Verlag GmbH Munchen p 87 ISBN 3 486 56569 9 Vladislav Jonima als Zupan spater als Graf von Dioclea und Kustenalbanien Anamali Skender Prifti 2002 in Albanian Historia e popullit shqiptar ne kater vellime Botimet Toena ISBN 99927 1 622 3 p 267 Schmitt Jens O 2009 Skanderbeg Der neue Alexander auf dem Balkan Verlag Friedrich Pustet pp 55 56 a b c Pasaporta e Bashkise Lezhe in Albanian Porta Vendore Archived from the original on 8 November 2021 Retrieved 8 November 2021 A new Urban Rural Classification of Albanian Population PDF Instituti i Statistikes INSTAT May 2014 p 15 Archived from the original PDF on 14 November 2019 Retrieved 8 November 2021 Law nr 115 2014 PDF in Albanian pp 6373 6374 Retrieved 25 February 2022 Strategjia Territoriale Bashkia Lezhe PDF in Albanian Bashkia Lezhe p 10 Archived from the original PDF on 8 December 2020 Retrieved 8 December 2020 Bashkia Lezhe in Albanian Albanian Association of Municipalities AAM Archived from the original on 8 November 2021 Retrieved 8 November 2021 Climate Lezhe Climate Data Archived from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 8 November 2021 Nurja Ines Censusi i popullsise dhe banesave Population and Housing Census Lezhe 2011 PDF Tirana Institute of Statistics INSTAT p 84 Archived PDF from the original on 27 March 2020 Retrieved 8 November 2021 Karl Franzens Universitat Lissus excavation report 2004 Archived 2011 06 29 at the Wayback MachineBibliography EditBeekes Robert S P 2009 Beek Lucien van ed Etymological Dictionary of Greek Brill ISBN 978 90 04 32186 1 Boardman John Sollberger E 1982 J Boardman I E S Edwards N G L Hammond E Sollberger eds The Cambridge Ancient History The Prehistory of the Balkans and the Middle East and the Aegean world tenth to eighth centuries B C Vol III part 1 2 ed Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521224969 Errington R M 1989 Rome and Greece to 250 B C In A E Astin F W Walbank M W Frederiksen R M Ogilvie eds The Cambridge Ancient History Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 B C Vol VIII 2 ed Cambridge University Press pp 81 106 ISBN 0 521 23448 4 Eckstein Arthur M 2008 Rome Enters the Greek East From Anarchy to Hierarchy in the Hellenistic Mediterranean 230 170 B C Malden MA Oxford Blackwell Publishing Elsie Robert 2010 Historical Dictionary of Albania PDF Historical Dictionaries of Europe Vol 75 2 ed Scarecrow Press p 255 ISBN 978 0810861886 Archived from the original PDF on 6 October 2014 Gaffiot Felix 1934 Dictionnaire Illustre Latin Francais Hachette Hammond Nicholas Geoffrey Lempriere 1966 The Kingdoms in Illyria circa 400 167 B C The Annual of the British School at Athens British School at Athens 61 239 253 doi 10 1017 S0068245400019043 JSTOR 30103175 S2CID 164155370 Katicic Radoslav 1976 Ancient Languages of the Balkans Mouton ISBN 978 9027933058 Lippert Andreas Matzinger Joachim 2021 Die Illyrer Geschichte Archaologie und Sprache Kohlhammer Verlag ISBN 9783170377103 Matijasic Ivan 2011 Shrieking like Illyrians Historical geography and the Greek perspective of the Illyrian world in the 5th century BC Arheoloski Vestnik 62 289 316 Papadopoulos John 2016 Komai Colonies and Cities in Epirus and Southern Albania The Failure of the Polis and the Rise of Urbanism on the Fringes of the Greek World In Molloy Barry P C ed Of Odysseys and Oddities Scales and Modes of Interaction Between Prehistoric Aegean Societies and their Neighbours Oxbow Books pp 435 460 ISBN 978 1 78570 232 7 Shehi Eduard 2015 Terra sigillata en Illyrie meridionale et en Chaonie importations et productions locales IIe S AV J C IIe S AP J C Col leccio Instrumenta in French Vol 48 Barcelona Universitat de Barcelona Publicacions i Edicions ISBN 978 84 475 4238 3 Shpuza Saimir 2014 Dyczek Piotr ed Iron Age Fortifications and the Origin of the City in the Territory of Scodra Novensia Warszawa Osrodek Badan nad Antykiem Europy Poludniowo Wschodniej 25 105 126 ISBN 978 83 934239 96 ISSN 0860 5777 Shpuza Saimir Dyczek Piotr 2015 Scodra de la capitale du Royaume Illyrien a la capitale de la province romaine In Jean Luc Lamboley Luan Perzhita Altin Skenderaj eds L Illyrie Meridionale et l Epire dans l Antiquite VI in French Vol 1 Paris Diffusion De Boccard pp 269 278 ISBN 978 9928 4517 1 2 Shpuza Saimir 2017 Dyczek Piotr ed Scodra and the Labeates Cities rural fortifications and territorial defense in the Hellenistic period Novensia Warszawa Osrodek Badan nad Antykiem Europy Poludniowo Wschodniej 28 41 64 ISBN 978 83 946222 5 1 ISSN 0860 5777 Stylianou P J 1998 A Historical Commentary on Diodorus Siculus book 15 Clarendon Press ISBN 0 19 815239 6 Cabanes Pierre 2008 Greek Colonisation in the Adriatic In Tsetskhladze Gocha R ed Greek Colonisation An Account of Greek Colonies and Other Settlements Overseas Vol 2 Brill pp 155 186 ISBN 9789047442448 Waterfield Robin 2014 Taken at the Flood The Roman Conquest of Greece OUP Oxford ISBN 978 0 19 166414 4 Wilkes John J 1992 The Illyrians Oxford United Kingdom Blackwell Publishing ISBN 0 631 19807 5 Wilkes J J Fischer Hansen Tobias 2004 The Adriatic In Mogens Herman Hansen Thomas Heine Nielsen eds An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis Oxford University Press pp 321 337 ISBN 0 19 814099 1 External links EditLezhe at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Travel information from Wikivoyage Resources from Wikiversity lezha gov al Official Website in Albanian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lezhe amp oldid 1115861165, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.