Butrint in Albania
Abstract
This work is the result of a study trip to Albania that the author took in the company of architect Ramadan Aliu in September 2012. At that time, architect Aliu was a doctoral student at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Sarajevo, and he worked on his doctoral dissertation (Comparative analysis of selected examples of cities in Macedonia and Albania) under the mentorship of the author. Butrint was one of the places/cities they visited. Besides Butrint, these were Berat, Durrës, Gjirokastër, Krujë, Shkodër, Tirana, Vlorë and many natural sights such as the famous source of 'The Blue Eye' ('Syri i Kaltër', for example). The aim of the study trip was to get to know cities on the spot and to contribute to the author's theory of „Architecturally Defined Space“ through their analysis (through 'cabinet work'). Archaeological evidence shows that Butrint was founded by Corfu traders in the eighth century BC. Located along the Adriatic coast, the city functioned as a way station between Epirus and the Italian territories to the south. Butrint was colonized by the Romans under Julius Caesar in 44 BC, and was later occupied by the Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman Empires. These layers of civilization were rediscovered by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Ugolini in the 1920s, who unearthed an ancient amphitheater dating back to the 2nd year BC. Subsequent excavations revealed Roman villas with intact mosaic floors, sanctuaries, a baptistery and a Byzantine palace.
How to Cite This Article
Ahmet Hadrovic (2024). Butrint in Albania . International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation (IJMRGE), 5(3), 691-702.