TIRANA, June 23, 2022 – The ruins of the 2,000-year-old ancient Illyrian city of Bassania may have been found by Polish and Albanian archaeologists working in northwestern Albania.
Archaeologists from the University of Warsaw said have discovered the remnants of two significant ancient stone structures on top of a hill close to Shkoder in Albania. It was formerly believed that there were simply natural rock outliers there until a few years ago.
According to the experts, it is most likely Bassania, a city mentioned by the Roman historian Livy (59 BC–AD 17) in relation to the conflicts between Roman soldiers and Gentius, the final ruler of Illyria.
Only a portion of the walls and entrance were discovered in May 2018 by archaeologists. Two bastions that led to strong, more than three meter wide defensive walls flanked the unguarded gate. They had stone blocks with a profile on the outside. Small stones and earth filled the area in between them.
Researchers claim that this design is characteristic of Hellenistic defensive architecture. Coins and pieces of ceramic vessels from the IV–I centuries BC that the archaeologists found close to the walls further corroborate this dating. As a result, the city was operational during the reign of the Illyrian kingdom, which vanished around the turn of the millennium as a result of the Roman invasion.
The research head, Professor Piotr Dyczek, director of the Southeast Europe Research Center for Southeast Europe at the University of Warsaw, said this year the highest part of the city was excavated just below the top of the mountain where its remains. On the Albanian side, Dr. Saimir Shpaza from the Tirana Archaeological Institute led the research, according to reports by PAP and Arkeo News.
“During our work in May this year, we uncovered the foundations of two large buildings here,” Dyczek said.
The city was eroding for years and its walls were sliding down the slopes. It also served as a local quarry – many of the surrounding houses have large, cut blocks from the archaeological site built.
