Butrint

June 26, 2012

Butrint

One of the most significant archeological sites in the entire Mediterranean, the ancient city of Butrint (Buthrotum) is located fourteen kilometers south of Saranda. The ancient Greek and later Roman city that has been and continues to be excavated in meticulous detail. It is listed as a World Heritage Site in 1992 being recognized as a cultural and natural site of outstanding significance. The entire region around the archeological excavations has been set aside as a National Park and now over 86 square km are a protected and beautiful area of both historical and natural beauty.

Butrint was one of the must see stops for me during my visit to Albania and I had the tremendous good fortune to have my own personal guide, my Albanian friend Kela. Kela has visited the site over 500 times, having led multiple tours, worked at the site and even participated in the on-going excavations that are taking place there. As massive and amazing as what has been uncovered to date, it is estimated that only about 15-20 percent of what is actually there has been unearthed, which is truly a staggering possibility once you visit and see how much is there.

Kela

Kela arranged for a private car to drive us from Saranda and then took her time as she escorted myself and the driver on a wonderful, informative and fascinating behind the scenes tour that the average visitor just does not get. It was so cool that even though the incredible museum on site was closed, Kela had the staff open it up so that I could get a private viewing, that was pretty cool just in of itself. We also got to go and see some of the excavation work which was happening while we were there.

To accurately capture the amazing structures as well as the natural beauty of the place is almost impossible in either words or photos. It is an incredible place. Full of the kind of history and ruins that we just do not have in the United States. Evidence of habitation of the area goes back to at least the 10^th century BC and speculation is that the site has been inhabited for even longer. Each successive conquering culture seemed to build upon, expand and rework the site, so there is archeological evidence from a multitude of cultures and eras, making the site especially important.

The first modern archaeological excavations began in 1928 when the Fascist government of Mussolini's Italy sent an expedition to Buthrotum. 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. 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.







The Albanian Government established the Butrint National Park in 2000. Its First Director was Auron Tare, who is also one of the archeologists that RPM has been working with since our arrival and who has been instrumental in creation of the Field School.

http://butrint.org/

Automjeti im është plot me ngjala

June 25, 2012

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Automjeti im është plot me ngjala

Derek

Hanging out in Saranda, Albania is a pretty cool thing. The place is full of interesting and unique places and while the students in the class spent the days diving and in lessons, I was free to explore and check out the city on my own, which is always a fun adventure. The Field School would be busy most of the day, with the students diving in the morning and then having classes in the afternoon to review and go over additional lessons.

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Each day would add a new or exciting wrinkle, from the basics like underwater navigation, to search and recovery, to learning how to use lift bags and recover small objects, the class built step by step a set of skills that they would be putting to use later in the class as they advanced to things like conducting surveys, plotting grids, and finally on to more advanced scientific observation and research. 

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Avery*

The dive conditions are pretty great, the visibility has been good and the water, while cool is comfortable and clean. Jeffrey Bozanic who is assisting Derek during the scientific diving portion of the class is an excellent underwater photography and the scuba diving shots featured here are all examples of his excellent work. 

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Each day the class would build upon what they had learned previously and get to experience more and more challenging and exciting dive opportunities that ultimately will concentrate on marine ecology and archeology. They will get to dive many of the pristine archaeological sites that RPM has discovered over the past six years including both modern and ancient shipwrecks.

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When not in class, the students also get the chance to explore Saranda and enjoy being immersed in a totally foreign and different culture. From the prayer chants from the mountain top mosques that can be heard daily, to the random animals that roam the streets including cows, sheep, goats, chickens as well as many cats and dogs. A litter of kittens had been born at the hotel where the students are staying and they were the subject of a lot of attention, both from the innkeeper’s young daughters, but also from the field school students.

Chiara

Lee

Just down from our hotel, past the military base there is a large Albanian cemetery, the respect that their culture pays to the dead is something to behold as many Albanians visit the cemetery daily and flower vendors do a brisk business from their stalls set up along the perimeter. The graves are mostly above ground, similar to Key West and all are well maintained and the place has a beautiful serenity that you would expect. It also has a beautiful location looking down over the sea.