from the field ,

In the Shadow of Butrint By Oliver Gilkes and Valbona Hysa

utrint is a place of contrasts. The main archae- ological site with its forum and public build- ings—described by as “Lofty Buthrotum on the height”—is shrouded in trees, and is the haunt of exotic birds, butterflies, and wood- landB life. Just across the Vivari Channel that connects to the deep blue lie the flat grasslands of the Vrina Plain, a savannah roamed by fierce beasts—shepherd dogs which are descendants of the Molossian hunting dogs of antiquity. This Albanian site has been the subject of extensive archae- ological investigation over the past decade. Here the town meets countryside, with remains that span the 1st to 13th cen- turies AD. Examination of soil columns from the Vrina Plain, originally part of the once much more extensive Lake Butrint, reveals a complex history: successive episodes of open water, subsequent marsh formation, followed by forest, succeeded by Members of the 2011 Summer School excavated at Butrint. marsh once again, and finally a thick layer of alluvial silts due to periodic flooding of the lake. It was this rather uncertain One of these villas is the subject of the current excava- tract that was chosen by Emperor ’s engineers to be tions and also the location of the annual Albanian Heritage the core of the colony laid out after 31 BC. Foundation’s field training school, generously supported by This landscape was reclaimed and transformed into plots of the Packard Humanities Institute in collaboration with the land by Roman land surveyors, who also built a half-mile long Butrint Foundation. This year the school was attended by bridge connecting this area to the town; beside the bridge, an Albanian undergraduates from Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, aqueduct took sweet water from a distant spring into the city. and, as a result of collaboration with the American University By AD 150 the settlement and streets gradually coalesced into of Rome, the United States. The Summer School started in a series of large townhouses, villas, and monumental cemeter- 2000 and was run by foreign specialists; now it is directed by ies along the water frontage. its Albanian alumni. Oliver J. Gilkes and Valbona Hysa

34 volume 53, number 3 expedition Oliver J. Gilkes and Valbona Hysa employed forafamilyburial cult;asubstantialmausoleum turn. Severalservicebuildings wereabandonedandlaterre- elsewhere atButrint,therewasasignificanteconomicdown - the 2ndcenturyuntilearly3rdADafterwhich, as of thetown,buildingoccurredatregularintervalsthroughout used byestateworkers.Likeallthepropertiesinshadow along theeasternsideofanopenyard,whichmayhavebeen rustic buildingswerefound,includingadetachedbathhouse ining thenorthernpartofthiscomplexwhereasequence of the southinGreece.Severalseasonshavebeenspentexam - major investmentinthisregion,aswellareasfurther to belongs to the age of south byanelaborateditchsystem.Thisvillaalmostcertainly stretching backfromtheVivariChannelanddemarcatedto activities. upon areasthatwereusedforagriculturalandproductive grand residentialrooms,theSummerSchoolhasconcentrated ated onashoreline.Here,though,insteadofuncoveringthe other villasexcavatedbytheButrintFoundation,itwassitu- A geophysicalsurveyrevealedtheextentofproperty, This isnotthefirstvillatobeexaminedatButrint.Like Nero (1st century AD), when he oversaw from anumberofItaliansites, fromImperialvillastothe cult centerforfamilyburialrites isaphenomenonwellknown from agravecutintothesurfaceofplatform.Creating a 4th centuryAD—asolidusofConstantineII—wasrecovered most likelyhavingafuneraryfunction.Agoldcoinfrom the was constructed,whichfacedamassivestoneplatform,itself background inthisphotoofthesummer2011excavations. in theRomanvillaremains.Top,LakeButrintcanbeseen Above, anaerialviewofthesiteshowsstudents’hardwork www.penn.museum/expedition 35 farms of the country gentry. It is a sign of confidence in the establishment of a dynasty and family tradition. The mausoleum was modeled on a small temple, with free- standing columns, a portico, and a high central chamber to accommodate several sarcophagi and tombs. During the 200–300 years of its life, burials were inserted into almost every nook and cranny. In 2011 we also excavated a building on the southern side of the yard. This was a barn-like structure, with a portico and substantial doorway leading into what was originally the yard. With the building of the mausoleum, the portico and entrance were blocked off, closing access as well as the view onto the funerary space, though the building itself continued in use. After AD 235 a small wine processing facility with a pressing floor was created in its southeast corner, where plentiful remains of dolia, Above, old funerary inscriptions the gigantic storage jars normally partially buried, were were reused and set into the found. floor to provide ad-hoc paving. Inside room F a marble grave Thanks to its agrarian activities the villa certainly con- stone was found with an tinued a rather precarious existence during the troubled inscription in Greek that can be span of the 4th century AD and, as elsewhere on the translated as “Noble Gall[os]— He lived 40 years—Farewell.” Vrina Plain, there was a modest revival in the 5th century Right, this bronze reliquary with some rebuilding. However, evidence of 6th century cross depicts the Virgin Mary. burials within rooms of the building—some of which The inscription is translated cut through walls—made it clear that here as elsewhere as Meter Theou or Mother of God. Below, the solidus of at Butrint, the villa was deserted after nearly 500 years of Constantine II dates to 317–337 occupation. AD and weighs 4.46 g. The This prominent shoreline ruin was to have a distin- obverse and reverse sides of the coin are shown here. guished afterlife. A medieval rubbish dump from the 11th or 12th century contained fragments of high-quality glazed dishes from the Peloponnese, a decorated bronze reliquary cross, and other objects that may denote an aristocratic dwelling and family church. Another such property including a chapel was excavated to the west a few years ago. It is likely that the two sites shared a similar history until the 13th century. At this time, a period of flooding forced occupants to flee the Vrina Plain for the walled town of Butrint. The Vrina Plain became a marshy expanse and remained unaltered until the communist government drained it in the 1960s.

oliver gilkes is a consulting archaeologist for the Butrint Foundation and works for Andante Travels in the UK.

valbona hysa is the director of the Butrint Summer School with the Albanian Heritage Foundation at . Oliver J. Gilkes and Valbona Hysa

36 volume 53, number 3 expedition The forum pavement was unearthed more than 3 m (10 ft) below the surface in Trench 17. The well and building (above) date to the 6th century AD. The Refuse of Urban History Excavating the Roman Forum at Butrint By David R. Hernandez

or at least eight centuries, Roman generals marched in triumphal celebra- tions through the forum Romanum, the central town square of , to display to their fellow citizens booty and prisonersF captured in military campaigns. The was a system built on the pursuit of plunder. The irony, of course, is that at no time in human his- tory, with the exception of the modern age, was there such a degree of capital investment in urban infrastruc- ture throughout the cities of the Mediterranean as there was during the time of the Roman Empire, especially in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. This was due, in large part, to , who initiated an unprecedented

colonization program across the Mediterranean. As Work during the 2011 season focused on the east side of the Roman Forum. part of that plan, Caesar organized settlers from Rome David R. Hernandez

www.penn.museum/expedition 37 38 volume 53,number3 expedition tity andarrayofmaterialevidencegeneratedbytheexcava- tens ofthousandstonsearthanddebris.Thesheerquan- environmental actionswhichhaveburiedtheancientcityin the bottomtotopoftrenchtellastoryhumanand sequence ofbuildingsandthesectionsearthrunningfrom transformation fromthe5thcenturyBCtomoderntimes.The us to peer, as if through a window, into the city’s historical Excavation trenches,dugasdeep5m(about16ft),allowed rial, theremnantsofthousandsyearshumansettlement. deep beneathamultitudeofdepositsrichinculturalmate- city of AD 79, the ancient urban center of Butrint is buried ile volcanicdepositsrestdirectlyabovetheruinsofRoman urban historyofButrint.UnlikePompeiiinItaly,wherester- Philosophical Society,theexcavationsareredefining cate thetownsquareoftheirimperialcapital. ancient Romanforum,whichthecolonistshadbuilttorepli- massive pavementslabsandstructuresbelongingtothecity’s World Heritage Site ofButrintinsouthernAlbaniaunearthed 2011, anarchaeologicalresearchexpeditionintheUNESCO after Caesar’sassassination.Twothousandyearslater,inJune ultimately arrived at Buthrotum in July 44 BC, two months at thisprosperousseaportontheIonianSea.Thecolonists wishes ofCiceroandhisintimatefriendAtticus,wholived to colonizethecityofButhrotum(laterButrint)against building (right)arelocatedabovethe forumpavementinTrench16. the 6thcenturyAD.Left,theMedieval house(left)andLateAntiquepublic Above, studentscleantheforumpavementandrecordwelldating to Funded bytheUniversityofNotreDameandAmerican

David R. Hernandez David R. Hernandez Trench 16. to thelate6thcenturyADwerefoundin a masonry-builthearthandburialsdating Trench 17.Below,theMedievalhousewith forum pavementafteritsdiscoveryin University ofNotreDame,touchesthe Wesley Wood,astudentfromthe graphical problemwasresolvedwhenToriOsmani,one month ofintenseexcavation,thislong-standingtopo- topographical layoutinthecity.Inaninstant,aftera ern extentoftheforumandtherebyrevealitscomplete discovery, wehadassembledateamtolocatetheeast- ment slabsasthewesternside.Now,sixyearsafterits the easternsideofforumpreservedsamepave- dimensions theforummighthavehadandwhether ern edgesoftheforum,wespentyearsspeculatingwhat forum atButrint.Afterexposingthewesternandnorth- ical issuesince2005 when wediscoveredtheRoman ), andIhadbeenmullingoveratopograph- Museum) andDhimitërÇondi(AlbanianInstituteof the storyofcity’scomplexurbandevelopment. tries, whoworkedtogetheronsitetohelppiece tions requiredateamof40individualsfromeightcoun- My projectco-directors,RichardHodges(Penn www.penn.museum/expedition 39 40 within thehouse. we foundthattheentireroofofbuildinghadcollapsed of thebuilding.Whenweremoveddebrisfallenwalls, found aLateAntiquecolumnfragmentimbeddedinthewalls University ofNotreDamewhoparticipatedintheexcavation, buildings. PatrickConry,oneoffourstudentsfrom the which werereusedmasonryfragmentsfromancientRoman the earth-bondedwallsweremadeofsmalllimestoneblocks, across thetrench.Builtonafoundationoflargeboulders, side ofthehouse,whichmeasuredmorethan8.5m(28 ft) kind tobeexcavatedatButrint.Weunearthedthenorthern Late Medievalperiodwasthatofalargehouse,thefirstits Medieval times.Oneofthemostexcitingdiscoveriesfrom after themid-6thcentury. spread acrossEuropeduringthereignofJustinianshortly have beentheresultofBubonicplague,apandemicwhich environment. Thedramaticdownwardshiftofthecitymight when burialsbegintoappearinwhatwasformerlyanurban that theareacontinuedinactiveuseuntillate6thcentury, later ofotherbuildingsandawellfromthe6thcenturyshow The discoveryof a public building of the5thcentury AD and order toraisethelevelofgroundabovewatertable. the space, the forum was backfilled after the in led totheinundationofforum.Inanattemptreoccupy the buildingsarounditsperimeterandmoresignificantly earthquake inthe4thcenturyADseverelydamaged state ofpreservationisduetoitsviolentend.An provinces oftheRomanEmpire.Itsexcellent It isoneofthebestpreservedforumsin in placeafter2,000yearsisremarkable. stone slabsofthepavedspaceremain ined. Thefactthatalmostallthe much larger than anyone had imag- out tobe20x70m(65236ft), for “pavement”inAlbanian. heme!” (doo-shuh-may),theword stone pavement,shoutingout“dys- and touched the cold surface of the pushed his hand through thick mud of themostskilledAlbanianworkmen,

The urbancenterofButrintwaslaterreoccupiedin The forum’sdimensionsturned volume 53,number3 expedition ing to AD 1368–1382. Coin and pottery evidence dates the Contarini—the elected leader of the Venetian Empire—dat- the floorofhouse.OnewasasoldinodogeAndrea indicated thatwewereexcavatingthekitchenarea. angular tilesbuiltintothenorthwesterncornerofhouse engulfed inflames.Amasonryhearthpavedwiththickrect - quantities, showsthatthehousewasinusewhenitbecame region inthisperiod.Thepresenceoffood,especiallysuch the firstphysicalevidencefordietarystaplesofButrint peas, legumes,andolives.Thesebotanicalremainsconstitute tem ofwaterfloatation.Inadditiontowheat,wefoundbarley, deposits oftheearthenfloor,usinganarchaeobotanicalsys- Large amountsofwheatwererecoveredfromtheburned vessels wererecoveredfromtheearthenfloorofhouse. crashing down while thehouse was inuse.Completeceramic ground was burned and it was clear that the timber roof came Three silvercoinsmintedinVenicewerediscoveredon Beneath thelayeroflargeyellowceramicrooftiles, to AD1368–1382. Andrea Contarinidates The silvercoinofdoge

David R. Hernandez Preni Tanushi excavates the rocky coast full of ancient trash below the forum pavement in Trench 16. David R. Hernandez

www.penn.museum/expedition 41 42 particularly pottery sherds and animal bones. Some of stonesandwasbrimmingwithculturalmaterial, tered an unexpected deposit. It consisted predominantly mud 2.4m(8ft)belowthewatertablewhentheyencoun- tackle themostdifficultworkonsite. years, theyareskilledandexperiencedworkerswhoregularly uity. HavingworkedwithmeontheexcavationsatButrintfor deposits notseensincetheremotesttimesofclassicalantiq- Carrying pickaxesandshovels,theywerereadyto excavate in Shën Deli, one of the poorest villagesin southern Albania. ities inapredominantlyMuslimcountry,theseworkmenlive 16, 1.5m(5ft)belowtheforumpavement.AsCatholicminor- barefoot andcoveredinmudintotheverybottomofTrench Petrit, Alfred,andPrenifromtheTanushifamily—descended day oftheexcavation.ThreeAlbanianworkmen—brothers as abasetoattacktheVenetiansatCorfu. 1537 bySultanSuleimantheMagnificent,whousedButrint historic centermightbelinkedtothecaptureofButrintin The destructionofthisgrandhousewhichstoodinthetown’s never rebuiltandthatthedestructiondebriswascleared. remains unclear.However,itissignificantthatthehousewas Ottomans. The exact context of the destruction of the house time ofintenseconflictatButrintbetweentheVenetiansand 1386. The house was destroyed in the16thcentury,duringa with theacquisitionofButrintbyRepublicVenicein building tothelate14thor15thcentury,whichcoincides

On this occasion, they were digging through thick dark On thisoccasion,theywerediggingthroughthickdark The most fascinating discovery occurredon the very last volume 53,number3 expedition goddess figurinefromthe4thcenturyBC. ble. Shortlybeforedusk,wediscoveredthenuminousfaceofa of thunder,wesiftedthroughthisancienttrashandrockyrub- buildings orstatues.Underagrayskyandintermittentclaps is perhaps a better measure of urbanism than monumental see new dimensions ofhuman history, in this case that trash dump site. The beauty of archaeology is that it forces one to which tomyastonishmenthadbeenusedbythevillagersasa village onlytocomeuponagiganticpileoftrashonthebeach, out on a trail to get away from the smell of burning trash in the vated inAlbanianearlyadecadeago.Irememberedwhenset my mindracedbacktoanexperienceIhadwhenfirstexca- coast by the inhabitants of the ancient city. Almost instantly, the remainsofancienttrashwhichhadbeenheapedon the ClassicalGreekcityof5thand4thcenturiesBC. Roman city,wehadactuallyencounteredtherockycoastlineof the stones.Althoughwewerediggingbelowcenterof and remainsofmarinelifesoonappearedinquantityamidst animal boneswerefoundburnedandbroken.Murexshells from Corinth()inthe5thcenturyBC.Manyof of thepotterysherdswerefromwineamphoraeimported It occurred to me that thepottery and animal bones were david r.hernandezisthedirectorofButrint Archaeological ResearchProjectandAssistant Professor intheDepartmentofClassicsat University ofNotreDame. century BC. excavation, datestothe4th discovered onthelastdayof The faceofagoddessfigurine,

David R. Hernandez