Byzantine Butrint: Excavations and Surveys 1994-99 (Butrint Archaeological Monographs)

The ancient walled town of Butrint sits at the crossroads of the Mediterranean. In its heyday it could command sea-routes up the Adriatic Sea to the north, across the Mediterranean to the west, and south through the Ionian islands. It also controlled a land-route into the mountainous Balkan interior. For much of its long history it occupied a hill on a bend in the Vivari Channel, which connects the Straits to the large inland lagoon of Lake Butrint. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, Butrint covers an area of around 16 ha, but geophysical survey has shown that at times it was almost twice this size. The site itself is made up of two parts: the acropolis and the lower city. The acropolis is a long narrow hill, whose sides are accentuated by a circuit of walls that separate it from the natural and artificial terraces gathered around the flanks of the hill. The lower city occupies the lower-lying contours down to the edge of the Vivari Channel. This book brings to life this extraordinary Byzantine town, with chapters on the historical sources, various aspects of the archaeological excavation and survey, finds of pottery and environmental remains.Table of ContentsList of figures List of tables List of contributors Part 1: Context Introduction (Richard Hodges, William Bowden, Oliver Gilkes and Kosta Lako) The historical sources for Butrint in the Middle Ages (Peter Soustal) The environs of Butrint 1: the 1995-96 environmental survey (Adrian Lane, with contributions by David Bescoby, Oliver Gilkes and Sarah O'Hara) The environs of Butrint 2: the 1995-96 field survey (Mark Pluciennik, with contributions by Kosta Lako, Luan Përzhita and Dee Brennan) The geophysical survey: the extent and structural layout of the suburbs of Butrint on the Vrina Plain (Neil Chroston and Mark Hounslow) The topography of Butrint (Sally Martin) The Christian topography of Butrint (William Bowden and John Mitchell) The late antique and medieval fortifications of Butrint (Richard Andrews, William Bowden, Oliver Gilkes and Sally Martin ) Part 2: Excavations in the Walled Town Excavations at the Triconch Palace (Oliver Gilkes and Kosta Lako) The Baptistery (William Bowden and Luan Përzhita) The mosaic pavements of the Baptistery (John Mitchell) Trial excavations within the city (William Bowden and Sally Martin) Part 3: The Finds The Roman pottery from the Trionch Palace (Paul Reynolds) The medieval amphorae (Paul Reynolds) The medieval and post-medieval fine wares and cooking wares from the Triconch Palace and the Baptistery (Joanita Vroom) The small finds and coins (Peter Guest, John Mitchell, Etleva Nallbani and Shpresa Gongecaj) The faunal remains (Adrienne Powell, with a contribution by Dimitra Mylona) Byzantine Butrint: concluding remarks (Richard Hodges) Appendices Appendix 1: Catalogue of Roman ceramics and selected medieval pottery from Butrint 1994-99 (Paul Reynolds) Appendix 2: Holocene environmental change at Butrint: a preliminary evaluation of alluvial sediments using archaeomagnetic dating (Mark Hounslow and Alex Chepstow Lusty) Appendix 3: Three buckles from the late antique period (Etleva Nallbani) Appendix 4: The geophysical trial trench on the Vrina Plain (William Bowden) Read more