ICAA
International Centre for Albanian Archaeology
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Promotion of the ICAA Monograph Series Nr. 2
THE COMPLEX OF TUMULI 9, 10 and 11 in the NECROPOLIS of APOLLONIA (ALBANIA) by Maria Grazia Amore
On April 20, 2010 in the hall “Aleks Buda” of the Academy of Sciences was held the promotion of the new publication of the ICAA Monograph Series
Changes were brought to the “Cultural Heritage Law”
Recently some important changes were brought to the “Cultural Heritage Law” approved in 2003.
Field projects
Introduction
This is a project initiated by the Albanian Rescue Archaeology Unit in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology of the Albanian Academy of Sciences.[1].
Goals and objectives
After several years of involvement in the excavations of two cemeteries in the Korça Basin (southeastern Albania), the Albanian Rescue Archaeology Unit of the International Centre for Albanian Archaeology launched the first season of a regional surface survey project. The excavation of the Kamenica tumulus and investigations of the medieval cemetery at Rëmbec have contributed to broadening our understanding of the long chronological sequence of human occupation of this area. Contemporary and past research in southeastern Albania (Korça basin, Kolonja plateau, and Devoll river valley) has been quite extensive and has produced not only a large body of data from some of the most important sites for the prehistory of the country, but also a detailed chronological and typological sequence starting with the early Neolithic and continuing up to the late Medieval period.
This whole area is particularly rich in prehistoric sites.
Figure 1
Early excavations at Vashtëmi,[2] Podgori,[3] Progër,[4] Barç,[5] Dërsnik,[6] Burimas,[7] Dunavec,[8] Kamnik[9] have provided in depth analyses of the representative material culture and important pottery sequences for the early, middle and late Neolithic. Frano Prendi’s excavations at Maliq[10] have brought to light not only one of the most spectacular prehistoric sites in the wider region, but have also been a real school for creation and subsequent development of prehistoric research in Albania. Prendi’s seminal research has been also the starting point for understanding and characterizing prehistoric cultures throughout the country. Deep cultural deposits, very good stratification of layers, and the impressive preservation at Maliq have been very important for enlightening periods from late Neolithic to the early Iron Age, with a particular focus on Eneolithic and Bronze Age. Recent research at the other similarly important site of Sovjan[11] has opened new avenues for understanding and interpreting the Bronze Age in the region.
A number of fortified hill-top sites of the late Bronze and early Iron Ages at Bellovodë,[12] Symizë,[13] Vëntrok,[14] Trajan,[15] Tren,[16] Shuec,[17] Bilisht,[18] Zvezdë,[19] Drenovë, provide another very important aspect of the later prehistory of the area. Together with a number of tumuli cemeteries identified or excavated (at Barç, Kuçi i Zi,[20] Kamenicë,[21] Shuec[22]), these sites create a very dynamic picture of human occupation of this area in the late Bronze and Iron Ages. Much less research is conducted and data collected for the post Iron Age periods. Sites where Hellenistic through to late Roman occupation is observed include Hija e Korbit, Polenë, Zaradishtë,[23] Trajan.[24] Very little evidence is reported for the early Medieval period and some of it comes from the recent excavations at the cemetery of Rëmbec.[25] It is quite clear that the late Byzantine period is much better represented in the area, particularly with some major churches from Boboshticë, Mborje, but also Vithkuq and Voskopojë.
As most of the research is oriented towards single site investigations little discussion is dedicated to the understanding of the whole regional picture for specific periods, or its long-term evolution. This is one of the main reasons for starting the new KOBAS project, as well as one of its main goals. The regional approach is obviously an important characteristic of this new surface survey, but it will also be conducted in a systematic and intensive manner throughout the covered area. As many other similar projects in Albania and the Mediterranean area have shown, intensive surveys produce a large body of archaeological data with a wide chronological span. This is another important goal of the KOBAS project.
New sites and concentration of finds will produce a detailed map of the archaeological resource of the region, which will be very helpful in any future planning, being this for the development reasons of the area, application of intensive farming and agricultural activities, or for setting priorities of excavation and research. Other than these important goals, this first field season was specific because of another goal we wanted to achieve, namely training of several students and young archaeologists with the techniques of intensive field survey, observations, documentations, and data collections. From this process would be identified potential team leaders for future extensive fieldwork. The training procedure was intended and planned for tract walking, site collection, GPS survey, finds processing, computer data entry, and preliminary analysis.
Finally there are some specific research questions which the new KOBAS project is set to direct and hopefully answer: settlement pattern, land use, and territorial organization of Korça Basin and Devoll valley in prehistory; its change and evolution from the Neolithic to the developed Iron Age; settlement – tumuli spatial relationships during the late Bronze and Iron Ages. Our research interest, however is not restricted to prehistory, but includes necessarily all periods represented, until modern times.
Methodology and area of research
In order to investigate and potentially answer the questions listed above as the main research goals of the project, we decided to select our survey area based on the well-defined geographical units of southeastern Albania. The Devoll valley, which we started to survey this year, is one of these units, along with the Korça basin, Kolonja plateau, and the tectonic depression of Lake Ohrid. The valley of Devoll was preferred to other areas as a starting point for several reasons:
1) it is a well-defined, but also a more contained unit compared to Korça basin and Kolonja plateau; 2) has a number of known sites in the area around the ‘Wolf’s Pass’ and the Small Prespa Lake; 3) has easy access to Korça basin and could be considered as an extension of it. The whole area of the Devoll valley however, is quite large (about 86 km2) and requires considerable time and resources to be covered.
For this reason, some kind of sampling strategy will need to be devised, but we think it is best to discuss this issue in the course of planning of the next season of fieldwork, when we will have a more accurate idea of the scale and resources of the project.
Report 2005 | Report 2006 | Report 2007
___________________________________________________________________[1]We are thankful to Packard Humanities Institute for funding the project, as well as to Professors Richard Hodges and Muzafer Korkuti for their encouragement and support. The group from the University of Zagreb benefited from a grant awarded from the Croatian Ministry of Sciences and Education.
[2]Korkurti, M. "Vashtemia, një vendbanim i neolitit të hershëm", Iliria 2, 182:91-99.
[3]Lera, P. “Dy vendbanime prehistorike në Podgorie”, Iliria 1, 1983: 50–58.
[4]Recent excavations were conducted here by an Albanian–Greek team in the fall of 2001. Results are yet not published.
[5]Lera, P. “Vendbanimi i neolitit të vonë në Barç”, Iliria 1, 1987: 25–69; “Vendbanimi i neolitit të hershëm në Barç (Barç I)”, Iliria, 1–2, 1993: 5–31.
[6]Lera, P. “Gërmimet arkeologjike të vitit 1984 në vendbanimin neolitik të Dërsnikut”, Iliria 2, 1982: 259.
[7]Korkuti, M. “25 vjet kërkime për neolitin dhe eneolitin në Shqipëri”, Iliria 2, 1987: 13; Korkuti, M. Neolithikum und Chalkolithikum in Albanian. Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Internationale Interakademische Kommission für die Erforschung der Vorgeschichte des Balkans Monographien 4, 1995.
[8]Korkuti, M. “Mbi rezultatet e gërmimeve të vitit 1973 në vendbanimin neolitik të Dunavecit”, Buletini Arkeologjik 1974: 5–21.
[9]Aliu, S. and B. Jubani “Vendbanimi prehistorik i Kamnikut, Kolonjë”, Buletini Arkeologjik 1969: 1–13; Prendi, F. and S. Aliu “Vendbanimi neolitik në fshatin Kamnik të rrethit të Kolonjës”, Iliria 1, 1971: 13–28.
[10]Prendi, F. “La civilisation préhistorique de Maliq”, Studia Albanica 1, 1966 : 254–266.
[11]Lera, P. F. Prendi, G. Touchais “Chronique de fouilles à Sovjan (Albanie)”, Bulletin de Corréspondence Hellénique, 120, 2, 1996: 995–1026.
[12]Karaiskaj, Gj., P. Lera “Fortifikimet e periudhës së parë të hekurit në rrethin e Korçës”. Kuvendi I i studimeve Ilire. Tiranë 1974: 268–269.
[13]Karaiskaj, Gj. “Gradishta e Symizës në periudhën e vonë antike dhe mesjetë”, Iliria 9–10, 1979–1980: 171–210.
[14]Karaiskaj, Gj., P. Lera “Fortifikimet e periudhës së parë të hekurit në rrethin e Korçës”. Kuvendi I i studimeve Ilire. Tiranë 1974: 265; tab. 1–2, 6–8.
[15]Karaiskaj, Gj., P. Lera “Fortifikimet e periudhës së parë të hekurit në rrethin e Korçës”. Kuvendi I i studimeve Ilire. Tiranë 1974: 269–273; tab. 1–5.
[16] Korkuti, M. “Vendbanimi prehistorik i Trenit”. Iliria 1, 1971: 31–49.
[17]Karaiskaj, Gj., P. Lera “Fortifikimet e periudhës së parë të hekurit në rrethin e Korçës”. Kuvendi I i studimeve Ilire. Tiranë 1974: 264–265; tab. 10–11.
[18]Karaiskaj, Gj., P. Lera “Fortifikimet e periudhës së parë të hekurit në rrethin e Korçës”. Kuvendi I i studimeve Ilire. Tiranë 1974: 266; tab. 8–9.
[19]Karaiskaj, Gj., P. Lera “Fortifikimet e periudhës së parë të hekurit në rrethin e Korçës”. Kuvendi I i studimeve Ilire. Tiranë 1974: 271; tab. 9–11).
[20] Andrea, Zh. Kultura ilire e tumave në pellgun e Korçës. Tiranë. 1985.
[21]Amore, M. G., L. Bejko “Recent rescue excavations in Albania”, Antiquity 2000: 269–270.
[22] Andrea, Zh. “Tuma e Shuecit”, in press.
[23] Damko, P.“Bazilika e Zaradishtës”, Iliria, 1-2, 1993:259-271.
[24] Korkuti, M. “Vendbanimi prehistorik i Trenit”. Iliria 1, 1971: 42–43; Karaiskaj, Gj., P. Lera “Fortifikimet e periudhës së parë të hekurit në rrethin e Korçës”. Kuvendi I i studimeve Ilire. Tiranë 1974: 269–273; tab. 1–5.
[25] Bejko, L., S. Aliu, S. Lela “Varreza mesjetare në Rëmbec të Korçës”, Candavia 1, 2004: 211–243; Bejko, L., M.G. Amore, S. Aliu, “Varreza mesjetare në Rëmbec të Korçës”, Candavia 2, 2005: 327–348.