Hellenic ruins of Apollonia in present day Albania, 588 BCE

June 18, 2020

Hellenic ruins of Apollonia in present day Albania, 588 BCE

"Apollonia was founded in 588 BC by Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth on a site where native Illyrian tribes lived, and was perhaps the most important of the several classical towns known as Apollonia. Apollonia flourished in the Roman period and was home to a renowned school of philosophy, but began to decline in the 3rd century CE when its harbor started silting up as a result of an earthquake. It was abandoned by the end of Late Antiquity."

-taken from Wikipedia

Hellenic ruins of Apollonia in present day Albania.

The rectangular basin of the Nymphaeum at Apollonia in Albania, fed by the underground water sources. 3rd century BCE. It is the biggest and best-preserved monument of Apollonia covering an area of 1,500 square metres.

Unknown vandals in Albania have caused “irreparable” damage to a monument in ancient Apollonia near the town of Fieri, Albanian authorities announced on Saturday.The director of the archaeological site was quoted as saying that “the damage is irreparable”, as ancient marble columns at the nymphaion of the site were brought down and smashed. The nymphaion, in ancient Greece, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habitations of the local nymphs. The President of Albania, Ilir Meta, condemned the act and called it “barbaric.” Albanian authorities say that the act of vandalism must have occurred during the lockdown caused by the coronavirus epidemic, but it was only recently discovered.

Apollonia, which was founded in 588 BC by Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth on a site where native Illyrian tribes lived, was perhaps the most important of the several classical towns known as Apollonia. It was a self-governing and independent city for many centuries until it was first incorporated into the Kingdom of Epirus, and later the Kingdom of Macedonia. It was a very well-governed city and flourished because of its rich agricultural hinterlands and its role in the slave trade. Apollonia flourished in the Roman period and was home to a renowned school of philosophy, but began to decline in the 3rd century AD when its harbor started silting up as a result of an earthquake. It was abandoned by the end of Late Antiquity.

Monument of Agonothetes.

Column of Agonothetes monument.

"Tombstone with the Illyrian name Tritos, Platoros (Tritos, son of Plator), 2nd century BCE"

"Miliaria from the southern branch of the Via Egnatia leading to Apollonia with dedication to Marcus Aurelius, Archaeological sites of Apollonia of Illyria. Located near Pojani, Albania"

"Foundations of a temple located along the sacred road built in the 2nd century BC and possibly renovated in the 2nd century AD, Apollonia, Albania"

"The Odeon was used for both musical and cultural events as well as for political meetings. The Odeon was built in the middle of the 2nd Century BC and the combination between Greek art style and Roman technology make it architecturally one of the most interesting buildings of Apollonia. It is cut out in the rocks. The diameter of the cavea is 15m. The capacity of places was 150. For what was the theater, a hill side was excavated and an artificial dam which was created on the north western side. In late antiquity, the theatre was abandoned, and the church of Saint Mary was built in its place using stone blocks from the seats. The theater could give place to 7.000 spectators. It dated from Hellenic time but was rebuilt by the Romans."

"Roman library. The Library dated to the 2nd-3rd century AD, it had a square plan and was built on the ruins of an earlier existing Doric portico, Apollonia, Albania"