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About Butrint | Early Butrint | Roman Rule | Byzantine Rule
Battle for Butrint | Threats to Butrint | Bibliography
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Courtesy of The Butrint Foundation
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Early Butrint: Legendary and Archaeological Discoveries
As with many classical sites, the origins of Butrint often have been attributed to legend. In his national epic poem, The Aeneid, the Roman poet, Virgil, wrote the most famous legendary account of the discovery of Butrint. Virgil celebrates Butrint by claiming that Aeneas, the mythical hero of Troy, discovered the site on his journey to found Rome. Through Aeneas's eyes, Butrint resembles his beloved homeland. "I saw before me a Troy in miniature,"3 he exclaims.
This mythical account of the founding of Butrint has associated the classical site of Butrint with the origins of the Romans, arousing interest among Italian and Albanian archaeologists in Butrint's classical past. In contradiction to the legend of Butrint's Trojan origins, which would suggest a twelfth-century B.C.E. date for the earliest settlement at this site, archaeologists have not yet found any evidence to support such an early foundation.
The earliest archaeological evidence of Butrint's settlement dates to the eighth century B.C.E. During this time, Butrint was the center of the Chaonian tribe's territory. Corfiot traders, engaged in commerce between Epirus and the Greek colonies in southern Italy and a few Albanian ports, occupied the area. By the seventh century B.C.E., the Corfiots occupied the majority of the strategic coastal territory. Possession of this stretch of land ensured the Corfiots greater control over the Straits of Corfu and lessened the chance of attack on the Greek island. As archaeological evidence shows, this early Greek settlement on the acropolis of Butrint had a small port protected from invasion by polygonal fortifications.
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Courtesy of The Butrint Foundation
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By the fourth century B.C.E., almost three hundred years later, the coastal region was returned to the Chaonians who profited from the city's commercial success. During this time, Butrint developed from a small trading post into an urban center with the establishment of new settlements, administrative powers over the larger coastal region, and extended fortifications. The new walls encompassed the lower slopes of the acropolis running down to the shore, and six gateways were constructed within the walls to provide access to the city from the sea, lake, and land. To mark the growth of the new city, major public monuments were built in the sacred area of Butrint, including a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, the Greek god of Medicine.
Adjacent to the sanctuary a theater was constructed, financed by offerings to the god. This theater served several functions: it was a theater; it functioned as a chamber for the council of elders; and it was a religious meeting place for the citizens of Butrint. The original banks of seats had the capacity to hold an audience of 2,500, in 23 rows. At the twelfth row, a line of blocks, inscribed with dedications to Asclepius recording the release of slaves, separated the seating for the elite from the seating for the ordinary citizens.
During the time of the theater's construction, Butrint was one of the most important ports of the Greek world, its prominent fortifications and public monuments evoking the commercial and cultural potential of the city.
3Virgil. Aeneid (Book 3), cited in Ceka, Neritan. Butrint: A Guide to the City and its Monuments. (London: The Butrint Foundation, 1999): 12.
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About Butrint | Early Butrint | Roman Rule | Byzantine Rule
Battle for Butrint | Threats to Butrint | Bibliography
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