DATES

AT BUTRINT

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

c. 700 B.C.E.

The earliest settlement at Butrint.

The warlord, Jimmu Tenno, forms the first united Japanese empire c. 700.

168 B.C.E.

The Romans gain control of the region, including Butrint.

In 168 B.C.E., Judas Maccabee leads the Jews to recapture the Temple at Jerusalem.

49-44 B.C.E.

Julius Caesar visits Butrint and decrees it a Roman colony.

In Rome, Caesar has defeated all of his enemies by 49 B.C.E. He is assassinated in 44 B.C.E.

361 C.E.

Major earthquakes in Epirus, including Butrint.

In 400 C.E., the Kingdom of Ghana, the first major trans-Saharan state in West Africa, is formed.

550-610 C.E.

Byzantine Empire loses Epirus to the Slavs, who rule for three centuries.

In 622 C.E., Muhammad makes the journey from Mecca to Medina, known as Hegira, marking the foundation of Islam.

1081-5

Byzantine rule returns. Normans briefly occupy Butrint, culminating in a sea battle with the Byzantines in the Bay of Butrint.

In 1086, William the Conqueror orders the Domesday survey.

1236

Period of rule by Greek despots of Epirus.

In 1215, the Magna Carta (Great Charter) is signed. That same year, Genghis Khan overruns northern China, one of his first steps in building his vast Mongol empire.

1279

Despot Nikephoros surrenders Butrint and other coastal territories to Charles of Anjou.

1386

Republic of Venice seizes Corfu and Butrint.

In 1348, the Plague, known as the Black Death, first appears in Europe and Egypt.

1453

Ottoman forces attack the castle of Butrint. Venetians successfully resist.

In 1453, Ottoman Turks finally capture Constantinople, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire.

1798

Ali Pasha invades Butrint, beginning Turkish control of the city.

Napoleon invades Egypt in 1798.

1814

The British overtake the Ionian Islands, posing a major threat to Ottoman control of Butrint.

War of 1812, between Britain and the U.S., ends in 1814.

1928

An Italian mission headed by Luigi Ugolini starts the first archaeological excavations at Butrint; the work continues until 1940.

In 1929, Vatican City is established as an independent state. This same year, Wall Street crashes and begins a world economic depression.

1944

Following the war, the communist government creates an Albanian Institute of Archaeology, which continues research and excavation programs at Butrint. The Institute of Monuments directs monument conservation and restoration works.

In 1945, the United Nations is founded and the Potsdam Conference effectively divides Europe into Western and Russian spheres.

1992

Butrint is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

1992 marks the official reunification of Germany.

1993

The Butrint Foundation is established in London, aiming at the protection, conservation, and archaeological research of Butrint.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela becomes president of post-apartheid South Africa.

1995-1997

The Butrint Foundation, with funds provided by the World Monuments Fund, develops a conservation program for the area. The site is looted during the civil unrest that sweeps the nation in March 1997.

In 1996, the sheep Dolly, the first clone of a mammal, is created by scientists at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland. On July 1, 1997, after 156 years of British rule, Hong Kong is returned to China.

1999

The Albanian Government declares a 29 km² National Park around Butrint to protect the site from development. UNESCO supports the action by the enlargement of the World Heritage site of Butrint to cover the historic landscape of the area.

In April 1999, two students go on a shooting rampage in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They kill 12 students, 1 teacher and themselves.