Butrint 4: The Archaeology and Histories of an Ionian Town (Butrint Archaeological Monographs)

This richly illustrated volume discusses the histories of the port city of Butrint, and its intimate connection to the wider conditions of the Adriatic. In so doing it is a reading, and re-reading, of the site that adds significantly to the study of Mediterranean urban history over the longue durée . Firstly, the book proposes a new paradigm for the development-history of Butrint - based on discussions of the latest archaeological, historical and landscape studies from approximately 20 new excavations and surveys, together covering a temporal arch from prehistory to the early modern period. Secondly, it examines how the perception of the city influenced the archaeological methodology of 20th-century studies of the site, where iteration and reversal were often being applied in equal measure. In this it asks important questions on the management of heritage sites and the contemporary role of archaeological practise. Inge Lyse Hansen is Adjunct Professor of Art History at John Cabot University and specialises in the visual and material culture of the Roman world. She has published on portraiture, funerary art and the use of role models and patronage and has edited several archaeological volumes. Richard Hodges is Scientific Director of the Butrint Foundation, a leading medieval archaeologist and the author of more than 20 books. Sarah Leppard has led or participated in more than 15 excavations in eight countries and has managed major excavations at Butrint. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface and acknowledgements Chapter 1: Excavating away the ‘poison’: the topographic history of Butrint, ancient Buthrotum Chapter 2: Landscape and environmental change: new perspectives Chapter 3: Butrint and the Pavllas River Valley in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age Chatper 4: The acropolis of Butrint reassessed Chapter 5: The aqueduct of Butrint Chapter 6: The Roman Bridge of Butrint Chapter 7: Roman sculpture from Butrint: a reviewof recent finds Chapter 8: The Vrina Plain settlement between the 1st–13th centuries Chatper 9: Two Roman mausolea on the Vrina Plain Chapter 10: The western cemetery: archaeological survey of Roman tombs along the Vivari Channel Chapter 11: The Great Basilica: a reassessment Chapter 12: The medieval church and cemetery at the Well of Junia Rufina Chapter 13: The Western Defences Appendix: The glass from Tower 1 in the Western Defences Chapter 14: Material boundaries: the city walls at Butrint Chapter 15: Late Venetian Butrint: 16th–18th centuries Chapter 16: The Castle of Ali Pasha at Butrint Chatper 17: Archaeologists as placemakers: making the Butrint National Park List of photographers and illustrators Index Plates Butrint 4 discusses the histories of the port city of Butrint in its extraordinary setting as a gateway to the Mediterranean. It is a reading and re-reading of the site that adds significantly to the study of Mediterranean urban history over the longue duree: from prehistory to the early modern period. The book presents new archaeological, historical and landscape studies, and proposes a new paradigm for the development of Butrint. Each of the studies illustrates the importance of studying a Mediterranean town not just for its celebrated moments in time but also for those periods when it was reduced to little more than fortified fishing-traps. Butrint 4 also examines how the perception of the city influenced the archaeological methodology of 20th-century studies of the site. In doing this it asks important questions about the management of heritage sites and the contemporary role of archaeological practice. The aim is to review all aspects of the archaeology and history of Butrint, paying special importance to its long history as a fortified port and its significance as a point of access into a fertile micro-region