Abstract
FortNet places at the centre of its research the coastal region of ancient Chaonia (Southern Albania), an area still quite marginal in current studies, mainly concentrated on the bigger urban sites such as Phoinike, Antigonea and Butrint. The coastal region has its own autonomy from a geographical point of view, since it is limited to the West by the rather steep Ionian coast, having few and quite difficult docking areas. The inland Acroceraunian Mountains, to use the ancient oronym, exceeding 2000 mt. of altitude, represent, on the other hand, a rather important geographical natural limit. Nonetheless, today, as in antiquity, one of the few possible routes connecting the bay of Vlora to that of Saranda passes along this ridge, while the inlands routes go through the narrow canyons created by those few streams flowing into the Ionian Sea. The sea has a double significance for a traditionally internal region such as Chaonia: it is, at the same time, both a risk factor and a connecting element. These two elements strongly determine the creation of a rather dense network of small settlements and fortifications of various types that occupy the hills overlooking the Ionian Sea. These sites have been studied in the past very briefly, and in many cases no actual study exists or has been published. For the majority of them there is no archaeological and topographical documentation and for the rest only some sketches or rather generic descriptions are today available. The archaeological evidence seems to embrace an almost seamless long period of time that goes from the late Bronze Age to present times. For this reason, diachrony represents an essential research perspective for this project. The FortNet Project intends to provide a complete census of the open and fortified sites in this area, and a very detailed topographical documentation based on systematic surveys and the use of modern topographic and geophysical technologies based on high scientific standards. The archaeological documentation of housing and defensive structures, integrated by the study of samples of surface archaeological materials, will merge into a unified and shared Web geo-database, accurately structured in order to receive and share information between the members of the research group. Furthermore, the creation of a Web portal dedicated to the project is expected, which, on the one hand, will convey the spread of scientific research results, and, on the other, will provide an open tool for the joint publication of insights into the main documented archaeological and cultural evidence. In this way, it is also intended to encourage a constructive dialogue with local communities, whom are searching for the right and yet difficult balance between knowledge and protection of cultural heritage and the right to exploit territorial resources, which today are based on a triangle whose vertices are tourism, agricultural production (olive and citrus trees) and herding.
Results achieved
Results can be divided in the following categories. Fieldwork and site-specific results: • Fieldwork and survey coverage. Extensive fieldwork along the southern Albanian coast, focusing on the Porto Palermo and Borsh districts, the Ksamil peninsula–Butrint lagoon system and the Pavlla river valley, through an integrated, multi-scalar and non-destructive approach combining surface survey, topographic documentation and material-culture analysis, with site selection guided by remote-sensing products and multi-temporal analyses. • Intensive investigation of seven sites. Topographic and photogrammetric surveys at all fortified sites using drones, GNSS in NRTK mode, LiDAR and multispectral acquisition; intensive investigation of Kukum, Karos, Badhra, Ngura, Muzga, Borsh and Lukova, revealing long-term occupation from the Early Bronze Age to the Ottoman period. • Dedicated survey campaign in Borsh (Himara). A full-coverage systematic campaign producing a detailed site plan subdivided into fourteen areas, documenting public buildings within the citadel, terrace walls, a possible church, a watchtower, residential complexes and previously uninvestigated burials. • Comprehensive excavations and survey in Butrint (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Excavation, survey and advanced digital documentation of the settlement’s diachronic development and defensive systems, from the Archaic acropolis wall to the Hellenistic lower-city walls, with high-resolution photogrammetry and laser scanning; underwater surveys identifying the location of the ancient Pelodes harbour and the submerged remains of a Roman bridge pier. • New discoveries on the Ksamil peninsula and around Butrint. Identification of two previously unknown fortified sites, Kastriza (Dërmish) and Pallavraq, and of new structures on the Sotira and Kepin slopes, namely a three-apse church preserved to two metres, a Roman cistern with hydraulic mortar and a columbarium, pointing to a possible previously unidentified extra-urban Roman villa with later occupation phases; recognition of a ceramic production installation, the first documented in the Butrint area. Methodological and technical results: • High-resolution LiDAR. First ever made ultra-high-resolution LiDAR DEMs of the Butrint promontory and the southern Ksamil peninsula, supporting the identification of woodland-concealed features. • Data processing and spatial analysis. Orthomosaics, digital elevation models and detailed site plans at scales of 1:20, 1:50 and 1:100, integrated into a GIS environment for viewshed, least-cost-path and catchment analyses; relational database for the management of material culture from survey and excavation. • Reassessment of legacy data. Harmonisation and digitisation of archival documentation, historical cartography and earlier datasets, enabling a critical reassessment of the archaeological record and showing that several apparent gaps (e.g., Archaic and Classical phases) largely reflect the history of research rather than genuine discontinuities in settlement. • Geodatabase and WebGIS. Management and publication of a shared online geodatabase encompassing 75 fortified sites, complemented by digitised site plans, an openly accessible WebGIS and a shared bibliographic repository (https://fortnet.lad-sapienza.it/atlas/). • Standardised analytical framework. Definition of a descriptive framework making heterogeneous fortified contexts comparable, with parameters organised into three macro-domains (topographic setting, site-scale features and landscape-scale relationships) reducing interpretative subjectivity. Interpretive results: • Diachronic reconstruction of settlement. Reconstruction of settlement dynamics and evolution over the long period: Bronze Age sites projected towards coastal sectors and key access points (river mouths, alluvial plains), with a strategic role in controlling mobility and maritime connections, while Hellenistic fortifications form dense intervisible networks aligned with inland corridors; cases such as Borsh and Butrint illustrate long-term continuity and functional transformation, advancing beyond earlier typology-based models. Impact and dissemination: • Societal outcomes. Topographic documentation, digital models and updated site plans (as at Borsh) supporting heritage protection and conservation; open-access geodatabase and WebGIS improving access for researchers and local stakeholders, fostering sustainable heritage management and the decentralisation of cultural tourism; strengthened cooperation with Albanian institutions and transfer of knowledge and technical skills. • Dissemination and scientific output. The major results are the event programme and three conferences organised for the “Butrinto Cento” event (https://site.unibo.it/butrint/en/butrinto-100/programma) and the final knowledge transfer workshop at the end of the FortNet Project. Moreover, 16 scientific contributions (12 Open Access, 4 non–Open Access) have been submitted to archaeological journals and volumes, with one further works in press. Finally, 16 papers and posters were presented at national and international conferences and seminars, alongside a dedicated, regularly updated project website (https://site.unibo.it/fortnetproject/en).Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Enrico Giorgi
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Storia Culture Civiltà
Coordinator:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)
Total Eu Contribution: Euro (EUR) 181.411,00
Total Unibo Contribution: Euro (EUR) 96.193,00
Project Duration in months: 24
Start Date:
28/09/2023
End Date:
28/02/2026
