Fieldwork at "Scodra" 2014

Abstract

Scodra (Alb. Shkodër 1 ) is located in northern Albania on the eastern shore of Lake Shkodër. The Antiquity of Southeastern Europe Research Centre, University of Warsaw, hascarried out fieldwork theresince 2011 with Albanian colleagues, while several earlier archaeological investigations also took place there in the 20th c. 2 Scodra was the capital of Illyria in the 3rd and 2nd c. bC until its annexation by the Roman Republic. In imperial times, Scodra became a colonia. During the Middle Ages, the town and especially its impenetrable fortress Rozafa were fought over by the Slavs (Serbs), the venetians and the ottomans, who named the town İşkodra, referring to Iskenderun (Alexandria). 3 Like in the previous seasons, the 2014 campaign (12 May – 6 June), was focused on various areas atop the local castle hill. The fortress (“Rozafa”) was built around 1 Also known as Scutari or Skutari, the Polish form is Szkodra. 2 For earlier research and literature see: M. LEMKE, Fieldwork at Scodra 2011, “Światowit” IX (L)/A (2011), 2012, 209–214; idem, Fieldwork at Scodra 2012, “Światowit” X (LI)/A (2012), 2013, 177–183; idem, Fieldwork at Scodra 2013, “Światowit” XI (LII)/A (2013), 2014, 217–225. our work is kindly supported by the National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki), within the project “Albanian- -Polish archaeological research in the Illyrian capital Scodra” (Albańsko-polskie badania archeologiczne w stolicy Ilirii – Szkodrze), DEC-2014/13/b/hS3/04836. 3 As noted by the ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi: There are three iskenderuns or Alexandrias in the ottoman empire. one is this Albanian iskenderiyye (Shkodra). The second, called iskenderun, is on the shore of the Mediterranean, one caravan stage from Aleppo, and serves as the port for that city. The third is Alexandria in egypt, which in greek is called Alexandria Pyrgos, or Alexander’s castle, quoted after: R. DANKoFF, R. ELSIE (eds.), evliya Çelebi in Albania and Adjacent regions (Kosovo, Montenegro, ohrid), Leiden 2000, 29-30. 4 Regarding the history of Rozafa: M. LEMKE, Szkodra – legenda wielu epok,“Archeologia Żywa” 58, 2011, 14–19; idem, Fieldwork at Scodra 2013...; G. KARAISKAJ, die spätantiken und mittelalterlichen Wehranlagen in Albanien, hamburg 2010, 240–244. Specifically on thefamous siegein 1478: M. bARLETI, The Siege of Shkodra. Albania’s courageous Stand against ottoman conquest. Translated and edited by david Hosaflook, Tirana 2012. 5 M. LEMKE, Fieldwork at Scodra 2011..., 211–212; A. łAJTAR, J. ŻELAzoWSKI, Le nuove iscrizioni provenienti da Scodra (Albania) e il nuovo v(ir) e(gregius) ducenarius,“zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik” 192, 2014, 273–283. 1360 by GeorgeII balšić(balsha)and later modified under venetian and ottoman rule. The castle had a very intense history throughout theages. 4 Even though thearchaeological remains on the hilltop are almost exclusively Medieval or later, every now and then traces of the arguably important history of Scodra in Antiquity can also be found, like a magnificent inscription documented in a cistern in 2011.