2024
The tenth archaeological research campaign of the Butrint Project took place between 1st and 9th June and between 09th September and 02nd October 2024. As per agreements with the Albanian colleagues of the Institute of Archeology of Tirana and the Butrint National Park, the June campaign focused on the study of material culture found during previous activities both in Butrint and in the surrounding territory (2019-2023), while the the September campaign focused on the excavations on the Acropolis of Butrint.
The first aim of the fieldwork carried out in June was the study of findings discovered over the past four years of excavations on the Acropolis of Butrint and during the fieldwalking surveys in fortified hilltop sites of ancient Chaonia. Spanning from the Bronze Age up to the late 1700s and including a wide variety of vessels, bronze and glass objects, coins, bricks, tiles, and even weapons, these all have an important role in understanding how people lived on the Acropolis over centuries.
The second aim was the structured-light 3D laser scanning of the Roman Imperial portraits in the Butrint museum. After the acquisition and post processing of data, we will be able to create 3D digital models useful both for research and for public accessibility of these cultural heritage.
The excavation of September 2024 focused in two different areas of the Acropolis. The first one, close to the area already dug in 2023, was chosen because the crest of two long walls and several architectural decorations were visible off the ground. The excavation of the area bought to light a small building probably related to the last phases of occupation of the Acropolis, when the once public building were turned into private ones, as the discovery of an intact child burial shows. The second area interested by excavation is located right outside the fortifications of the Acropolis, which was really useful to implement our knowledge on the construction techniques of the Archaic wall circuit of the city.
At the same time, we were able to grow our datasets and information on the life on the Acropolis of Butrint by continuing the studying and recording of materials found during previous and this year excavation as well as by extending the topographic survey to the Venetian castle and the cisterns on the eastern side of the Acropolis.
Finally, we reprised the research on the maritime archaeology of the city, this time focusing on the contemporary era with a joint ethnographic and digital approach: thanks to several interviews to local fishermen, we could gather information on the recent history of their boats and their use and, at the same time, we surveyed via LiDAR one of their boats in order to obtain a 3D model suitable for studying construction techiques.
Both fieldwork campaigns were also made possible thanks to the support and participation to the PRIN 2022 FortNet Project.
June Team: Enrico Giorgi, Anna Gamberini, Federica Carbotti, Giacomo Sigismondo, Giorgia Angelica Chatzidakis, Francesco Pagliani, Gianluca Rizzi, Diego Machetti.
September Team: Enrico Giorgi, Belisa Muka, Nadia Aleotti, Federica Carbotti, Veronica Castignani, Francesca D'Ambola, Giacomo Sigismondo, Giorgia Angelica Chatzidakis, Ana Paci, Carlo Bicchierai, Diego Machetti, Giuliana Fichera, Gregorio Zanin, Gianluca Rizzi, Matteo Raggi, Omar Chiste', Rebecca Pietralunga, Stefano Medas, Alessandro Zoppini, Vincenzo Baldoni, Davide Giubileo.