Saimir Shpuza | Instituti Arkeologjik (original) (raw)

Books by Saimir Shpuza

Roman Illyria and Epirus by Saimir Shpuza

Albanische Forschungen 50, 2024

This paper highlights the striking contrast between the elevated number of the cities in South Il... more This paper highlights the striking contrast between the elevated number of the cities in South Illyria during the Hellenistic era and their considerable decrease through the Roman imperial period. On the one hand, this led to the creation of metropolises controlling large regions bringing to end the extreme territorial fragmentation of the Hellenistic period. On the other hand, it determined an important demographic shift of the population near the main cities and adjacent to the main roads of communication. The result was the creation of a new series of settlements whose role might have been secondary compared to the main traditional cities. This new framework of territorial occupation in South Illyria projected important new patterns in terms of political, administrative as well as urban transformations, from the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD.

dans "Dalmatia and the Ancient Mediterranean: 50 years after John J. Wilkes’ Dalmatia", sous la direction de Audrey Bertrand et Emmanuel Botte, MEFRA 134-1, 2022, pp.103-136., 2022

This contribution is based on the latest results of the Albanian-French and Albanian-Polish excav... more This contribution is based on the latest results of the Albanian-French and Albanian-Polish excavations at five sites located around Shkodra Lake and the Drin Valley. The region corresponds to the southern end of the Roman province of Dalmatia and to the province of Praevalitana established in the period of Diocletian. The sites considered, spread over a geographical area of approximately 1000 km 2 , offer important information from the beginning of the Hellenistic period until the Early Middle Ages, creating the bases for a diachronic study on important historical sites, like Lissos, Scodra and Komani. The new results also allow the contextualization of several old data and a reconsideration of the general historical and archaeological framework.

Ancient Economy by Saimir Shpuza

Apollonia by Saimir Shpuza

Albanische Forschungen 50, 2024

This paper highlights the striking contrast between the elevated number of the cities in South Il... more This paper highlights the striking contrast between the elevated number of the cities in South Illyria during the Hellenistic era and their considerable decrease through the Roman imperial period. On the one hand, this led to the creation of metropolises controlling large regions bringing to end the extreme territorial fragmentation of the Hellenistic period. On the other hand, it determined an important demographic shift of the population near the main cities and adjacent to the main roads of communication. The result was the creation of a new series of settlements whose role might have been secondary compared to the main traditional cities. This new framework of territorial occupation in South Illyria projected important new patterns in terms of political, administrative as well as urban transformations, from the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD.

dans "Dalmatia and the Ancient Mediterranean: 50 years after John J. Wilkes’ Dalmatia", sous la direction de Audrey Bertrand et Emmanuel Botte, MEFRA 134-1, 2022, pp.103-136., 2022

This contribution is based on the latest results of the Albanian-French and Albanian-Polish excav... more This contribution is based on the latest results of the Albanian-French and Albanian-Polish excavations at five sites located around Shkodra Lake and the Drin Valley. The region corresponds to the southern end of the Roman province of Dalmatia and to the province of Praevalitana established in the period of Diocletian. The sites considered, spread over a geographical area of approximately 1000 km 2 , offer important information from the beginning of the Hellenistic period until the Early Middle Ages, creating the bases for a diachronic study on important historical sites, like Lissos, Scodra and Komani. The new results also allow the contextualization of several old data and a reconsideration of the general historical and archaeological framework.

Chronique des activités archéologiques de l’École française de Rome, 2015

Chronique des activités archéologiques de l’École française de Rome, 2014

L. Përzhita, I. Gjipali, G. Hoxha, B. Muka, Proceedings of the International Congress of Albanian... more L. Përzhita, I. Gjipali, G. Hoxha, B. Muka, Proceedings of the International Congress of Albanian Archaeological Studies. 65th Anniversary of Albanian Archaeology (21-22 November, Tirana 2013), Botimet Albanologjike, Tiranë 2014, 387-398.

L’Illyrie Méridionale et L’Épire dans L’Antiquité VI, eds. J-L. Lamboley, L. Përzhita et A. Skënd... more L’Illyrie Méridionale et L’Épire dans L’Antiquité VI, eds. J-L. Lamboley, L. Përzhita et A. Skënderaj, vol I, Paris 2018, 269 -278.

L'Illyrie Méridionale et l'Epire dans l'Antiquité VI, 2018

from: P. Dyczek, S. Shpuza (eds.) Scodra. From Antiquity To Modernity, Volume 1. Warszawa 2020, 1... more from: P. Dyczek, S. Shpuza (eds.) Scodra. From Antiquity To Modernity, Volume 1. Warszawa 2020, 103-187

Raporte germimi per fushatat e viteve 2011-2014 ne Shkoder. Botuar ne revisten ILIRIA 2012, 36; 2... more Raporte germimi per fushatat e viteve 2011-2014 ne Shkoder. Botuar ne revisten ILIRIA 2012, 36; 2013, 37; 2014, 38. Excavation report on the field campaigns at Scodra during the years 2011-2014. Published at ILIRIA 2012, 36; 2013, 37; 2014, 38.
Saimir Shpuza, Piotr Dyczek

Scodra From Antiquity to Modernity. A Companion to the Study of Scodra, 2020

Candavia 7, 2018, 369-395

Fortifications and Societies in the Western Mediterranean, 2020

The aim of this study is to present the concentration of urban and rural fortifications in the te... more The aim of this study is to present the concentration of urban and rural fortifications in the territory of the Labeates, describe their main technical features and discuss their function in the landscape. About 25 different fortified sites from the Iron Age to the Hellenistic period, have been identified in this territory. However, the article, will limit itself to discussing some representative examples.
The fortifications of three cities will be examined here: Scodra, Bushati and Lissos These urban fortifications demonstrate the Illyrians’ good knowledge of Hellenistic circuit wall building and suggests substantial financial resources at the disposal of their builders.
On the other hand, rural fortifications were the most important part of the Labeatian fortification system. Their role seems mostly to be military. We will try to categorize the rural fortifications by their function, size, geographical position and relation to the landscape. Many of the evidently prehistoric sites appear to have been reused in Hellenistic times. This conversion from the tribal territory of the Labeates to the extra-urban territory of the cities seems very important to point out. Topographical observation suggests that we are dealing with a planned system of fortifications comprising several related sites and not individual and isolated points of defence.

Antiquity, 2021

Investigations at Bushat in northern Albania during 2017–2019 have brought to light a massive for... more Investigations at Bushat in northern Albania during 2017–2019 have brought to light a massive fortification wall dating to the fourth century BC and enclosing approximately 20ha of hilly terrain. The wall is connected to the development of Illyrian settlements and the Hellenisation of the area.

Antiquity, 2021

Investigations at Bushat in northern Albania during 2017–2019 have brought to light a massive for... more Investigations at Bushat in northern Albania during 2017–2019 have brought to light a massive fortification wall dating to the fourth century BC and enclosing approximately 20ha of hilly terrain. The wall is connected to the development of Illyrian settlements and the Hellenisation of the area.

Novensia 30, 2019

The article deals with a Hellenistic structure situated extra muros of the Illyrian town at Busha... more The article deals with a Hellenistic structure situated extra muros of the Illyrian town at Bushati. The building was discovered in the early 1990s and interpreted as a fountain. Recent Albanian-Polish fieldwork at the site led to its reconsideration as a threshing floor. This fact provides new insights on the agricultural processes during the Hellenistic Period and leads to a better understanding of the peri-urban area of the Hellenistic Illyrian town at Bushati.

Schemata. La città oltre la forma Per una nuova definizione dei paesaggi urbani e delle loro funzioni: urbanizzazione e società nel Mediterraneo pre-classico Età arcaica, 2022

The geographical position of Orikos has given it a privileged location in the Adriatic Sea and ma... more The geographical position of Orikos has given it a privileged location in the Adriatic Sea and maritime traffic throughout Antiquity, until nowadays. A long historical tradition considers Orikos as a Greek foundation, created by the Eubeans around 700 BC. J.C.. The oracular lamellae of Dodona inform us that already in this century Orikos had its territory and that at the end of the classical period the city held the status of polis and was linked to Corcyra by a treaty of sympoliteia. Archaeological excavations, carried out on the site since 2007, by an Albano-Swiss collaboration, make it possible to compare archaeological data with historical sources with regard to the foundation and creation of the urban centre of Orikos. These new data, concede to reconsider some of these historical assertions and
lead to new questions concerning the character of the site during the 6th-5th centuries, the extension of its territory, as well as its relations with Corcyra, Apollonia and the Illyrian hinterland.

Nunc decet caput impedire myrto. Studies Dedicated to Professor Piotr Dyczek on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday. Edited by Krzysztof Narloch, Tomasz Płóciennik, Jerzy Żelazowski in cooperation with Janusz Recław, 2021

The present article focuses on an impact of the Caesar’s Civil War on ancient Oricum. The town, p... more The present article focuses on an impact of the Caesar’s Civil War on ancient Oricum. The town, provided with two harbours and situated only 80 km to the east of the Italian shores, played a key role as a naval base for the Romans. In Antiquity, it happened to be at the heart of an important battle between the Roman armies of Caesar and Pompey. Caesar himself described in detail the outstanding tactical efforts employed there in both naval and land operations. Recent archaeological investigation conducted within an Albanian-Swiss project confirms the facts transmitted by ancient written sources. A horizon of destruction in the main monuments of the town have been documented, thus testifying to the devastating aftermath of the war and subsequent complete abandonment of the town.

Meditarch 26, pp. 95-185, 2013

errata/corrige: (p. 125) plate 33, M010 =M012, M012=M010

Mediterranean Archaeology, 2017

Raporte germimesh te fushatave te viteve 2012-2014. Botuar ne revisten ILIRIA 2013, 37; 2014, 38.... more Raporte germimesh te fushatave te viteve 2012-2014. Botuar ne revisten ILIRIA 2013, 37; 2014, 38. Excavation reports for the field campaigns at Orikos 2012-2014. Published at ILIRIA 2013, 37; 2014, 38.

L'Illyrie Méridionale et l'Epire dans l'Antiquité, 2018

La campagne de fouilles réalisée par la mission albano-suisse sur le site d'Orikos en 2017. Jean ... more La campagne de fouilles réalisée par la mission albano-suisse sur le site d'Orikos en 2017. Jean Terrier, Saimir Shpuza, Gionata Consagra

SLSA Rapport annuel 2019, 2019, 2020

Rapport de fouilles : mission 2019 à Orikum (Albanie)

SLSA Jahresbericht – Rapport annuel – Annual report 2021, 2022

Rapport de fouilles : mission 2021 à Orikum (Albanie), 2022

Revue des Études Grecques, 2007

Depuis plusieurs années, l’Albanie constitue un terrain très fertile pour la recherche archéologi... more Depuis plusieurs années, l’Albanie constitue un terrain
très fertile pour la recherche archéologique. Des dizaines
d’équipes, principalement européennes, conduisent des programmes
de recherche de longue durée, sur une très large
chronologie et plusieurs problématiques scientifiques. Cette
journée d’étude vise à valoriser ces programmes archéologiques
et à réunir un certain nombre d’acteurs albanais ou
étrangers. Elle a pour objectif de mettre en évidence le renouvellement
des problématiques de la recherche et l’ampleur
des sujets explorés. Ce renouvellement compose une
nouvelle image de ces régions. Pierre Cabanes, décédé le 13
juin 2023, qui fut toute sa vie un scientifique engagé auprès
de ses collègues albanais, a souhaité offrir sa bibliothèque
professionnelle à la Bibliothèque nationale d’Albanie à Tirana,
pour que la jeune génération albanaise en bénéficie. Cette
journée d’étude sera aussi l’occasion de lui rendre hommage.

Le séminaire de l'IRAA a lieu à la MMSH en salle Paul-Albert Février.

À l’occasion de la présentation des recherches archéologiques de cinq missions européennes travai... more À l’occasion de la présentation des recherches archéologiques de cinq missions européennes travaillant en collaboration avec l’Institut archéologique de Tirana une journée d’étude sera consacrée le samedi 9 avril 2016 à Shkodra (Albanie) aux processus d’acculturation dans les Balkans occidentaux de l’Antiquité au Moyen Âge.
Les deux manifestations scientifiques (présentation en forme d’exposition le 8 avril et journée d’étude le 9 avril) auront lieu à Shkodra, « chef-lieu » d’une région marquée, depuis l’Antiquité, par de nombreux transferts culturels et contacts de populations différentes. Occupée dans l’Antiquité par les Illyriens aux marges du monde hellénique, la région a connu, à partir de la fin du VIIe siècle av. J.-C, des échanges avec ce monde grec, grâce notamment aux implantations coloniales corcyro-corinthiennes. À l’époque hellénistique, au cours des IIIe-IIe siècles av. J.-C., la région constitua le coeur du royaume illyrien, dont Shkodra et Risan devinrent les chefs-lieux. Cette période est bien documentée par les sources écrites qui décrivent l’intense activité des cités de la région, notamment leurs relations politiques, économiques et culturelles avec le monde grec, le royaume macédonien et Rome qui imposa peu à peu son autorité sur l’Adriatique. Les Balkans occidentaux devinrent alors la tête de pont de la future expansion romaine vers le nord danubien et l’est méditerranéen, tandis que les cités côtières devinrent des colonies ou des municipium. L’histoire de ces contrées à la fin de l’époque romaine montre que l’Illyricum occidental continua à jouer un rôle de carrefour, de communications et d’échanges entre les influences occidentales et orientales, y compris après 437 et son rattachement à l’Empire d’Orient. La société « illyrienne » connut ensuite d’importants bouleversements au Ve siècle avec l’arrivée des Goths et, au VIIe siècle, de populations slaves qui transformèrent la démographie de la région. Toujours dans la périphérie byzantine, les sociétés locales furent très influencées par les modèles byzantins, tout en continuant à entretenir des contacts économiques et culturels réguliers avec, d’un côté, le monde latin et, de l’autre, les Balkans orientaux. Au cours des Xe-XIe siècles, Shkodra devint alors le centre politique du royaume de Dioclée (Doclea) sous la dépendance de l’Eglise d’Occident et, plus précisément, de l’archevêché d’Antivari. Le sud resta, en revanche, sous l’influence byzantine qui culmina avec la constitution du Despotat d’Epire au XIIIe siècle.
Divers éléments de ces évolutions multiples et parfois contradictoires seront mis en évidence au cours de la présentation des résultats de l’étude archéologique des cinq sites dans le cadre de l’exposition inaugurée le 8 avril 2016, à la Gallérie des Arts de Shkodra. Dans le prolongement de ces recherches archéologiques, la journée d’étude aura donc pour objectif de faire le point sur les principales causes et les formes de ces processus culturels, politiques et sociaux sur le temps long. Elle sera aussi l’occasion de rediscuter, à la lumière des recherches historiques et archéologiques récentes, de l’intérêt et des limites de la notion d’« acculturation » pour l’histoire des sociétés antiques et médiévales de l’espace balkanique occidental et de l’Europe centro-orientale.

Conférence de l'IRAA, à la MMSH, 5, rue du Château de l'horloge, 13094 Aix-en-Provence

Poster of Exhibition in Shkodra

Acta Studia Albanica, 2010

La campagne de fouille effectuee par l’equipe albano‑helvetique en 2012 sur le site d’Orikos a mi... more La campagne de fouille effectuee par l’equipe albano‑helvetique en 2012 sur le site d’Orikos a mis au jour un monument tres particulier. Il s’agit d’un bâtiment modeste mais singulier, qui semble sans parallele exact dans le monde grec. Il est de plan carre, avec une seule assise de blocs, sans murs mais avec une toiture portee par douze colonnes. Le concept d’une telle construction est proche de celui d’un temple monoptere, donc un bâtiment ouvert, a toiture portee par des colonnes. Cependant tous les monopteres connus des mondes grec et romain sont soit circulaires, soit rectangulaires, jamais carres. L’article expose cette decouverte toute recente au public specialise et propose une discussion sur son identification.

Revue des Études Grecques, 2007

Mélanges de l’École française de Rome. Antiquité

Mélanges de l'École française de Rome. Antiquité

Bulletin de correspondance hellénique, 2009

Bulletin de correspondance hellénique, 2009

Bulletin de correspondance hellénique, 2009