numismatic finds clearly indicate close trade relations between Antigonea and other Hellenistic cities and states. Trade relations are also reflected in various items imported from Greece, such as black-glazed ceramics, amphora from Rhodes etc., through routes like the famous Via Egnatia and others which passed along the coast. The largest part of the inventory of archaeo- logical findings of Antigonea is preserved today in the National Historical Museum and in the Archaeo- logical Museum of Tirana. gentle in life”, as Plutarch wrote, he was selected among other young princes to marry Antigone. This marriage further appraised the figure and good name of Pyrrhos. Due also to the aid of his prudent wife, Pyrrhos managed to collect money and an army, and start off towards Epirus to reclaim the throne. Antigonea, the second city of the ancient Epirote province of Kaonia after Phoinike (Finiqi), both in size and importance, controlled the famous Via Egnatia connecting Dyrrachium (Durres), Apollonia and Oricum with the high- lands of Ioannina and Southern Epirus. Due to its important geographic position at a dominant point on the hill of Jerma, in the middle of the Drinos Valley, Antigonea has been recognized as representing the climax of an unprecedented development. The Drinos Valley, both because of its fertility and its strategic importance, was an early population center, witnessed by about 20 ancient cities and fortifications, monumental barrows and tombs, ancient temples and theaters. Without doubt, Antigonea has been the main center of the valley between Selo of Upper Dropull near the Greek border in the south to Hadrianopolis and Melan and up to Lekël at the northern end of the valley. The ancient city of Antigonea is situated in a spectacular location on the top of a ridge in the form of a dolphin, overlooking the entire Drinos Valley, surmounted by two peaks connected with each other by a narrow pass. The urban surface of the city within and out- side the fortified walls is estimated to have been about 60 ha. The city was surrounded by solid walls about 4,000 m in length, protecting the city from all sides, especially in the southern and western parts where the danger was greater because of the nature of the terrain.The fortifying walls and those of most of the houses discovered until now are made of large and medium size blocks of limestone extracted from quarries on Lunxhëria Mountain. Nowhere else can the establishment Antigonea Archaeological Park The National Archaeological Park of Antigonea was legally established in 2005 and covers an area of about 92ha (core zone). Together with the parks of Shkoder Castle, Lezha, Apollonia, Byllis, Amantia, Orikum, Finiqi and Butrint, it forms Albania’s system of archaeological parks. Antigonea has had an administration office since 2007 and employs six staff. How to get there You can reach Antigonea Archaeo- logical Park by car (4WD recom- mended) within about one hour from Gjirokastra. From the main square in Asim Zeneli, a signpost- ed hiking trail leads to the Park in about 2 hours. Opening hours Weekdays 8:00 – 16:00h Saturdays and Sundays 8:30 – 15:30h We accept visitors outside the opening hours only with special written authorization by the Park director and accompanied by Park staff. Entrance fee 200 Albanian Lek 100 AL for schoolchildren, students and disabled persons Free entrance every last Sunday of the month, except dur- ing June, July and August Tickets can be bought at the Park Administration Office at the main square of Asim Zeneli village or at the Park gate. Services The mini-museum offers exhibitions about excavations and other activities of the Park, and you can buy some souvenirs there. Your support is needed! Please help to keep the Park in good condition. Do not litter and prepare to take all your waste out of the Park with you. Do not step on the ruins or lean against the columns. It is strictly forbidden to make fire in the Park. As of the time of printing, Antigonea Archaeological Park does not provide any visitor services except a toilet, and you are advised to bring your own supplies of food and drinks. We are making continuing efforts to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Antigonea, the City of Pyrrhos’ Dream A brief history Antigonea was founded by Pyrrhos, the King of the Molossians, in the year 295 BC. The Molossians were one of the three tribes of Epirus (in today’s southern Albania and northern Greece), which grew to a strong state in this period. Antigonea de- veloped as an important economic, social, cultural and political center, and at the end of the 3rd century and in the beginning of the 2nd century BC took shape as a polis (city-state) and one of the most im- portant settlements of antiquity. The city was called Anti- gonea by Pyrrhos after his first wife, the daughter of the Macedonian nobles Berenice and Philip. Later Berenice married Ptolemy, the King of Egypt and successor of Alexander the Great, in the court of whom Pyrrhos got acquainted with Antigone. Besides his wife, Pyrrhos honored also his mother-in-law Berenice by naming after her a city in Epirus. When Pyrrhos was 17 years old, according to the ancient historian Plutarch, an uprising overthrew him as king. He was placed under the custody of King Demeter of Macedonia and later was sent to the court of Ptolemy. “Since Pyrrhos was artful to absorb powerful people and to hate cowards, while being kind and of fortified cities on the mountaintops, so typical for the ancient cities of present-day Albania, be studied in a more exemplary way. Antigonea is distinguished from other ancient cities through its quadran- gular and regular urban plan, similar to many Hellenistic cities of Greece. For the first time in the ancient cities of Europe, urban and architectural elements have been revealed that provide an idea of city planning, in- dicating that Antigonea had indeed been created upon decree, and not developed over time. Some small rural settlements identified outside the surrounding walls, and agricultural tools discovered in the excavations such as millstones and pithoi (large pottery jars for storing liquids), show that the city had a well-developed agricultural territory, something that the region is still famous for till this day. In the year 198 BC, Roman legions vanquished the army of Philip V, the King of Macedonia, near Antigonea. As geographer Strabo reports, in 167 BC Antigonea and 70 other cities of Epirus were ruined by the legions of Aemilius Paullus who took revenge for the damages inflicted on Italy by the Pyrrhic War. The later existence of the city is attested only by a small chapel. Its floor was decorated with a mosaic donated by local inhabitants, showing Abraxas, an eastern demon fighter, with a cockrels head, in battle against the powers of darkness represented by a snake. The church was the last building constructed in ancient Antigonea. It was likely destroyed in the Slavic invasions of the 6th century. Antigonea, the city that was built by an order of Pyrrhos in honor of his wife Antigonea as a sign of love, was burned in one night on the order of the Roman general Aemilius Paullus out of re- venge and as a sign of hatred, having flourished not even two centuries. Archaeological evidence Antigonea represents its challenging history with remnants from the 3rd to the 2nd century BC, and some buildings which be- long to the initial period of Christianity. It is not always easy to determine the ancient name of the ruins of a city, but a number of round cards made of bronze with the in- scription “ANTIGONEON” are the first epigraphic documents allowing safe identification. Archaeological expeditions have excavated a great number of articles for daily needs made of metal or clay. The rich inventory related to handi- crafts and agriculture indicates that these sectors played an important role in the economic life of the city. Artifacts found include scythes, hooks, chisels, adzes, hammers, compasses and different vessels made of bronze decorated with figurines of animals or mythological beings such as Poseidon, the Sphinx or sirens. At least part of these objects is of local production, which is proven by the workshops where they were found. Other branches, such as tanning leather, carving stones, woodcraft etc. were de- veloped as well. Numerous and varied examples of ceramics for daily use, artis- tic objects, molds for their production, a huge bulk of tiles and pithoi were found in the excavations and indi- cate a large production of pottery. Also discovered in Antigonea were over 500 coins, most of which What’s more to see in Antigonea? In the commune of Antigonea you can get in touch with all historic periods of mankind from prehistory to modern times. While the caves of Spile and Ladovishtë indicate that the area has been populated from the earliest times, the greatness of antiquity is represented by Antigo- nea. Three basilicas in the neighboring villages testify to the outset of Christianity, and the monastery of Erem in Spile, with Saint Nicola Church, is evidence of the era of Byzantium. The Otto- man period has left its traces through the architecture of 17th - 18th century houses in Tranoshishtë, and the trends of the communist period can be seen in the agricultural cooperative villages named after partisans Arshi Lengo and Asim Zeneli. Antigonea’s ancient street system King Pyrrhos are from Epirus and others from Ambrakia (Arta), Kerkyra (Corfu), Macedonia, Dyr- rachium (Durres), Apollonia, Oricum, Corinth, etc. These Pithoi interred in the tanner’s house Map: David Dehnert Antigonea ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK Albanian Mapguides