Antic city of Apollonia

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The view from the top row of the seats offers a fine prospect of the sea and the coastal plain. To the right of the odeon are the remains of a small stoa, and a small square building that formed the foundations and lower walls of a Roman bath.Between the odeon end the bouleuterion are the foundations of four large columns. To the left of the odeon is the finely preserved large stoa, an impressive oblong building in front of an earth bank.It is about 75m long, with a twin series of marble columns running from north to south, with 17 insets for the display of statues. The lower floor has a perimeter of Dorian columns, while the upper floor was supported by Ionic columns.

It dates from the 3C AD and is an outstanding axample of late-imperial stoa design and construction , and evokes perfectly the mercantile atmosphere and wealth af the ancient city.To the west of the stoa is the theatre, a large Hellenistic structure dating from the 2C BC, but in poor state and in need of restoration. It could accommodate about 7500 people. It has only been partly axcavated.It appears to follow Dorian design concepts, and shows little trace of Roman or native influence. It is the largest theatre of this period to have been found in Albania. To the west of the theatre is a length of Roman street, and the foundations of a large Roman house with a mosaic floor.

Other foundations of Roman domestic buildings can be seen to the south of the theatre. Behind the stoa, it is possible to climb over the earth bank through brambles and other undergrowth, and over the remains of a Byzantine wall that was built across the site running north-south behind the stoa, to the original acropolis, which can be seen rising in the dinstance.To reach it involves walking across a flat area about 500m wide, partly covered with grass, partly with undergrowth. Very little of this side of the site has been exavated and much of the ancient city lies near surface.The area is thought to have been occupied largely by mercantile buildings during the Roman period, the masonry from which was removed and used to build houses and agricultural buildings in the medieval and modern periods in the nearby villages of Mbrostar and Pojan.

Below the acropolis to the north-west are the remains of the nympheum, known in antiquity as the Fountain of Cephisus .This was supplied with water from a dammed spring at the base of the acropolis. It is in a good state of preservation, largely thanks to being covered with debris after an earthquake in 4C AD.The water from the spring, after being contained in a structure 70m long, was piped into a large central basin surrounded with five Doric columns. It is generally thought to have been built in the 3C BC.

Returning across the site by the original route, to the east is a small acropolis , 1.27 hectares in area, with a few olive trees growing on it.This was the site of a temple dating from late antiquity, probably dedicated toApollo or Artemis, the foundations of which have been axcavated and can be seen. Excavators found some resemblances to the Temple of Assos, in asia Minor.The acropolis itself is thought to have been one of the first parts of the site to be occupied, with the wall on the east side having foundations that are thought to date from about 600BC, and indicate Illyrian settlement.

The wall here was about 3m thick. In the 4C BC, the city is thought to have spread to the south and south-west of this acropolis.Re-entering the central complex of buildings, you pass through the base of the entrance tower to the old upper city, and a monument to Apollo. Climb up the slope to the south side of the odeon, and immediately the massive masonry of theperimeter walls of the site are in front of you.A walk around the walls in this direction towards the church of St Mary is a rewarding experience, as they are on the whole in a well- preserved state and there is a wonderful viewover the valley east of the odeon.

After a short walk to a corner tower, turn towards the church and follow the walls south. In total they are about 4km in length and were constructed in different stages.The first large-scale fortification of the city undertook place in the 4C BC and with later construction in the 3C and in the time of Roman monarchs.At the base of the walls a short walk from this point is a monument to Apollo, dating from the 3C BC. After walking in this direction, climb up to the entrance in the walls at the base of the Monastery and Church of Shenmeri.

This is one of the most interesting and beautifull Byzantine buildings in Albania, and it also contains the Apollonia Museum, most of its treasures have been removed in Tirana for safekeeping. A few statues can be seen under the monastery closter´s roof.The monastery and church in general are thought to date from the first part of 13C, although there has been much learned discussion about dating of different phases of construction, and all authorities agree that substantial rebuilding has taken place in later periods.Masonry from ancient Apollonia is incorporated in the walls, in a way reminiscent of the original Athens cathedral, in Plaka. The surrounding closters were inhabited by the monks, and their cells and a variety of domestic and agricultural buildings can be seen around the perimeter.