In the 2018 during a radical restoration in the church of St. Mary in Peshkëpi e Sipërme (Gjiroka... more In the 2018 during a radical restoration in the church of St. Mary in Peshkëpi e Sipërme (Gjirokastër, Albania) were discovered inside the dome of the cupola an assemblage of about 200 pieces of amphoras, broad-painted Amphoras, ceramic beehives and some other small finds and coarse ware pottery. Up to date the earliest assemblage of such a quantity and of its kind in Albania.
The olive it‟s the most important tree of the Mediterranean, its domestication has begun during t... more The olive it‟s the most important tree of the Mediterranean, its domestication has begun during the Neolithic in Greece, 6000 years BC, and about this time in Albania, due to its closeness with continental Greece. Planting increased in the 8th and 7th centuries BC and from the 5th century BC the olive was the tree of the Hellenistic world. The cultivation of olive and preparation of olive oil in Albania was the same as that of the neighboring territories; the most popular was the roman milling system, trapetum. This evidence is attested in the cities, small centers or rural settlements that are located in the Adriatic and Ionian Coast, which have a suitable climate for its cultivation. For the medieval period the cultivation, production and the circulation of the olive oil are in less in amount and regional. In the preparation of olive oil, in the family setting, were used the same procedures as in antiquity. The milling was done with millstones that perpetuated the roman trapetum, ...
During the expedition of this year, the work of the team was focused on the main quarter of the v... more During the expedition of this year, the work of the team was focused on the main quarter of the village (Kamenicë) and the suburb areas (Jominai, Qafë Katie and the modern village of Palavli). The quarter of Kamenicë. A prospection has been made in the south-west area, in the top of the big hill, in the buildings across the street Qafa e Pazarit and in the square with the same name. During the survey of this year, were studied 36 new houses (14-49) of the well-known type called “half-floor”. The fortified house no. 2 was completed, with the structures of the houses attached to it and the surrounding wall of the court that separate it from the church no. 1 in the north and the church no. 2 on the west side. The houses attached to the tower of the complex are similar to each other and with the houses of the village, as they belong to the same type, have the same technique of the walls. Between the house 2 and 3 of the complex there is a narrow channel for the collection of the rain water, which ends into a small pit. The churches of the village have a simple plan, a unique nave with a narthex on the west side and a court surrounded by high walls. Meksi-Riza in their surveys have studied seven churches spread throughout the village. During the work of this year there has been found a new church no. 12 similar to the others, in the square called Bregu i Kishës, near the cemetery of the village. For its construction were used carved blocks, around the ruins of the church there are traces of graves build with stone slabs. Jominai area is situated on the south-east of Kamenica, on the left side of Qafëdardha stream and in the north-east of Fiqt’ e Lape. There were found a church (no. 10) with part of continued walls on the south-west, which may belong to a monastery. The church has a three-conch plan, placed in the axis east-west, with three apses semi-circular from the inside. The nave is rectangular with dimensions 3,97 x 3-3,55 m and has a door (1,02 m) in the middle of the west wall. The east apse is preserved in almost all its height and has a small window circumscribed with tiles on the three sides and with a pumice slab. The church seems to be covered with a two-plan roof, while the apses with a semi-dome. In the ruins there were pieces of wall paintings colored in white, blue and red. Also there were found fragments of an amphora ornate with floral design (2nd half of XV sec. – 1st half of XVII sec.). Near the church, on the east side, there were found the ruins of a house of the type “half-floor”, but without the court and the surrounding walls. In the modern village of Palavli, the survey brought to light the church no. 11. It has a simple plan, a unique nave with a semi-circular apse with a simple synthron. The walls with width 0,65 – 0,70 m are built with tuff stone with lime mortar. The pottery found in the village of Kamenicë consists mainly in exemplars of tableware, pantry and storage ware and a fragmented oil-lamp coated with a thick vitreous glaze. The coarse kitchen ware is less represented with a total of only two or three fragments of body and handle; was also found a handmade baking pan, with poorly fired fabric, a convex profile and rounded rim, used to bake bread throughout the territory of Albania until the XX century. The majority of represented forms are cups with a low ring-base, hemispherical bowls, plates, blue-white painted jugs with pear-shaped bodies’ knife-trimmed disc-bases and flared necks. The types are characteristic for this historical period, “maiolica”, “maiolica azzurra berettina colorata”, “maiolica azzurra berettina”, “ceramica graffita policroma”, “invetriata monocroma”, “alla porcellana”, “ingobbiata e graffita” etc. The storage ware is represented by a jar with a paunchy body, a high neck with reduced exerted rim, two ribbon handles applied under the rim, with a yellow-ocher fabric, painted with abstract floral and vegetable motifs in green, red and brown under a transparent greenish glaze. Types of this jars are preserved in situ in the mosques of Xher-Mëhallë (XVI century) in the nearby Delvinë. The fine glazed ware dates starting from the second half of the XV century through the first half the XVII century. The types of wares found in Kamenica are typical for this region of the Mediterranean, since most part of their production is comes from the territory of Italy. The lithic assemblage of Qafë Katie represents a Palaeolithic site of at least two components: a) Middle Palaeolithic and b) Upper Palaeolithic. The Middle Palaeolithic consists mostly on discoidal products while the Levallois method is only very rarely used. Regarding the Upper Palaleolithic component, the lithics do not allow a clear definition of the different sub-periods. Generally, the lithics are heavily pseudo retouched and most probably re-deposited. Nevertheless further work at the site could potentially shed new light to these materials.
The use of glazed ceramics as "bacini" on the facades of medieval churches in southern Albania ha... more The use of glazed ceramics as "bacini" on the facades of medieval churches in southern Albania has long been known and studied on a few preserved churches.
Medieval history and archeology of the region that goes from Vlora to Prespa, from the 1081 to th... more Medieval history and archeology of the region that goes from Vlora to Prespa, from the 1081 to the 1385. The bulgarian period, the normanns, angevins ect, Churches, monasteries, castels, cities-Aulona, Berat, Canina, roads, sea and fluvial ports, pottery, coins, documents. New evidence from archeology and history data.
In the 2018 during a radical restoration in the church of St. Mary in Peshkëpi e Sipërme (Gjiroka... more In the 2018 during a radical restoration in the church of St. Mary in Peshkëpi e Sipërme (Gjirokastër, Albania) were discovered inside the dome of the cupola an assemblage of about 200 pieces of amphoras, broad-painted Amphoras, ceramic beehives and some other small finds and coarse ware pottery. Up to date the earliest assemblage of such a quantity and of its kind in Albania.
The olive it‟s the most important tree of the Mediterranean, its domestication has begun during t... more The olive it‟s the most important tree of the Mediterranean, its domestication has begun during the Neolithic in Greece, 6000 years BC, and about this time in Albania, due to its closeness with continental Greece. Planting increased in the 8th and 7th centuries BC and from the 5th century BC the olive was the tree of the Hellenistic world. The cultivation of olive and preparation of olive oil in Albania was the same as that of the neighboring territories; the most popular was the roman milling system, trapetum. This evidence is attested in the cities, small centers or rural settlements that are located in the Adriatic and Ionian Coast, which have a suitable climate for its cultivation. For the medieval period the cultivation, production and the circulation of the olive oil are in less in amount and regional. In the preparation of olive oil, in the family setting, were used the same procedures as in antiquity. The milling was done with millstones that perpetuated the roman trapetum, ...
During the expedition of this year, the work of the team was focused on the main quarter of the v... more During the expedition of this year, the work of the team was focused on the main quarter of the village (Kamenicë) and the suburb areas (Jominai, Qafë Katie and the modern village of Palavli). The quarter of Kamenicë. A prospection has been made in the south-west area, in the top of the big hill, in the buildings across the street Qafa e Pazarit and in the square with the same name. During the survey of this year, were studied 36 new houses (14-49) of the well-known type called “half-floor”. The fortified house no. 2 was completed, with the structures of the houses attached to it and the surrounding wall of the court that separate it from the church no. 1 in the north and the church no. 2 on the west side. The houses attached to the tower of the complex are similar to each other and with the houses of the village, as they belong to the same type, have the same technique of the walls. Between the house 2 and 3 of the complex there is a narrow channel for the collection of the rain water, which ends into a small pit. The churches of the village have a simple plan, a unique nave with a narthex on the west side and a court surrounded by high walls. Meksi-Riza in their surveys have studied seven churches spread throughout the village. During the work of this year there has been found a new church no. 12 similar to the others, in the square called Bregu i Kishës, near the cemetery of the village. For its construction were used carved blocks, around the ruins of the church there are traces of graves build with stone slabs. Jominai area is situated on the south-east of Kamenica, on the left side of Qafëdardha stream and in the north-east of Fiqt’ e Lape. There were found a church (no. 10) with part of continued walls on the south-west, which may belong to a monastery. The church has a three-conch plan, placed in the axis east-west, with three apses semi-circular from the inside. The nave is rectangular with dimensions 3,97 x 3-3,55 m and has a door (1,02 m) in the middle of the west wall. The east apse is preserved in almost all its height and has a small window circumscribed with tiles on the three sides and with a pumice slab. The church seems to be covered with a two-plan roof, while the apses with a semi-dome. In the ruins there were pieces of wall paintings colored in white, blue and red. Also there were found fragments of an amphora ornate with floral design (2nd half of XV sec. – 1st half of XVII sec.). Near the church, on the east side, there were found the ruins of a house of the type “half-floor”, but without the court and the surrounding walls. In the modern village of Palavli, the survey brought to light the church no. 11. It has a simple plan, a unique nave with a semi-circular apse with a simple synthron. The walls with width 0,65 – 0,70 m are built with tuff stone with lime mortar. The pottery found in the village of Kamenicë consists mainly in exemplars of tableware, pantry and storage ware and a fragmented oil-lamp coated with a thick vitreous glaze. The coarse kitchen ware is less represented with a total of only two or three fragments of body and handle; was also found a handmade baking pan, with poorly fired fabric, a convex profile and rounded rim, used to bake bread throughout the territory of Albania until the XX century. The majority of represented forms are cups with a low ring-base, hemispherical bowls, plates, blue-white painted jugs with pear-shaped bodies’ knife-trimmed disc-bases and flared necks. The types are characteristic for this historical period, “maiolica”, “maiolica azzurra berettina colorata”, “maiolica azzurra berettina”, “ceramica graffita policroma”, “invetriata monocroma”, “alla porcellana”, “ingobbiata e graffita” etc. The storage ware is represented by a jar with a paunchy body, a high neck with reduced exerted rim, two ribbon handles applied under the rim, with a yellow-ocher fabric, painted with abstract floral and vegetable motifs in green, red and brown under a transparent greenish glaze. Types of this jars are preserved in situ in the mosques of Xher-Mëhallë (XVI century) in the nearby Delvinë. The fine glazed ware dates starting from the second half of the XV century through the first half the XVII century. The types of wares found in Kamenica are typical for this region of the Mediterranean, since most part of their production is comes from the territory of Italy. The lithic assemblage of Qafë Katie represents a Palaeolithic site of at least two components: a) Middle Palaeolithic and b) Upper Palaeolithic. The Middle Palaeolithic consists mostly on discoidal products while the Levallois method is only very rarely used. Regarding the Upper Palaleolithic component, the lithics do not allow a clear definition of the different sub-periods. Generally, the lithics are heavily pseudo retouched and most probably re-deposited. Nevertheless further work at the site could potentially shed new light to these materials.
The use of glazed ceramics as "bacini" on the facades of medieval churches in southern Albania ha... more The use of glazed ceramics as "bacini" on the facades of medieval churches in southern Albania has long been known and studied on a few preserved churches.
Medieval history and archeology of the region that goes from Vlora to Prespa, from the 1081 to th... more Medieval history and archeology of the region that goes from Vlora to Prespa, from the 1081 to the 1385. The bulgarian period, the normanns, angevins ect, Churches, monasteries, castels, cities-Aulona, Berat, Canina, roads, sea and fluvial ports, pottery, coins, documents. New evidence from archeology and history data.
The church of St. Mary of Peshkepi e Siperme is situated 1km south of the village with the same n... more The church of St. Mary of Peshkepi e Siperme is situated 1km south of the village with the same name in the district of Gjirokaster, Albania. St. Mary's church is a cross-in-square or crossed-dome plan was the dominant architectural form of middle- and late-period Byzantine churches, featuring a square centre with an inscribed cross internal structure, topped by a dome. The church is centered on a quadratic naos which is divided by four columns or piers. The central bay is usually larger and is crowned by a dome which rests on the columns. To the west of the naos stands the narthex, or entrance hall, to the east stands the bema, or sanctuary, often separated from the naos by an iconostasis. The sanctuary is formed by three additional bays, each of which terminates in an apse crowned by a conch or a half-dome. The central apse is larger than those to the north and south. The term bema is sometimes reserved for the central area, while the northern section is known as the prothesis and the southern as the diakonikon. The exterior decoration of this of church, particular by the churches of the late 10th - 11th century is usually plain with reused remains of earlier buildings, little use of tiles all joined by the use of mortar in a "primitive" technique that precedes that of the earliest examples of cloisonné. To mention are the frequent finds of bricks with kufic elements and the tiles with recordings made with comb that date in the late 10th through all the 11th century. The form of the cross-in-square built is a plan is particularly common in all the provinces of the Byzantine Emprire, for example the churches of Preslav, in Bulgaria, in Greece and in Armenia. We may say that the cross-in-square church is an artistic development characteristic for the middle Byzantine period. In the 2018 during a radical restoration were discovered inside the dome of the cupola an assemblage of about 200 pieces of amphora and coarse ware pottery. Up to date the earliest assemblage of such a quantity and of its kind in Albania.
Les lampes trouvé sur le monastère des 40 Martyrs de Sébaste (Albanie). Un centre important de pèlerinage pendant l'Antiquité tardive, 2019
Les ruines du monastère des 40 Martyrs situés à proximité du port
d'Onhesmos a servi comme un poi... more Les ruines du monastère des 40 Martyrs situés à proximité du port d'Onhesmos a servi comme un point de référence pour les bateaux qui nageaient sur la route maritime qui liait l'occident et l'orient. Le monument des 40 Martyrs, par son architecture, son plan, ses espaces sous et sur terrain, sa technique de construction, sans mentionner ici ses fonctions, constitue un cas unique dans toute la Méditerranée, pour sa préservation soit au niveau souterrain ainsi que sur la surface. En ce qui concerne l'architecture, le modèle le plus proche est l'église Saint Polyeucte à Constantinople. Les données archéologiques provenant du monument sont nombreuses, différentes et concernent l'architecture, la sculpture du mobilier, la peinture murale, les inscriptions, les monnaies, la céramique (des milliers d'amphores et des centaines de lampes), des objets métalliques, en os et en verre, etc. La plupart de ces objets appartiennent à la deuxième moitié du Ve siècle et à la première moitié du VIe siècle.
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The quarter of Kamenicë. A prospection has been made in the south-west area, in the top of the big hill, in the buildings across the street Qafa e Pazarit and in the square with the same name. During the survey of this year, were studied 36 new houses (14-49) of the well-known type called “half-floor”. The fortified house no. 2 was completed, with the structures of the houses attached to it and the surrounding wall of the court that separate it from the church no. 1 in the north and the church no. 2 on the west side. The houses attached to the tower of the complex are similar to each other and with the houses of the village, as they belong to the same type, have the same technique of the walls. Between the house 2 and 3 of the complex there is a narrow channel for the collection of the rain water, which ends into a small pit. The churches of the village have a simple plan, a unique
nave with a narthex on the west side and a court surrounded by high walls. Meksi-Riza in their surveys have studied seven churches spread throughout the village. During the work of this year there has been found a new church no. 12 similar to the others, in the square called Bregu i Kishës, near the cemetery of the village. For its construction were used carved blocks, around the ruins of the church there are traces of graves build with stone slabs. Jominai area is situated on the south-east of Kamenica, on the left side of Qafëdardha stream and in the north-east of Fiqt’ e Lape. There were found a church (no. 10) with part of continued walls on the south-west, which may belong to a monastery. The church has a three-conch plan, placed in the axis east-west, with three apses semi-circular from the inside. The nave is rectangular with dimensions 3,97 x 3-3,55 m and has a door (1,02 m) in the middle of the west wall. The east apse is preserved in almost all its height and has a small window circumscribed with tiles on the three sides and with a pumice slab. The church seems to be covered with a two-plan roof, while the apses with a semi-dome. In the ruins there were pieces of wall paintings colored in white, blue and red. Also there were found fragments of an amphora ornate with floral design (2nd half of XV sec. – 1st half of XVII sec.). Near the church, on the east side, there were found the ruins of a house of the type “half-floor”, but without the court and the surrounding walls. In the modern village of Palavli, the survey brought to light the church no. 11. It
has a simple plan, a unique nave with a semi-circular apse with a simple synthron. The walls with width 0,65 – 0,70 m are built with tuff stone with lime mortar. The pottery found in the village of Kamenicë consists mainly in exemplars of tableware, pantry and storage ware and a fragmented oil-lamp coated with a thick vitreous glaze. The coarse kitchen ware is less represented with a total of only two or three fragments of body and handle; was also found a handmade baking pan, with poorly fired fabric, a convex profile and rounded rim, used to bake bread throughout the territory of Albania until the XX century. The majority of represented forms are cups with a low ring-base, hemispherical bowls, plates, blue-white painted jugs with pear-shaped bodies’ knife-trimmed disc-bases and flared necks. The types are characteristic for this historical period, “maiolica”, “maiolica azzurra berettina colorata”, “maiolica azzurra berettina”, “ceramica graffita policroma”, “invetriata monocroma”, “alla porcellana”, “ingobbiata e graffita” etc. The storage ware is represented by a jar with a paunchy body, a high neck with reduced exerted rim, two ribbon handles applied under the rim, with a yellow-ocher fabric, painted with abstract floral and vegetable motifs in green, red and brown under a transparent greenish glaze. Types of this jars are preserved in situ in the mosques of Xher-Mëhallë (XVI century) in the nearby Delvinë. The fine glazed ware dates starting from the second half of the XV century through the first half the XVII century. The types of wares found in Kamenica are typical for this region of the Mediterranean, since most part of their production is comes from the territory of Italy.
The lithic assemblage of Qafë Katie represents a Palaeolithic site of at least two components: a) Middle Palaeolithic and b) Upper Palaeolithic. The Middle Palaeolithic consists mostly on discoidal products while the Levallois method is only very rarely used. Regarding the Upper Palaleolithic component, the lithics do not allow a clear definition of the different sub-periods. Generally, the lithics are heavily pseudo retouched and most probably re-deposited. Nevertheless further work at the site could potentially shed new light to these materials.
The quarter of Kamenicë. A prospection has been made in the south-west area, in the top of the big hill, in the buildings across the street Qafa e Pazarit and in the square with the same name. During the survey of this year, were studied 36 new houses (14-49) of the well-known type called “half-floor”. The fortified house no. 2 was completed, with the structures of the houses attached to it and the surrounding wall of the court that separate it from the church no. 1 in the north and the church no. 2 on the west side. The houses attached to the tower of the complex are similar to each other and with the houses of the village, as they belong to the same type, have the same technique of the walls. Between the house 2 and 3 of the complex there is a narrow channel for the collection of the rain water, which ends into a small pit. The churches of the village have a simple plan, a unique
nave with a narthex on the west side and a court surrounded by high walls. Meksi-Riza in their surveys have studied seven churches spread throughout the village. During the work of this year there has been found a new church no. 12 similar to the others, in the square called Bregu i Kishës, near the cemetery of the village. For its construction were used carved blocks, around the ruins of the church there are traces of graves build with stone slabs. Jominai area is situated on the south-east of Kamenica, on the left side of Qafëdardha stream and in the north-east of Fiqt’ e Lape. There were found a church (no. 10) with part of continued walls on the south-west, which may belong to a monastery. The church has a three-conch plan, placed in the axis east-west, with three apses semi-circular from the inside. The nave is rectangular with dimensions 3,97 x 3-3,55 m and has a door (1,02 m) in the middle of the west wall. The east apse is preserved in almost all its height and has a small window circumscribed with tiles on the three sides and with a pumice slab. The church seems to be covered with a two-plan roof, while the apses with a semi-dome. In the ruins there were pieces of wall paintings colored in white, blue and red. Also there were found fragments of an amphora ornate with floral design (2nd half of XV sec. – 1st half of XVII sec.). Near the church, on the east side, there were found the ruins of a house of the type “half-floor”, but without the court and the surrounding walls. In the modern village of Palavli, the survey brought to light the church no. 11. It
has a simple plan, a unique nave with a semi-circular apse with a simple synthron. The walls with width 0,65 – 0,70 m are built with tuff stone with lime mortar. The pottery found in the village of Kamenicë consists mainly in exemplars of tableware, pantry and storage ware and a fragmented oil-lamp coated with a thick vitreous glaze. The coarse kitchen ware is less represented with a total of only two or three fragments of body and handle; was also found a handmade baking pan, with poorly fired fabric, a convex profile and rounded rim, used to bake bread throughout the territory of Albania until the XX century. The majority of represented forms are cups with a low ring-base, hemispherical bowls, plates, blue-white painted jugs with pear-shaped bodies’ knife-trimmed disc-bases and flared necks. The types are characteristic for this historical period, “maiolica”, “maiolica azzurra berettina colorata”, “maiolica azzurra berettina”, “ceramica graffita policroma”, “invetriata monocroma”, “alla porcellana”, “ingobbiata e graffita” etc. The storage ware is represented by a jar with a paunchy body, a high neck with reduced exerted rim, two ribbon handles applied under the rim, with a yellow-ocher fabric, painted with abstract floral and vegetable motifs in green, red and brown under a transparent greenish glaze. Types of this jars are preserved in situ in the mosques of Xher-Mëhallë (XVI century) in the nearby Delvinë. The fine glazed ware dates starting from the second half of the XV century through the first half the XVII century. The types of wares found in Kamenica are typical for this region of the Mediterranean, since most part of their production is comes from the territory of Italy.
The lithic assemblage of Qafë Katie represents a Palaeolithic site of at least two components: a) Middle Palaeolithic and b) Upper Palaeolithic. The Middle Palaeolithic consists mostly on discoidal products while the Levallois method is only very rarely used. Regarding the Upper Palaleolithic component, the lithics do not allow a clear definition of the different sub-periods. Generally, the lithics are heavily pseudo retouched and most probably re-deposited. Nevertheless further work at the site could potentially shed new light to these materials.
columns or piers. The central bay is usually larger and is crowned by a dome which rests on the columns. To the west of the naos stands the narthex, or entrance hall, to the east stands the bema, or sanctuary, often separated from the naos by an iconostasis. The sanctuary is formed by three additional bays, each of which terminates in
an apse crowned by a conch or a half-dome. The central apse is larger than those to the north and south. The term bema is sometimes reserved for the central area, while the northern section is known as the prothesis and the southern as the diakonikon. The exterior decoration of this of church, particular by the churches of the late 10th - 11th century is usually plain with reused remains of earlier buildings, little use of tiles all joined by the use of mortar in a "primitive" technique that precedes that of the earliest examples of cloisonné. To mention are the frequent finds of bricks with kufic elements and the tiles with recordings made with comb that date in the late 10th through all the 11th century. The form of the cross-in-square built is a plan is particularly common in all the provinces of the Byzantine Emprire, for example the churches of Preslav, in
Bulgaria, in Greece and in Armenia. We may say that the cross-in-square church is an artistic development characteristic for the middle Byzantine period. In the 2018 during a radical restoration were discovered inside the dome of the cupola an assemblage of about 200 pieces of amphora and coarse ware pottery. Up to date the earliest assemblage of such a quantity and of its kind in Albania.
d'Onhesmos a servi comme un point de référence pour les bateaux qui
nageaient sur la route maritime qui liait l'occident et l'orient. Le monument
des 40 Martyrs, par son architecture, son plan, ses espaces sous et sur
terrain, sa technique de construction, sans mentionner ici ses fonctions,
constitue un cas unique dans toute la Méditerranée, pour sa préservation
soit au niveau souterrain ainsi que sur la surface. En ce qui concerne
l'architecture, le modèle le plus proche est l'église Saint Polyeucte à
Constantinople. Les données archéologiques provenant du monument sont
nombreuses, différentes et concernent l'architecture, la sculpture du
mobilier, la peinture murale, les inscriptions, les monnaies, la céramique
(des milliers d'amphores et des centaines de lampes), des objets
métalliques, en os et en verre, etc. La plupart de ces objets appartiennent à la deuxième moitié du Ve siècle et à la première moitié du VIe siècle.