Butrint National Park is one of the great archeological sites in the world, thanks to a rich history that goes back a couple of thousands of years. And that may be understating it - it's been occupied by man since the prehistoric days, Butrint was ruled at various times by the Greeks, Roman and Byzantines. With that sort of history, no wonder is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The first evidence of civilization seems to be around the 7th century BC. By the 4th century BC, the Greeks had set up quite a complex there. The theater was certainly one of the highlights. Then the Romans came along; Emperor Augustus wanted to turn it into a veterans' colony of sorts. New buildings were put up around the old Greek ones. An earthquake around the 200s AD demolished much of the area, which was starting to decline from its past glory. The Byzantines took control for good-sized stretches, although other groups turned up along the way. By 1572, the area was said to be more or less abandoned.
Representatives of Italy turned up in 1928, and the leader was an archeologist. He managed to squeeze in some digging even though his arrival had more to do with politics than ancient history. World War II and the Communist takeover delayed development of the ruins. A road to the site was built just for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the area in 1959. But eventually, the fascinating history of the area was uncovered - with, no doubt, more to come when further work is completed.
The one photo from my collection is nice, but a video is sorely needed.
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