Summary (English)
Excavations in the northern-most tower of the western defensive wall at the ancient site of Butrint, were continued in 2006.
During the excavations, directly above a beaten earth floor of the tower, the complete remains of at least twelve stemmed Venetian drinking glasses and a number of glass platters were found. In addition, a number of iron knives, two unusual glazed 8th/9th-century chafing dishes (portable ovens) and a unique group of at least eight complete ceramic vessels, mostly of local fabrics, were found. One of the chafing dishes may be of south Italian origin; the second appears to be locally produced. Pottery sherds displaying incised wavy-line decoration – so-called Slavic wares – were also found in the Tower.
The floor of the structure was sealed by a thin charcoal-rich layer, dated by radiocarbon dating to the 9th century and then a deep deposit of broken roof tiles; evidently the charcoal layer represents a catastrophic fire in which the tower’s tiled roof collapsed inwards. Shortly thereafter part of the tower walls tumbled into the interior and the tower was not re-built until the 13th or 14th century. The elite assemblage of ceramics and glass of the late 8th and early 9th century, appear to represent the contents of a formal dining room of the tower’s occupant who was plainly a person of high status at this time.
Director
- Richard Hodges - ICAA-International Center for Albanian Archaeology / IWA-Institute of World Archaeology, University of East Anglia
Team
- Matthew Logue - ICAA-International Center for Albanian Archaeology / IWA-Institute of World Archaeology, University of East Anglia
- Solinda Kamani - Instituti i Monumenteve të Kulturës Tiranë (Albanian Institute of Monuments of Culture)
Research Body
- IWA - Institute of World Archaeology, University of East Anglia
Funding Body
- Butrint Foundation
- Packard Humanities Institute
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