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Excavation

  • Tomb of Gjerbes
  • Gjerbes
  •  
  • Albania
  • Berat County
  • Bashkia Skrapar
  • Komuna e Gjerbësit

Tools

Credits

  • The Italian Database is the result of a collaboration between:

    MIBAC (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Direzione Generale per i Beni Archeologici),

    ICCD (Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione) and

    AIAC (Associazione Internazionale di Archeologia Classica).

  • AIAC_logo logo

Summary (English)

  • The tomb was discovered in the village of Gjerbës, in the lower part of a hill. In antiquity, the territory was part of the Illyrian koinon of the Byliones. It is thought that in antiquity, the branch of the ancient road passed through the area where the tomb is located. It passed through the territory of Bylis that traversed the valley of the river Vjose (ancient Aos) and connected the area with Epirus. It was accidentally discovered during agricultural works. The tractor working the land had broken the tomb stele, where an inscription was engraved in Greek. A cist grave with stone slabs and an urn were discovered during the archaeological dig. The burial rite was cremation. Both tombs were surrounded by a rectangular stone structure measuring 2.40 m, x 38 cm. The northern wall is 2.60 m high and has 5 courses, while the southern wall is 2.50 m high and also has 5 courses. Similar structures surrounding family graves have also been found in other important centres of Southern Illyria and Epirus, such as in Bylis, Amantia or Phoinike. The inventory of the graves consists of ceramic vessels from the 3rd century BC. The vessel inventory consisted of a krater, fragments of a hydria, two lamps, a table amphora and a pyxis. A clay figurine was found on the walls of the tomb showing a female figure sitting on a throne. Not far away, another figurine with a similar composition, but poorly preserved, was found. In the western part of the grave 4 bronze coins were found, which are coins of the Epirote Koinon and date between the third and second centuries BC. According to the inscription, one of the graves belongs to a male individual who bears the name MEΓAΛΗΣ.

  • Ulsi Tota - Institute of Archaeology 
  • Kriledjan Ҫipa - Regional Directorate of Cultural Heritage-Vlora 

Director

Team

Research Body

  • Instituti Arkeologjik Tiranë (Albanian Institute of Archaeology)

Funding Body

  • Instituti Arkeologjik Tiranë (Albanian Institute of Archaeology)

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