During August, the Albanian-French archaeological mission is working in this ancient city.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a post on social media that their activity was mainly focused on the study of archaeological material and some of the city’s monuments, such as fortification and entrance gates, as well as “terms” from the Roman period.

“The use of multidisciplinary methods such as geophysical surveys, topographic surveys, as well as photogphametry and orthophotos carried out on almost the entire surface of the city, have brought to light the full city planning of Illyria’s Apolonia,” Rama said.

This long-term project of the Institute of Archaeology and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Schools of Athens (EfA) and Rome (EfR), with the approval of IKTK – MEKI, is the main contributor to the recognition of the thousands of years of existence in Apollonia.

Apollonia was founded around the beginning of the 4th century BC, while the ruins of Apollonia were discovered in the early 19th century. In the following centuries, the city developed a rich culture and became an important economic and cultural hub in the region. It played a significant role in the development of Roman culture in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

Archaeologists call Apollonia “Pompeii of Albania”, as only 10% of the territory of the former city has been unearthed to date.

/sm/