Bassania was an
Illyrian city that came under
Roman control during the
Illyrian Wars
The Illyro-Roman Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Ardiaei kingdom. In the ''First Illyrian War'', which lasted from 229 BC to 228 BC, Rome's concern was that the trade across the Adriatic Sea increased after the ...
. It was located close to the ancient city of
Lissus in southern
Illyria, modern
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. The inhabitants of the city were called ''Bassanitae''. The time when the Bassanitae became ''
socii
The ''socii'' ( in English) or '' foederati'' ( in English) were confederates of Rome and formed one of the three legal denominations in Roman Italy (''Italia'') along with the Roman citizens (''Cives'') and the '' Latini''. The ''Latini'', who ...
'' of the Romans is still unknown.
Location
Carl Patsch identified Bassania with the village of Pedhanë or
Pllanë on the river
Mat entering the plain. A recent discovery in modern
Bushat village within the
Shkodër County
Shkodër County ( sq, Qarku i Shkodrës) is a county in northwestern Albania, with the capital in Shkodër. The county spans and had a total population of 197,177 people as of 2021. The county borders on the counties of Lezhë, Kukës and the co ...
suggests an alternative possible location of Bassania in this site. The ruins of the ancient city in Bushat extended in a surface three times of the ancient ruins of
Shkodër (nearest city), massive stone walls surrounded an area of about 20 hectares, were discovered by a team of Polish-Albanian Archaeologists in 2018. The city wall is massive. Measuring 3 meters thick, the wall is made from huge stone blocks packed tightly against each other. In between the stone blocks are earth and small stones filled in to close off any gaps. Ancient coins and portions of ceramic artifacts recovered near the walls date back to the 4th to 1st century BC, providing further confirmation of the age of the city ruin. The city seems to have existed until the beginning of the 1st century AD, which coincided with the end of the reign of
Roman emperor Octavian Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
. It was destroyed or abandoned during the Roman invasion.
See also
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List of settlements in Illyria
This is a list of settlements in Illyria founded by Illyrians (southern Illyrians, Dardanians, Pannonians), Liburni, Ancient Greeks and the Roman Empire. A number of cities in Illyria and later Illyricum were built on the sites or close to the s ...
References
Bibliography
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{{coord missing, Albania
Cities in ancient Illyria
Illyrian Albania
Former populated places in the Balkans