Time-travel to Amantia: discover the ancient city in Albania

The influence of the Illyrian Empire on today’s Albania is well-known to everyone. Behind them, they left various forts, supplies, and even cities, however not every single one has been talked about as much. One such lesser-known ancient city is called Amantia, and it is located near Vlora.

Situated on the hill in the nearby Ploce (alb. Ploçë) village, 600 meters above sea level, Amantia was first mentioned around the 4th century BC as the settlement of the ancient Amantes tribe. Although it is not fully clear who exactly the Amenities were, it has been guessed to be either Greek or Illyrian, as the ancient city was located at the very border between Illyria and Epirus.

Amantia, Photo: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

According to sources, Amantia, much later, at the time of the Roman Empire, became a fully fortified acropolis. It had a 2-kilometer-long wall around it, a gate, the temple of Aphrodite, tombs, and a basilica. In addition, the city had its stadium with 25 rows of seating area and was used for all sorts of sports. The stadium is around 60 meters long and 12.5 meters wide and could have accommodated around 4000 people.

Amantia stadium, Photo: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

Although this mysterious city lost its value under the leadership of the Roman Empire and was eventually abandoned in the 6th century BC, today is one of the largest archaeological sites that is still not fully discovered. Amantia is definitely worth the visit.

In order to reach it, you will have to go by foot up the hill on not-so-well-marked roads, so make sure to have proper shoes and equipment. The ticket price to view Amantia is 2 euros or 200 lek and it is open from 8:00 am until 4 pm in winter, while in summer, it is open from 9:00 am to 2 pm, and again from 3 pm until 8 pm.