First Roman-Era Tomb found in Albania – Photo courtesy of Blendi Gonxhja
Once a byword for backward and mafiosos, Albania is experiencing a tourist boom, and sure to help the effort is the recent discovery of a Roman noble’s mausoleum.
Part of the Empire’s territory for 600 years, the south Balkan country has never dug up anything like the 29 by 19 foot long tomb, which likely belonged to an honored member of a wealthy family.
Grave goods included glass plates, knives, and fabric lined with gold, while the tomb walls are covered in Greek inscriptions that have yet to be deciphered largely.
“The inscription tells us that the person buried here was named Gelliano, a name typical of the Roman period,” the excavation’s lead archaeologist Erikson Nikolli said, noting that though inscribed in Greek, it had a Latin meaning. “We are uncertain about the identity of the second individual, but it is likely a family member.”
The discovery was made outside the village of Strikcan, near the border with North Macedonia. Many of the villagers came out to watch the excavation, which began when some locals informed the antiquities authorities of a large and unnatural stone formation up on a plateau.
Researchers from Albania’s Institute of Archaeology removed the large limestone slabs covering the tomb, which had been moved once before in modern times during a suspected plundering operation.
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Not known for its Roman heritage, the country nevertheless contains Butrint, a coastal city settled by Greeks, built by Romans, and administered by Byzantines which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It’s described as “a microcosm of Mediterranean history,” by UNESCO, which adds that it features “occupation dating from 50,000 BCE, at its earliest evidence, up to the 19th century CE.”
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