Hadrianopolis (Sofratike)

HADRIANOPOLIS (Sofratikë), ancient Epiro, modern Albania.

COORDINATES: 39º59’46.87’’N // 20º13’28.93’’E

TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. urban.
DATE: It has not been determined but about or after II A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY: 3.500 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing north-west. 58 m. diameter. Maenianum: It had two maeniana; In Ima cavea 12 rows of seats partially still survives, divided in 4 cunei. Curved outer wall in good conditions.
ORCHESTRA: 15 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: The stage building was 26,1 x 12,3 m. Scaenae frons had three doorways, marble and some pieces of statues has been recovered from it.
LOCATION: Ancient Hadrianopolis is south of Albania, close to Sofratike and 11 klm. south from Gjirokaster.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Cabanes, Pierre (Ed.); “Carte Archéologique de l’Albanie”. Tirana, Klosi & Benzenberg, 2008. // Sear, Frank; “Roman theatres: an architectural study”. Oxford University Press, 2006. // Ciancio Rossetto, Paola; Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio (eds); “Teatri Greci e Romani: alle origini del linguaggio rappresentato”. Rome: SEAT, 1995.

OUT OF PRINT: Hadrianopolis´ ancient theatre is in the middle of a vast green field, in a wide valley leading to the Alban-Greek frontier. One expects to find some poppies or spring flowers surrounding these beautiful theatre of Hadrianopolis, but nothing is further from these, in this broad valley grew thousands of concrete round trenches, like mushrooms after the rain fall, a dark reminder of the recent past.

Nikaia (Klos)

NIKAIA (Klos), ancient Illyria / Macedonia, modern Albania.

COORDINATES: 40º31’40.10” N / 19º45’22.93” E

TIPOLOGY : Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE: III B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 800 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north-west. 53 m. diameter. Built n natural hill, sustained by two analemma. It survives the bedrock that supported the seats. Cavea had 17 rows of seats. 14 inscriptions into wall of parodos have been found.

ORCHESTRA: Proedria is well preserved.

STAGE BUILDING: Foundations remains in bedrock.

LOCATION: In a hill, 200 m. from modern village Klos. Nikaia is very close to Byllis –in a hill side two kilometres-, although bad roads make tourtous the travel and spent more than one hour in arrivieng the place. Nikaia is 50 klm from Vlöre.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Sear, Frank; “Roman theatres: an architectural study”. Oxford University Press, 2006. // Ciancio Rossetto, Paola; Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio (eds); “Teatri Greci e Romani: alle origini del linguaggio rappresentato”. Rome: SEAT, 1995. // Cabanes, Pierre (Ed.); “Carte Archéologique de l’Albanie”. Tirana, Klosi & Benzenberg, 2008. // Ceka, Neritan; “The Illyrians to the Albanians”. Tirana, Migjeni, 2005.

OUT OF PRINT: My travel from Vlöra to Byllis and Nikaia ancient cities was a great adventure. It took me all the day to visit them. These ancient cities are 50 klm. east from Vlöre, but arrive them was a big toutous journey. I think these roads, paths in fact, have been the worst of all my life, through Albanian mountains with hundreds of small and outdated oil wells that gave the travel a fantastic Mad Max touch. A travel that takes less than 50 klm. took me over four hours, dodging potholes and asking the little people I met on the road about what was the right direction. Albanian people is wonderful, always willing to help with a great brotherhood. Close to Nikaia even a family kidnapped me and invited me to coffe... i was surrounded by all the family leaving smiles and gestures to communicate and talk... I could feel then that life is less complicated than we do, watching the hapiness of that family and looking the beauty of their eyes. When I was yet 4 klm. from Nikaia I had to left the car, the path was so bad that I was afraid of damage the rental car, I belived that road was a devil road even for a rally driver. I started up the hill and for my surprise I saw going down a couple of Mercedes from 70´s with no problem, as if them were floating on the road... I thought I was hallucinating, something that not surprised me because the heat was excessive. When finally I arrived to the ancient theatre I felt comforted with my breathing... there was not play, in fact  from 20 centuries ago there is not plays in Nikaia´s ancient theatre, only the simphony of the mountains, only the play of the look that lost the steeps in the infinity view. Nikaia... one place with not words... one place for breath.

Phoinike (Finik)

PHOINIKE (Finik), ancient Epiro, modern Albania.

COORDINATES: 39º54'49.50" N // 20º03'21.97" E
TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.
DATE: Late III B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Some roman ionic style fragments suggest the existence of a roman stage building.
CAPACITY: 5000 espectators ¿?
CAVEA : Facing south-west. Rest on natural slope.
STAGE BUILDING: 25 m. long.
NOTES: It has been partially uncovered, only orchestra and scaena.
LOCATION: Phoinike was in ancient times the political center of the greek tribe of the chaonians. The city remains are in Albania, close of modern Finik, 10 klm. far from Saranda.
BEDSIDE TABLE: Sear, Frank; “Roman theatres: an architectural study”. Oxford University Press, 2006. // Ciancio Rossetto, Paola; Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio (eds); Teatri Greci e Romani: alle origini del linguaggio rappresentato. Rome: SEAT, 1995. // Cabanes, Pierre (Ed.), “Carte Archéologique de l’Albanie”. Tirana, Klosi & Benzenberg, 2008. // Ceka, Neritan. “The Illyrians to the Albanians”. Tirana, Migjeni, 2005.

OUT OF PRINT: Not too much to see in Phoinike... maybe... the bones are covered, the body is in rest... but it is easy to think that all sleep under earth... and nothing can disturb these peace... I have a souvenir of that day... trying to acces to the theatre, looking for diferent points to taking photos I was trapped in a thicket and since then a scar on my leg remind me the rest in peace of Phoinike´s cavea... in other way I found the outer wall of the theatre and I could chek the huge size of the theatre, quite big.