The excavations at Hadrianopolis are well worth a visit. The excavated area is small and the main point of interest is the theatre, which is quite well preserved and very atmospheric.
Although the settlement existed from the late Classical or Hellenistic period, it was re-founded in the 2nd century CE by the Emperor Hadrian and became the city of Hadrianopolis.
In its earlier phase the settlement held a strategic position on the road system connecting pre-urban settlements of the ancient region of Epirus which were spread across the Drino valley. The well-cut stone foundations of a Hellenistic temple show that the settlement became increasingly urbanized during the 4th and 3rd centuries, and ceramics and other building remains provide evidence that the city continued to develop even after the Roman conquest of Epirus in 168 BCE.
The occupants of the settlement were Chaones, a Greek speaking tribe which inhabited several centres in this part of ancient Epirus and who were allies of Rome. It was for this reason that the settlement was spared and flourished after the conquest, unlike those Epirote cities which had sided with the Macedonians and suffered a terrible fate: they were razed to the ground and the inhabitants sold into slavery.
During the reign of Hadrian the settlement was refounded, testament to its strategic function as a hub for surrounding communities. It attained the rank of city and was named Hadrianopolis, becoming the administrative centre for the Drino valley. A building programme reoriented the existing forum and urban essentials such as baths and a theatre were constructed.
Only a small part of the city has been excavated, but geophysical surveys show that the settlement extended over an area of roughly 350m E/W by 400 m N/S in a rectangular layout. It was planned on a grid system, with streets intersecting at right angles. Dwellings included large peristyle houses which are also found at other sites in the surrounding area from the late Classical/Hellenistic period onwards.
The excavations visible today reveal part of the forum and the theatre. The second century CE baths were built just to the east of an area which seems to have been the public heart of the city as it featured an open space and the foundation platform of a small Hellenistic temple. The blocks of the platform are of well-cut limestone. Traces of other buildings, dating to the earlier settlement can also be discerned, some of which were demolished to make the new forum for Hadrianopolis.
The baths comprise the usual suite of rooms, but the remains are a little confusing due to several phases of rebuilding. You can make out an inner courtyard with rooms around it and this has been dated to the 3rd century CE when the Hadrianic period complex was rebuilt and reduced in size. The roughly built walls outside the west wall date to the 6th century CE (possibly later) and represent yet another building phase in this area – probably rooms for habitation.
The fact that there was an ancient settlement at the location has been known since the early 19th century, as travellers reported the remains of a structure which must have been the upper part of the theatre. The rest of the theatre, and indeed the settlement, were hidden under silt. Analysis shows that the silt was not simply the result of flooding in the plain but is mostly wind-blown loess from the surrounding hills. Today the valley floor seems flat, but in fact the settlement was situated on a shallow ridge above the flood plain of the Drino, centuries of loess, and agricultural activity in the valley have evened out the area of the site.
The theatre is the best preserved part of the site. It was originally excavated in the 1980s and is considered to date from the 2nd century CE, that is the founding of Hadrianopolis, though, like the bath complex, several phases of construction are visible. There seem to have been issues with subsidence during the life of the theatre, as exterior piers were added and the south west supporting wall was partially rebuilt.
The theatre is quite small and the cavea has two stairways dividing the seating instead of the usual three, thus there are three ‘wedges’ of seats divided into upper and lower sections by the diazoma walkway. The seating was accessed via exterior stairs as well as side entrances, and visitors to the site can walk up the stairs and into the seating area much as an ancient theatre-goer would have done. Look out for the ‘VIP’ seats on the lowest row as some of the lion footed terminals are still in situ. The orchestra is quite well preserved with the original limestone slabs, and you can see the drain at the edge. Unfortunately, the facings of the proscenium and the scena have been robbed, but you can still see some of the architectural elements lying around the proscenium itself.
Just as the baths were remodeled and reused in the later life of the city, so the theatre underwent changes. The University of Macerata, Italy, have been excavating Hadrianopolis since 2005* and they discovered evidence for the decline of the city in the 4th century CE, but then another period of construction during the 6th century. Some scholars have argued that the city was actually refounded and renamed Justinianopolis at this time, since written sources cite a city of that name in the area, but others dispute the claim and locate Justinian’s foundation on the other side of the valley.
However, during this period a crude building was constructed on the east side of the cavea of the theatre, using stone from the theatre itself. It has been suggested that the theatre may have been converted into some kind of defensive building The presence of a stone capital with crosses found in the parados indicates that at some point a church was constructed in and over part of the theatre. It was during this later period that the baths were converted for habitation and some older buildings demolished to make way for less well-built houses and shops. Some of this rough construction continues into the 7th century, but silt deposits also appear and the city starts to be abandoned to the countryside during that century.
The necropolis for the ancient city was outside the city limits, spreading up into the lower ridges of the hillside. Burials dot the area but most have been robbed or ruined by modern construction or drainage ditches. Excavations have brought to light six single burials with an accompanying shrine, and surveys have recorded many stone-lined cists with carved lids. Inscriptions on the grave stele give dates from the 2nd to 4th centuries CE.
Excavations at the site have also revealed large quantities of high quality finds and ceramics (some of which are on show in the museum in the castle in Gjirokaster). The quantity and quality of the ceramic material, including imports, show the importance of the position of the city for trade and communications up and across the Drino valley, and belie the impression of the site today, which can barely be seen from the main highway running up to Gjirokaster.
How to find the site
The site is near the village of Sofratike, which is on the main road to Gjirokaster from the south (SH4).
It is easily reachable by taxi from Gjirokaster – you will need to ask the taxi driver to wait but your visit won’t take more than half an hour.
The road to the site passes under the main road at the village and leads into fields. There is no proper parking area but you can pull up by the site which is visible on the right hand side of the track by a large tree.
Coaches or large vehicles cannot reach the site, as the underpass below the main road is not deep enough, but if you need to walk from the bridge it’s about 800m.
There’s no shade, and the site is not fenced in.
Map
http://imperium.ahlfeldt.se/places/24106.html
Further reading
Oliver Gilkes. Albania: An Archaeological Guide I.B. Tauris, 2013, pp 276-9
R._Perna_D._Condi_Hadrianopolis_e_la_val.pdf
www.romansociety.org/fileadmin/documents/doc/Hadrianopolis.doc
*jointly with The Archaeological Institute of Albania, the University of Gjirokaster, and the University of Oxford at various times.
Although the settlement existed from the late Classical or Hellenistic period, it was re-founded in the 2nd century CE by the Emperor Hadrian and became the city of Hadrianopolis.
In its earlier phase the settlement held a strategic position on the road system connecting pre-urban settlements of the ancient region of Epirus which were spread across the Drino valley. The well-cut stone foundations of a Hellenistic temple show that the settlement became increasingly urbanized during the 4th and 3rd centuries, and ceramics and other building remains provide evidence that the city continued to develop even after the Roman conquest of Epirus in 168 BCE.
The occupants of the settlement were Chaones, a Greek speaking tribe which inhabited several centres in this part of ancient Epirus and who were allies of Rome. It was for this reason that the settlement was spared and flourished after the conquest, unlike those Epirote cities which had sided with the Macedonians and suffered a terrible fate: they were razed to the ground and the inhabitants sold into slavery.
During the reign of Hadrian the settlement was refounded, testament to its strategic function as a hub for surrounding communities. It attained the rank of city and was named Hadrianopolis, becoming the administrative centre for the Drino valley. A building programme reoriented the existing forum and urban essentials such as baths and a theatre were constructed.
Only a small part of the city has been excavated, but geophysical surveys show that the settlement extended over an area of roughly 350m E/W by 400 m N/S in a rectangular layout. It was planned on a grid system, with streets intersecting at right angles. Dwellings included large peristyle houses which are also found at other sites in the surrounding area from the late Classical/Hellenistic period onwards.
The excavations visible today reveal part of the forum and the theatre. The second century CE baths were built just to the east of an area which seems to have been the public heart of the city as it featured an open space and the foundation platform of a small Hellenistic temple. The blocks of the platform are of well-cut limestone. Traces of other buildings, dating to the earlier settlement can also be discerned, some of which were demolished to make the new forum for Hadrianopolis.
 |
| Foundations of the Hellenistic temple |
The baths comprise the usual suite of rooms, but the remains are a little confusing due to several phases of rebuilding. You can make out an inner courtyard with rooms around it and this has been dated to the 3rd century CE when the Hadrianic period complex was rebuilt and reduced in size. The roughly built walls outside the west wall date to the 6th century CE (possibly later) and represent yet another building phase in this area – probably rooms for habitation.
 |
| The bath complex |
The theatre is the best preserved part of the site. It was originally excavated in the 1980s and is considered to date from the 2nd century CE, that is the founding of Hadrianopolis, though, like the bath complex, several phases of construction are visible. There seem to have been issues with subsidence during the life of the theatre, as exterior piers were added and the south west supporting wall was partially rebuilt.
 |
| Proscenium on the left, cavea to the right, with stairs to access upper level |
The theatre is quite small and the cavea has two stairways dividing the seating instead of the usual three, thus there are three ‘wedges’ of seats divided into upper and lower sections by the diazoma walkway. The seating was accessed via exterior stairs as well as side entrances, and visitors to the site can walk up the stairs and into the seating area much as an ancient theatre-goer would have done. Look out for the ‘VIP’ seats on the lowest row as some of the lion footed terminals are still in situ. The orchestra is quite well preserved with the original limestone slabs, and you can see the drain at the edge. Unfortunately, the facings of the proscenium and the scena have been robbed, but you can still see some of the architectural elements lying around the proscenium itself.
Just as the baths were remodeled and reused in the later life of the city, so the theatre underwent changes. The University of Macerata, Italy, have been excavating Hadrianopolis since 2005* and they discovered evidence for the decline of the city in the 4th century CE, but then another period of construction during the 6th century. Some scholars have argued that the city was actually refounded and renamed Justinianopolis at this time, since written sources cite a city of that name in the area, but others dispute the claim and locate Justinian’s foundation on the other side of the valley.
 |
| Capital with cross |
The necropolis for the ancient city was outside the city limits, spreading up into the lower ridges of the hillside. Burials dot the area but most have been robbed or ruined by modern construction or drainage ditches. Excavations have brought to light six single burials with an accompanying shrine, and surveys have recorded many stone-lined cists with carved lids. Inscriptions on the grave stele give dates from the 2nd to 4th centuries CE.
Excavations at the site have also revealed large quantities of high quality finds and ceramics (some of which are on show in the museum in the castle in Gjirokaster). The quantity and quality of the ceramic material, including imports, show the importance of the position of the city for trade and communications up and across the Drino valley, and belie the impression of the site today, which can barely be seen from the main highway running up to Gjirokaster.
How to find the site
The site is near the village of Sofratike, which is on the main road to Gjirokaster from the south (SH4).
It is easily reachable by taxi from Gjirokaster – you will need to ask the taxi driver to wait but your visit won’t take more than half an hour.
The road to the site passes under the main road at the village and leads into fields. There is no proper parking area but you can pull up by the site which is visible on the right hand side of the track by a large tree.
Coaches or large vehicles cannot reach the site, as the underpass below the main road is not deep enough, but if you need to walk from the bridge it’s about 800m.
There’s no shade, and the site is not fenced in.
Map
http://imperium.ahlfeldt.se/places/24106.html
Further reading
Oliver Gilkes. Albania: An Archaeological Guide I.B. Tauris, 2013, pp 276-9
R._Perna_D._Condi_Hadrianopolis_e_la_val.pdf
www.romansociety.org/fileadmin/documents/doc/Hadrianopolis.doc
*jointly with The Archaeological Institute of Albania, the University of Gjirokaster, and the University of Oxford at various times.
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