A visit to Shtyllas, the village of 'A Column'

The village of Shtyllas (‘column’ in English) in Fier owes its name to a single ancient column standing on a small hill on the edge of the village. It really is a remarkable sight; the column is visible from kilometres away and is testament to an ancient temple that once crowned the hill. If the sight of the column is a wonder now, imagine what a marvel the complete temple must have been to the locals. At the time it was built, probably early 5thC BCE (though some scholars prefer a later date, even early 4thC BCE) most of them were living in small settlements, some of them practising transhumant pastoralism, moving seasonally from the mountains to the plains with their flocks.

Panoramic view of the site, with the sea visible far left, and Apollonia behind the column

Though the column of Shtyllas has undergone some restoration and cleaning in recent times, it was actually standing in 1848 when Edward Lear visited the place. Here is his account of his visit: “Taking a peasant from the convent as guide, I went at sunrise to the single Doric column, the only remaining token of Apollonia above ground. It stood on a dreary little hill, covered with long grass and brambly thorn, and a more lonely and forlorn record of old times could not well be contemplated. The pillar was of coarse sandstone, and all the marks and dimensions of cella and temple were distinct, though the remaining columns had been transported by some Pasha to adorn Berat. On every side of this single relic of grandeur, how noble were the objects in the distance.”

From http://www.albanianart.net/painting/lear/lear027.htm

The foundations of the temple were clearly visible to Lear, but subsequently disappeared below ground level until excavation. In recent years a joint Albanian-German team, led by Prof. Bashkim Lahi and Grigor Doehner has been excavating at the site. Their trenches and spoil heap of tile are testament to the ongoing work. A column drum and large limestone block from the temple are also above ground. The temple is thought to have covered an area of about 1000 square metres with an estimated height of 14 metres. Using information from the remaining foundations, Grigor Doehner has identified the column as the second one on the outer northeast corner of the temple, and not one of the cella columns, as previously thought. The temple is of the Doric type and dates to the Classical period.

Lear’s account says he took a guide from the convent to see the column “the only remaining token of Apollonia above ground”. The city of Apollonia Lear refers to was, according to tradition, founded around 600BCE by a combination of local Illyrians and colonists from Corinth and Corcyra but did not become an important urban centre until the Hellenistic period.

In fact, the column (and temple) was outside the walls of the ancient city, while the convent in which Lear stayed is within. The temple was about 1km from the south gate of Apollonia, near the river Aoös (Vjosa) and the ancient city harbour. The course of the river changed following an earthquake in the 3^rdC CE and gradually silted up: the Aoös was no longer navigable to that point, and the harbour that ancient sources tell us could hold 100 ships was no longer accessible. This led to the decline and abandonment of the city.

A snow-capped Mount Tomorr can be seen in the background.

As Lear reports, stone from the temple was taken to Berat for construction of the serai of the pasha. The pashalik of Berat was established by Ahmet Kurt Pasha in 1774 but lasted only until Ahmet's ally and successor Ibrahim Pasha of Vlora was defeated by Ali Pasha in 1809, so the looting happened within this time frame.

Unfortunately, we do not know to which deity the temple was dedicated. It is most commonly linked to Poseidon, as it would be one of the first things seen by people approaching the city from the sea, and because of its proximity to the harbour. Others assign it to Apollo, patron of the city, or even to Ares, god of war. There is no hard evidence for any of these interpretations at the moment and it is to be hoped that further investigations will reveal the identity of the deity.

How to get there

It should be possible to reach the temple on foot - there is a track from the archaeological site, from near the monastery and past the cemetery, that leads to the hill. However in January 2024 we had to turn back because of an aggressive dog.

A safer way is to drive into the village of Shtyllas, following the signs for the village from the SH14. You will see the hill with the column and can park on the track at the bottom of the hill and walk up.

Carolyn Perry

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A visit to Shtyllas, the village of 'A Column'

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