The Fortifications of Butrint

Professor Gjerak Karaiskaj is well known in the Albanian archaeology and architecture. He published a prodigious number of archaeological articles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Working all around the country, Karaiskaj become pre-eminent in the study of Albanian’s fortifications especially in the archaeological site of Butrint. His work on the fortifications of Butrint is one of the single most significant archaeological discourses produced in Albania.

Karaiskaj original 1984 book was published with a print run of only 3000 copies, though did contain a substantial summary in German. Following the 2009, the Butrint Foundation and the Albanian Heritage Foundation resolved to translate and republish The Fortification of Butrint in an English language edition. The fortifications of Butrint retains much to be admired and remains an important publication.

The principal objective of this book is a study of the defensive constructions of Butrint throughout all period of its history. The major historical events of the city and its surroundings, as well as the socio-economic and political history of the region provide the context for this analysis. A second objective is to ascertain the accuracy of previous plans. The study of the defensive structures, which have such an important place in the architecture of the city, will serve to complete the historical picture and contribute to the investigation of continuity of this centre of occupation from prehistory to the late medieval period.