Built for love, destroyed because of hatred – a journey at the archaeological park of Antigonea

Duration

4 hours

Tour Type

The meeting point is at the Infopoint, Çajupi Central Square of Gjirokastra, Albania

Immerse into the glorious past of the Drino valley river and discover the ancient site of Antigonea, where the archaeology and nature offer an excellent venue for relaxation.

This tour, departing from the World Heritage Site of Gjirokastra, would take you on a visit to the city first constructed by orders of King Pyrrhus of Epirus, with an orthogonal pattern, including an agora and the impressive fortification wall. The first archaeological excavations started a little over than a century ago and since than year after year more impressive remains of a once glorious city are coming to light. Pyrrhus named the city in honor of his wife Antigone, the step daughter of King Ptolemy of Egypt. It thrived for several centuries after its construction but its bustling life came to an abrupt end in 167 BC, when as a punishment to the Epirotes, the Roman consul Aemilius Paulus ordered its complete destruction.

A mere 16 km on a well paved road leads up the mountain just across from Gjirokastra in the direction of the village of Saraqinishta. Cold war bunkers decorate the landscape as you drive up towards the villages, serving as a reminder of the recent bitter times that Albania went through. The city of Gjirokastra is a bird’s-eye view away, the fresh air and the animal flocks grazing nearby bring a much welcomed pastoral feeling to Antigonea. It should be considered as a journey back in time so please refrain from using your phone apart from taking photos.

The exquisite mixture of archaeological remains and nature is breathtaking. The entrance is situated at the lower part of the once glorious acropolis and the path takes you one by one towards the most important monuments of the ancient city, including the Peristyle House, the Agora, fortification wall, late 5th century AD church and its mosaic, the latter depicting a dramatic scene of Abraxas, the cockheaded demon slayer, while in battle with a snake representing the powers of darkness.