ブトリントは、アルバニア南部(なんぶ)の都市(とし)遺跡(いせき)です。この遺跡(いせき)は古代(こだい)ローマの詩人(しじん)ヴェルギリウスの詩(し)『アエネイス』にも登場(とうじょう)し、紀元(きげん)前(まえ)8世紀(せいき)には人々(ひとびと)が住(す)んでいたことがわかっています。海(うみ)に近(ちか)い場所(ばしょ)で、ギリシャのケルキラ(コルフ)と一緒(いっしょ)に海上(かいじょう)交易(こうえき)によって成長(せいちょう)し、紀元(きげん)前(まえ)4世紀(せいき)までには都市(とし)として発展(はってん)し、劇場(げきじょう)や神殿(しんでん)も建(た)てられました。
また、周囲(しゅうい)の自然(しぜん)環境(かんきょう)も豊(ゆた)かで、シロハラチュウシャクシギや海亀(うみがめ)、アザラシなどが生息(せいそく)しています。2003年(ねん)からはブトリント湖(みずうみ)を含(ふく)む地域(ちいき)がラムサール条約(じょうやく)に登録(とうろく)されています。
Butrint is an ancient city ruin in Southern Albania. The site is mentioned in the poem Aeneid by the ancient Roman poet Virgil, and it is known that people were living there as early as the 8th century BC. Located near the sea, it grew through maritime trade alongside Corcyra (modern Corfu, Greece) and developed into a city by the 4th century BC, complete with a theater and temples.
The surrounding natural environment is also rich, inhabited by creatures such as the slender-billed curlew, sea turtles, and seals. The area, including Lake Butrint, has been registered under the Ramsar Convention since 2003.
ブトリントは、アルバニア南部(なんぶ)の都市(とし)遺跡(いせき)です。この遺跡(いせき)は古代(こだい)ローマの詩人(しじん)ヴェルギリウスの詩(し)『アエネイス』にも登場(とうじょう)し、紀元(きげん)前(まえ)8世紀(せいき)には人々(ひとびと)が住(す)んでいたことがわかっています。海(うみ)に近(ちか)い場所(ばしょ)で、ギリシャのケルキラ(コルフ)と一緒(いっしょ)に海上(かいじょう)交易(こうえき)によって成長(せいちょう)し、紀元(きげん)前(まえ)4世紀(せいき)までには都市(とし)として発展(はってん)し、劇場(げきじょう)や神殿(しんでん)も建(た)てられました。
また、周囲(しゅうい)の自然(しぜん)環境(かんきょう)も豊(ゆた)かで、シロハラチュウシャクシギや海亀(うみがめ)、アザラシなどが生息(せいそく)しています。2003年(ねん)からはブトリント湖(みずうみ)を含(ふく)む地域(ちいき)がラムサール条約(じょうやく)に登録(とうろく)されています。
Butrint is an ancient city ruin in Southern Albania. The site is mentioned in the poem Aeneid by the ancient Roman poet Virgil, and it is known that people were living there as early as the 8th century BC. Located near the sea, it grew through maritime trade alongside Corcyra (modern Corfu, Greece) and developed into a city by the 4th century BC, complete with a theater and temples.
The surrounding natural environment is also rich, inhabited by creatures such as the slender-billed curlew, sea turtles, and seals. The area, including Lake Butrint, has been registered under the Ramsar Convention since 2003.
Prehistory
The oldest archaeological evidence of settlement dates back to between the 10th and 8th centuries BC, though some claims suggest evidence of habitation from the 12th century BC.
Ancient Greek Era
Excavations at Butrint have yielded Proto-Corinthian pottery from the 7th century and Corinthian and Attic pottery from the 6th century, but there were no signs of a prehistoric settlement. Butrint was strategically important due to its access to the Corfu Channel and its location at the crossroads of mainland Greece and Magna Graecia (the world of Greeks and "barbarians"). For this reason, Butrint was one of the ancient ports of Lower Epirus, the other being Onchesmos (modern Sarandë).
Ancient Roman Era
In 228 BC, Butrint became a Roman protectorate alongside Corfu. By the mid-2nd century BC, it became the center of an independent state. In 44 BC, Caesar designated Butrint as a colony for settlers. In 31 BC, the Roman Emperor Octavian, after his victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra, again planned to establish Butrint as a colony. During this period, the city doubled in size, and new structures were constructed.
Byzantine and Slavic Eras
The city walls were likely reinforced in the late 5th century. In 550, the Ostrogoths may have attacked Butrint during their raid on the Ionian coast. A group of Slavs is believed to have arrived in Butrint in the late 6th century. The Great Basilica of Butrint was constructed in the early 6th century. Other monuments include the Acropolic Basilica (4th century), the Triconch Palace (6th century), the mosaic-paved Baptistery (6th century), the Lake Gate Church (9th century), and the Baptistery Church (9th century). The colonization by Byzantine authorities is thought to coincide with the reign of Leo VI (886-912).
Between Venice and the Ottoman Empire
The Republic of Venice purchased the region in 1386, and subsequent wars devastated Butrint, leading to the abandonment of the acropolis. By 1572, Butrint was in ruins due to wars between Venice and the Ottoman Empire. It was temporarily occupied by the Ottomans in 1655 and 1718. Later, following the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars, Butrint came under French control.
Modern Albania
At the end of the First Balkan War in 1913, Butrint was ceded to Greece, but Italy contested this decision, and the Treaty of London assigned the area to the newly created Albania. This placed Butrint near the southern border of the new Albanian state, in a predominantly Greek-speaking area. The local Greeks were enraged and established the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus for six months, which was later ceded to Albania.