The ruins of the funerary monument known as the Columbarium lie outside Butrint circuit of walls and close to the Lion Gate. First excavated in the 1930s by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Maria Ugolini, it was interpreted then as a bathhouse which was converted into a funerary monument during the 5th century AD. However, survey work undertaken at Butrint from the 1990s re-examined this building and suggested its primary function was that of a mausoleum, rather than a bathhouse, as evidenced by its form and location away from the main city. The building is rectangular in plan, measuring roughly 8m by 16m, with many interior and later divisions for the insertion of tombs. It is thought that there are a number of unexcavated tombs remaining within the building. Work in 2015 revealed a mosaic with marble slab in the center which possibly served as a podium for pre-burial body setting and preparation. The mosaic was identified as belonging to a church that had been partially excavated by Ugolini and dated to the 5th-6th century AD. 

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Funerary Monument - Columbarium - Butrint - Public Info

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Inserted: 25-05-2023 05:05:23