The spectacular circuit wall of Butrint dates back to the 4th century BC and is a fine example of the engineering skills of this period. The wall was constructed, without mortar, using large blocks that fit closely together. The gate was discovered by the Italian Archaeological Mission in the 1930s. They associated the gate with the Scaean Gate mentioned in Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid (Book III).
Virgil recounts Aeneas' journey from Troy to Italy, and his meeting with the Trojan exiles, Helenus and Andromache who, according to legend, founded Butrint.
I saw before me Troy in miniature
A slender copy of our massive tower,
A dry brooklet named Xanthus... and I pressed
My body against a Scaean Gate. Those with me
Feasted their eyes on this, our kinsmen's town.
In spacious colonnades the king received them,
And offering mid-court their cups of wine
They made libation, while on plates of gold
A feast was brought before them.


Look for the plum-line cut into the corner of the wall. This may have been to ensure the straight arrangement of the blocks or else served for a drain-pipe. Whatever its function, it is proof of the masterful precision of the 4th century BC builders.
Later Fortifications
Caesar's legacy - a flourishing Roman port - ended in the later 6th century with the collapse of the Mediterranean economy. Already, in the 5th century Butrint had been fortified along its shoreline leaving the urban area on the plain undedefended. As we have seen, the town flourished within these walls, before the Slavs reached here in the 580s and much of the lower city was abandoned. In 1081 the Norman adventurer, Robert Guiscard took the town, but he was quickly expelled by the Byzantines.
Throughout the medieval period Butrint's fortifications were rebuilt and reinforced many times. In the 13th century, with the revival of the town under the Epirote Despots of Arta, a new castle was made at the west end of the acropolis. At the same time the entire wall circuit was refurbished. The walls were repaired many times as Angevins, Venetians and Byzantines struggled to control this pivotal point on the Strait of Corfu. In an attempt to reduce the financial burden of maintaining Butrint, a new fortress was built on the south side of the Channel by the Venetians in the 15th century. This fortress, known as the Triangular Castle, defended the fish traps of Butrint which were the primary financial asset of the settlement in this period. Soon after the fortress was built, the old town was abandoned in its favour.

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Butrint Fortifications - Public Info

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Inserted: 24-05-2023 05:05:05