Ancient hilltop structure in Albania may be linked to lost city

Yahoo! ^ | June 24, 2026 | Cam Deal

[SunkenCiv]

At a hilltop site in northern Albania, archaeologists have uncovered remains of what researchers believe is the region's first identified Illyrian temple, a find that may help resolve the mystery of the lost city of Bassania.

According to Arkeonews, researchers from the University of Warsaw and the University of Tirana made the discovery at Bushat, roughly 10 kilometers south of Shkodra. There, on the acropolis of a settlement rediscovered in 2018, they exposed the full stone foundations of a large rectangular building at a site that may be the long-sought Bassania.

Measuring 13.6 meters by 9.6 meters, the building has proportions similar to those of classical Greek temples. Archaeologists also say its position at the very top of the site points to an important role in the city's life...

For scholars, the remains point to a blend of cultural influences: local Illyrian elites appear to have used Greek-inspired design while retaining their own regional identity. That offers a more nuanced picture of how communities interacted across the Hellenistic world...

Bushat was likely abandoned during the Hellenistic period... Romans built a smaller structure beside the temple ruins, apparently using the hill as an observation point over routes leading toward Shkodra, ancient Lissos, and the Adriatic coast, as Arkeonews noted.

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: albania; godsgravesglyphs; hellenism; illyria

[SunkenCiv]

 

Photo Credit: University of Warsaw

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for the original link, had to swap.

[SunkenCiv]

Hellenistic Temple Discovered in Lost Illyrian City in Northern Albania
https://arkeonews.net/hellenistic-temple-discovered-in-lost-illyrian-city-in-northern-albania/

[Opinionated Blowhard]

One of the most fascinating theories (facts?) about the pre-written history period that has been discovered over the past decade or two is that the Balkans - especially the area around what is today Albania and Bulgaria - seemed to be a populated area with “cities” and a thriving economy and trading system. But that “civilization” was lost in the darkness of pre-history until recently. That period of, say, 4,000 BC and before in Europe was not just animals and cavemen running around. Some forms of civilizations rose and fell. I know this article is not about that but this lost city may have been built on those ruins.

[PAR35]

Roughly 44.6 feet by 31.5 feet, or a little over 1400 square feet - the size of a 2 bedroom house or maybe a 3 bedroom apartment. Or what they are calling ‘a large building’.