Two New Mosaics from Antipatrea (Berat) in Albania

Authors : Elda Omari, Ols Lafe

Pages : 267-286

Doi:10.26658/jmr.1814188

View : 102 | Download : 270

Publication Date : 2025-11-11

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Ancient Antipatreia today known as Berat (from Belligrad meaning ‘white city’) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed for its urban center reflecting a vernacular housing tradition of the Balkans, examples of which date mainly from the late 18th and the 19th centuries. Berat is a testimony of several thousand years of history and archaeology. The earliest archaeological evidence in its territory dates back to the Bronze age. Although, limited excavations have hindered our understanding of the various development phases of the city. In fact, fragments of two structures with floor decorations with geometric motifs and Greek-language inscriptions were brought to light at two different locations in the city during works inside the castle in 2012 and in the lower city in 2018. According to the opinion of several researchers, these are two late antique basilicas. Such findings are not so well-known outside the realm of Albanian research publications. Therefore, the principal goal of the research is to present to the international scientific community these late antique churches, partially excavated, inside and outside the medieval castle of Berat. The second goal is to make an analysis of the two structures, the fragmented mosaic motifs and their contextualization in the Balkan and Adriatic area and to possibly attempt the identification of the donors and the craftsmen who build them.
Keywords : Antipatreia, Berat, mozaik, Geç Antik Çağ Dönemi, antik Arnavutluk, Hristiyan kilisesi.

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