The Roman Suburb on the Vrina Plain Outside Butrint, Albania

Archaeological excavations led by the Butrint Foundation between 2000 and 2007 revealed a previously unrecognized Roman suburb on the Vrina Plain, adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Butrint in Albania. This unfortified settlement emerged around a multi-arched bridge spanning the Vivari channel, initially consisting of small dwellings and shops before evolving into a substantial channelside villa—akin to those found within Butrint's walled enclosure. The discovery challenges earlier assumptions by Luigi Maria Ugolini, who had not identified this suburb at Phoinike or Butrint. This study, published in GROMA: Documenting Archaeology, sheds new light on the early Roman urbanization and architectural development outside Butrint's fortified boundaries.

Richard Hodges. (2020). The Roman Suburb on the Vrina Plain Outside Butrint, Albania. GROMA: Documenting Archaeology, 4. https://doi.org/10.12977/groma20