Archaeology and Epic: Butrint and Ugolino Verino's Carlias

Recent excavations at Butrint, a historic Epirote port in Albania, reveal the decayed state of this fortified Venetian town and the living conditions of its inhabitants in 1493. Ugolino Verino's neo-Latin epic 'Carlias' describes Butrint as a crumbling stronghold, shaped more by literary influences than actual circumstances. The poem, written during Charles VIII of France's invasion of Italy, aimed to inspire the young king to emulate Charlemagne and undertake a crusade. This study reconstructs Butrint's material reality through archaeological evidence, contrasting it with Verino's poetic narrative.

Gwynne, P., Hodges, R., & Vroom, J. (2014). ARCHAEOLOGY AND EPIC: BUTRINT AND UGOLINO VERINO’S CARLIAS. Papers of the British School at Rome, 82, 199–235. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0068246214000099