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© W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2014 DOI 10.1179/1350503314Z.00000000060

conservation and mgmt of arch. sites, Vol. 15 Nos 3–4, 2013, 254–80

A Short History of the Butrint Foundation’s Conservation Programme at Butrint, Albania: 1994–2012Richard Hodges and Anna PaterliniAmerican University of Rome, Italy

This short history describes the work of the Butrint Foundation’s operations in the area of conservation over the course of nearly twenty years. It pays particular attention to describing the relations with the Albanian authorities, especially the Institute of Monuments, and reviews how conservation of this UNESCO World Heritage Site proceeded during the unstable decade follow-ing the end of communism in 1991/2. The history also sets out the detailed work undertaken each year by the Foundation until it handed over opera-tions to Albanian conservators and their support staff that the Foundation had helped to train.

keywords conservation, Butrint, Albania, World Heritage Site

Introduction

Of all the great classical sites of the Mediterranean, Butrint is the least known, the least

frequented and the least spoilt. Visiting it today must be very like visiting Ephesus or

Baalbek a hundred years ago: no car parks, no souvenir stalls, no sound but the sound of

birds and the every-busy crickets. If you yearn to lose yourself in romantic meditation,

alone among the ruins of a once-great city, then Butrint is the place for you. (Norwich,

1999: 5)

Graeco-Roman archaeological sites have been traditionally the subject of indifferent

conservation. Athens and Rome, for example, places defi ned by their archaeological

parks since the late nineteenth century, have a poor history of conservation and main-

tenance, notwithstanding their signifi cance in global tourism. Pompeii is a byword for

deferred conservation. Many other ancient urban sites throughout the Mediterranean

appear little more than jumbles of stones and unedifying footings of largely razed

buildings (cf. de la Torre, 1997; Teutonico & Palumbo, 2002). Butrint, ancient

Buthrotum, thanks to the intervention of the Italian Archaeological Mission of 1928–

41, the Institute of Monuments of Albania after the 1960s, and more recently the

255THE BUTRINT FOUNDATION’S CONSERVATION PROGRAMME

initiatives of the Butrint Foundation, has had a more satisfactory history of conserva-

tion (Figure 1). More to the point, it has passed with relative ease from the heavy

interventionist approaches in conservation of the pre-1990s to the reversible

approaches of the 1990s and modern era. This short essay records this recent conser-

vation history, and asks why this was possible in Butrint when it has proved more

diffi cult in other Graeco-Roman urban settlements in the Mediterranean regions.

Conservation at Butrint before 1994

Butrint lies in south-western Albania, on the Vivari channel that leads from Lake

Butrint to the Straits of Corfu (Figure 2). A small sanctuary or port since Archaic

Greek times, it became a Roman colony under Augustus and was a major later

Roman port and bishopric, before being deserted in the seventh century. It was

fi gure 1 Map showing the location of Butrint, Albania, and its principal monuments.

http://www.maneyonline.com/action/showImage?doi=10.1179/1350503314Z.00000000060&iName=master.img-000.jpg&w=353&h=353

256 RICHARD HODGES and ANNA PATERLINI

re-established as a town in the eleventh century, but was reduced to a fortifi ed fi shing

centre by the sixteenth (Hodges, 2006). The fi rst detailed description by Colonel

William Martin Leake revealed it to be uninhabited and overgrown, with only prom-

inent medieval ruins being obvious in 1805. Luigi Maria Ugolini, leading the Italian

Archaeological Mission to Albania, began the fi rst systematic excavations at Butrint

in January 1928. At that time there was no road to the site and it was normally

reached by boat. The visible monuments were in a poor condition, but little that can

be seen today was then on view. The acropolis of Butrint was a winter encampment

for Vlach shepherds and the shore around the promontory was used by fi shermen

(Ugolini, 1937: fi g. 55; Hodges, 2006: 50). Neither group, though, constructed any-

thing substantial on the ancient site. Indeed, there had been no construction since the

fi nal abandonment of the old Venetian town in the early eighteenth century in favour

of the Triangular Fortress on the south side of the Vivari Channel. The absence of

modern building made Ugolini’s task comparatively straightforward. Just as helpful

to him, in contrast to Butrint today, the vegetation was less developed with the prom-

ontory only partially covered by shrubs and low trees. The woodland matured after

the Second World War and had become a distinctive feature of the place by the time

Nikita Khrushchev visited in May 1959. Ugolini’s goal was to make Butrint a place

on the celebrated journey described by Virgil in Aeneid on the route from Troy to

Rome. Making the archaeological remains accessible was essential to his mission

(Ugolini, 1937: 12; Gilkes, 2003; Miraj, 2003). From 1928 until 1936, when he died

unexpectedly, Ugolini and the Italian Archaeological Mission transformed Butrint

into Albania’s fi rst cultural heritage attraction. After Ugolini, successive directors of

fi gure 2 Aerial view of Butrint looking towards Corfu. Alket Islami



the Italian Archaeological Mission sustained the programme until the war brought

the project to an end in 1941.

From August 1930 Ugolini excavated on a large scale, using small railway wagons

mounted on a railway line to remove the overburden covering the monuments around

the ancient theatre (Gilkes, 2003: 56; Miraj, 2003: 32). Elsewhere he excavated in

sizeable trenches, exposing whole monuments. Central to his mission was the pres-

entation of the excavated monuments. Several members of his team were familiar

with conservation and construction: these included his deputy, the artist, Igino

Epicocco, the architect, Carlo Ceschi, and his junior archaeologist and engineer, who

ultimately succeeded Ugolini, Pirro Marconi. Giacomo Franz, assisted by Alfredo

Nuccitelli, managed the large teams of local workmen, overseeing the excavations

and conservation. This team transformed the remains on a remote hill into present-

able ruins: the Hellenistic and Roman theatre and many other buildings were con-

solidated sensitively and in some cases partially, though discretely, rebuilt (Gilkes,

2003: 10). Only the Byzantine and later Despot castle on the acropolis was dismantled

and, initially under Ceschi’s direction then Epicocco’s, completely rebuilt, making

it more of a picture-book Italianate donjon. By contrast, the Great Basilica was

left unroofed; only the columns of the Baptistery were erected in place (Bowden &

Përzhita, 2004: fi g.10:4); the nymphaeum was conserved and partially rebuilt, as were

the fortifi cations of different periods. Ugolini’s conservators, the Vetranno brothers

from Rome, cleaned and consolidated the exceptionally well-preserved sixth-century

mosaic fl oor of the Baptistery as well as the late antique fresco above the earlier well

of Junia Rufi na. By comparison with contemporary practice in Italy (see, for example,

Ostia), Ugolini’s interventions were limited and essentially intended to make each

building comprehensible to the visitor. Possibly, this strategy was imposed upon him

by the availability of conservators, masons and materials in this singularly poor

region. Nevertheless, the quality of Ugolini’s work like his records was outstanding

for the time, and as a result, the monuments were in a good state of repair, following

almost twenty years of inattention, when the Intituti i Arkeologjisë (Institute of

Archaeology) systematically tidied up Butrint for Nikita Khrushchev’s visit in May

1959 (Hodges, 2009).

After the Second World War and up until 1991 Butrint was situated in a frontier

no man’s land for which permission was required to make a visit. Not surprisingly,

given Albania’s post-war poverty, there were no excavations at Butrint between 1945

and 1959, but with Khrushchev’s visit to the site a new cycle of excavations was

started by Dhimosten Budina, who had been trained in the Soviet Union. Butrint was

the southernmost stop on an itinerary for guided tours of communist Albania, as Eric

Newby describes in his On the Shores of the Mediterranean (1984). Effectively now

considered as a park, like Apollonia, a concrete fence was erected around the western

side of the site. Beyond this, after Ramiz Alia (Hoxha’s successor) visited in 1986,

there was a small café with concrete seats and tables dotted discretely around in

the woodland. Inside, a paved trail was made around the monuments by Budina

for Khrushchev’s visit and was regularly upgraded thereafter. The excavations and

accompanying surveys, now made exclusively by Albanian archaeologists and archi-

tectural conservators between the 1960s and 1991, were with one exception — Lako’s

investigation of the Hellenistic wall undertaken between 1975–76 — transacted on a

small scale (Hodges, 2012: fi g. 1.4) (see Pani, 1976 on the conservation strategy). For


the most part, the documentation of these digs was minimal, and the record of con-

servation as a result was likewise negligible. The Instituti i Monumenteve të Kulturës

(hereafter the Institute of Monuments, a section of the Ministry of Culture with an

offi ce at Saranda) was now responsible for the management of the archaeological site

and followed an explicitly nationalist ideology in the management and conservation

of Albanian monuments (cf. Kosta, 1986). The Institute’s premier role was to

promote the well-preserved, multi-period fortifi cations, illustrating the nation’s long

history of defi ance against aggressors, as well as, once Albania began to encourage

controlled tourism, its range of well-maintained monuments. At Apollonia, for exam-

ple, the Graeco-Roman city near Fier, the Institute pioneered the partial reconstruc-

tion of monuments. The bouleuterion, for example, was largely rebuilt with concrete

in 1976 and a triumphal arch was partially reconstructed (cf. Ceka, 2005: 39). At

Butrint the ethos was less ambitious and therefore less invasive, thanks to the sensitive

management of a series of local overseers of works, the last of whom, from the late

1970s, was the surveyor, Telemark Llakana (Figure 3). All the monuments uncovered

and restored by Ugolini were stabilized and restored, mostly using local lime mortar.

Steel scaffolding with timber frames was now deployed to work on most monuments,

the scaffolding and timber being imported to the site by trucks using the new road.

The Institute of Monuments architect responsible for Butrint was Guri Pani. Amongst

his most ambitious projects was the partial restoration to its full height of the scena

frons of the theatre excavated by Ugolini. Pani also drew up plans for reconstructing

parts of the ancient civic centre including the temples (1988a) and stoa, but none of

these were pursued (Pani, 1988b). For a time small pumps were deployed to drain the

water fi lling the cavea of the theatre, but otherwise recourse to technical support was

minimal as the supply of electricity to the ruins was intermittent. Pani’s colleague,

Aleksander Meksi, later Prime Minister from 1992–97, was responsible in the 1980s

for the restoration of the Great Basilica, the Baptistery, and the Triangular Fortress.

The overall visual impact of the Institute’s conservation policy at Butrint, in contrast

to its work at Apollonia, was minimal. Part of this programme involved subjecting

the woodland to systematic management, restricting the prodigious and invasive

growth of the low vegetation especially threatening to the defensive walls.

Forty years afterwards, however, without a detailed record, it is ordinarily diffi cult

to distinguish the restoration work by the different missions from what was original.

Unlike Ugolini, however, who transported the soil from his excavations either to the

Vivari Channel or beyond the Western Defenses, the Albanian excavators mostly

deposited the removed soil beside the open excavations. In this period all the mosaic

pavements were also stabilized, following the practice of the Italian Mission. By

contrast, with limited technical resources the Institute were unable to stabilize and

protect the frescoes, mostly found by Ugolini: the late antique fresco in the arcoso-

lium above the well of Junia Rufi na; the later medieval frescoes in the church above

the stoa; and the frescoes of the late medieval chapel by the north citadel wall, near

Lake Gate (at the west end of the acropolis).

In 1991, with the breakdown of the communist state as the Republic of Albania

became a democracy, the Institute of Monuments was unable to sustain its workforce

at Butrint. Only its local offi cer, Llakana, was retained with negligible operational

resources. As a result, from 1990–94 minimal conservation of any kind was

undertaken at the site.


fi gure 3 Telemark Llakana with Lord Sainsbury, Lord Rothschild, and Richard Hodges, 1995. Butrint Foundation

The Butrint Foundation Programme

The Butrint Foundation, created by Lord Rothschild and Lord Sainsbury of Preston

Candover, was founded as a British charity in 1993 (Figure 3). It actively operated

in Butrint running research excavations, managing conservation programmes, and

generally assisting with the protection of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed

in 1992) (cf. Hodges, 2006; 2013). As of 2013, its active operations ceased, but the

charity continues to provide grants for projects at Butrint. Its initiatives and projects

in the fi eld of conservation are summarized in Table 1.

Over the course of twenty years, the short history of the Butrint Foundation’s

conservation programmes can be summarized as follows (cf. Hodges, 2013).



TAB

LE 1

Year

Plac

eIn

stitu

tions

Even

tCo

nser

vatio

n fo

cus

1993

UK

Lord

Rot

hsch

ild

Lord

Sai

nsbu

ryEs

tabl

ishm

ent

of t

he B

utrin

t Fo

unda

tion.

–

1994

Alba

nia

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nIn

stitu

te o

f Ar

chae

olog

yFi

rst

agre

emen

t w

ith A

lban

ian

gove

rnm

ent.

–

Tric

onch

Pal

ace

Diap

orit

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nEx

cava

tion

Prel

imin

ary

stud

y of

the

con

ditio

n of

the

rem

ains

.–

1995

Butri

ntW

orld

Mon

umen

t Fu

ndBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Wor

ld M

onum

ent

Fund

fun

ds P

hase

I o

f a

cons

erva

tion

proj

ect

and

a vi

sito

r di

spla

y in

itiat

ive.

Th

ree

maj

or t

hrea

ts i

dent

ified

:1.

un

cont

rolle

d gr

owth

of

woo

dlan

d2.

la

ck o

f a

cons

erva

tion

prog

ram

me

3.

colla

pse

of m

onum

ents

.

Butri

ntBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Deta

iled

surv

ey o

f th

e w

alle

d ci

ty.

Prep

arat

ion

of a

pro

posa

l fo

r co

nser

vatio

n an

d st

abili

zatio

n of

the

m

onum

ents

and

vis

itor

expe

rienc

e.

–

1996

Butri

ntW

orld

Mon

umen

t Fu

ndBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Butri

nt i

s in

scrib

ed o

n th

e W

orld

Mon

umen

t Fu

nd’s L

ist

of

Enda

nger

ed S

ites.

Firs

t in

form

atio

n pa

nels

ere

cted

.

–

1997

Butri

ntUN

ESCO

Visi

t by

UN

ESCO

ass

essm

ent

mis

sion

to

repo

rt on

the

con

ditio

n of

Bu

trint

.–

Butri

ntUN

ESCO

Wor

ld H

erita

ge C

omm

ittee

ins

crib

es B

utrin

t on

its

Lis

t of

Wor

ld

Herit

age

in D

ange

r.–

1998

Tric

onch

Pal

ace

Diap

orit

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nIn

stitu

te o

f M

onum

ents

Conc

lusi

on o

f Ph

ase

I of

exc

avat

ions

and

beg

inni

ng o

f st

rate

gy f

or

publ

ic d

ispl

ay.

Arch

ive

surv

ey o

f m

ater

ial he

ld i

n Ti

rana

.

Cont

inue

d co

llabo

ratio

n w

ith t

he I

nstit

ute

of

Mon

umen

ts o

n w

oodl

and

man

agem

ent.

–Bu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Alba

nian

aut

horit

ies

UN

ESCO

Getty

Gra

nt P

rogr

amW

orld

Ban

k

Ope

ratio

ns t

owar

ds a

man

agem

ent

plan

Wor

ksho

p 1:

Est

ablis

hing

the

cul

tura

l va

lues

of

Butri

nt.

–


Year

Plac

eIn

stitu

tions

Even

tCo

nser

vatio

n fo

cus

–Al

bani

an g

over

nmen

tBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Coun

cil of

Min

iste

rs leg

isla

tes

for

the

Min

istry

of

Cultu

re t

o be

di

rect

ly r

espo

nsib

le f

or t

he s

ite a

nd a

utho

rised

the

est

ablis

hmen

t of

a loc

al o

ffice

of

the

Min

istry

in

Sara

nda,

with

a D

irect

or

resp

onsi

ble

for

Butri

nt.

–

–UN

ESCO

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nUN

ESCO

and

But

rint

Foun

datio

n de

lega

tion

wal

k th

e pr

opos

ed

new

bou

ndar

ies

of B

utrin

t.W

orks

hop

2: C

onse

rvat

ion

at B

utrin

t: th

e Ba

ptis

tery

mos

aic

case

st

udy.

–

1999

Tric

onch

Pal

ace

Bapt

iste

ryBu

trint

Min

istry

of

Cultu

reIn

stitu

te o

f Ar

chae

olog

yBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Inst

itute

of

Mon

umen

ts

Esta

blis

hmen

t of

an

offic

e in

Sar

anda

for

coo

rdin

atin

g co

nser

va-

tion

and

arch

aeol

ogy

in B

utrin

t.Ro

utin

e co

nser

vatio

n.Ve

geta

tion

grow

th c

ontro

l.

Alba

nia

Alba

nian

gov

ernm

ent

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nFi

rst

appl

icat

ion

to e

stab

lish

the

Nat

iona

l Pa

rk i

s m

ade

to t

he

Alba

nian

gov

ernm

ent.

–

Alba

nia

Min

istry

of

Cultu

reFi

rst

dire

ctor

of

the

Butri

nt N

atio

nal Pa

rk a

ppoi

nted

.Ap

plic

atio

n to

enl

arge

the

Wor

ld H

erita

ge S

ite s

ubm

itted

to

UN

ESCO

by

the

Min

istry

of

Cultu

re.

–

Butri

ntBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Wor

ksho

p 3:

Tou

rism

dev

elop

men

t in

the

Sar

anda

reg

ion

— th

e im

pact

s of

reg

iona

l de

velo

pmen

t on

the

But

rint

Nat

iona

l Pa

rk.

–

Butri

ntUN

ESCO

Enla

rgem

ent

of t

he W

orld

Her

itage

Site

end

orse

d by

the

Wor

ld

Herit

age

Com

mitt

ee s

ubje

ct t

o th

e in

clus

ion

of B

utrin

t ba

y.–

2000

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nPr

epar

atio

n of

But

rint

man

agem

ent

plan

200

0–05

.Co

nstru

ctio

n of

the

firs

t tic

ket

offic

e.–

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nRe

vise

d pr

opos

al o

n th

e lim

its o

f th

e N

atio

nal Pa

rk m

ade

to t

he

Alba

nian

gov

ernm

ent.

–

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

UN

ESCO

Conf

irmat

ion

of t

he e

nlar

gem

ent

of t

he W

orld

Her

itage

Site

re

ceiv

ed.

–

TAB

LE 1

CON

TIN

UED


Year

Plac

eIn

stitu

tions

Even

tCo

nser

vatio

n fo

cus

Viva

ri ch

anne

lLa

ke B

utrin

tKs

amili

bay

Texa

s A&

MBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Und

erw

ater

sur

vey

of K

sam

ili b

ay.

–

Bapt

iste

ryCe

ntro

di

Cons

erva

zion

e Ar

cheo

logi

ca

Cond

ition

ass

essm

ent

and

cons

erva

tion

repo

rt on

the

Bap

tiste

ry.

–

2001

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nCo

nditi

on s

urve

y fo

r al

l m

onum

ents

pre

pare

d (s

ee A

ppen

dix)

.–

2002

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Wor

ld B

ank

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nCo

nser

vatio

n m

aste

r pl

an.

Cond

ition

sur

vey

of B

utrin

t (G

reek

) in

scrip

tions

.Es

tabl

ishm

ent

and

train

ing

of a

Ran

ger

Serv

ice.

Feas

ibili

ty s

tudy

for

the

res

tora

tion

of w

etla

nd a

reas

of

Pavl

a riv

er

flood

pla

in.

–

Butri

nt w

etla

ndBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Prel

imin

ary

repo

rt on

the

his

tory

of

deve

lopm

ent

in t

he w

etla

nd

area

of

Butri

nt, a

nd t

he c

onst

rain

ts a

nd t

arge

ts a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith i

ts

rest

orat

ion.

–

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nBu

trint

Nat

iona

l Pa

rk d

evel

opm

ent

stud

y (M

artin

, 200

2).

Butri

nt N

atio

nal Pa

rk a

ssum

es f

inan

cial

res

pons

ibili

ty f

or t

he

cons

erva

tion

wor

k te

ams.

–

2003

Nor

wic

hBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Wor

ksho

p on

ele

ctro

nic

arch

ives

.–

Tric

onch

Pal

ace

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nCo

nser

vatio

n an

d in

terp

reta

tion

prop

osal

pre

pare

d fo

r Tr

icon

ch

Pala

ce.

–

Diap

orit

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nCo

nser

vatio

n an

d in

terp

reta

tion

prop

osal

pre

pare

d fo

r Di

apor

it vi

lla.

–

Butri

ntGe

tty C

onse

rvat

ion

Inst

itute

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nIs

titut

e of

Mon

umen

ts

Alba

nia:

con

serv

atio

n tra

inin

g ne

eds

asse

ssm

ent

for

cons

erva

tion

tech

nici

ans.

Mas

onry

con

serv

atio

n

Butri

ntUN

ESCO

UN

ESCO

del

ays

with

draw

ing

the

from

the

Lis

t of

Wor

ld H

erita

ge in

Da

nger

.–

TAB

LE 1

CON

TIN

UED


Year

Plac

eIn

stitu

tions

Even

tCo

nser

vatio

n fo

cus

2004

Butri

nt

Diap

orit

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nRe

port

prep

ared

on

inte

rim c

onse

rvat

ion

mea

sure

s.Pr

epar

atio

n w

ork

for

Wor

ld B

ank

Glob

al E

nviro

nmen

tal Fa

cilit

y.La

ke B

utrin

t w

ater

qua

lity

impr

ovem

ent

and

mon

itorin

g un

der-

take

n.In

vent

ory

of w

inte

ring

wat

er b

irds.

–

2005

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nVr

ina

Plai

n m

osai

c co

nser

vatio

n re

port.

New

site

pan

els

erec

ted

(usi

ng S

tudi

o In

klin

k dr

awin

gs).

Butri

nt m

useu

m r

e-op

ened

with

con

serv

ed o

bjec

ts.

2006

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nTh

e Bu

trint

env

irons

sur

vey

proj

ect.

Butri

nt m

useu

m s

tora

ge p

roje

ct.

Cons

erva

tion

of m

onum

ents

at

Diap

orit

villa

. La

unch

of

Com

mun

ity E

nter

pris

e an

d De

velo

pmen

t Pr

ojec

t.

Cons

erva

tion

focu

s on

Dia

porit

(th

e ny

mph

ae-

um a

nd a

qued

uct

pier

s).

Fina

l re

port

on t

he c

onse

rvat

ion

of m

osai

cs a

t Bu

trint

.

2007

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nLa

ser

scan

ning

of

mon

umen

ts.

Arch

aeo-

seis

mic

sur

vey.

Elec

troni

c Ar

chiv

e an

d In

tegr

ated

Arc

haeo

logi

cal Da

taba

se a

nd t

he

Butri

nt w

ebsi

te c

ompl

eted

.Ha

ndic

raft

prod

uctio

n pr

ogra

mm

e.N

ew U

NES

CO m

onito

ring

mis

sion

.

Vege

tatio

n m

anag

emen

t pu

rsue

d.M

onum

ent

cons

erva

tion

prog

ram

me

(Wat

er

Gate

, lat

e Ro

man

Nym

phae

um, t

he S

toa

Chur

ch f

resc

o, W

ell of

Jun

ia R

ufin

a, V

rina

Plai

n To

mb)

.M

osai

cs c

onse

rvat

ion

train

ing

prog

ram

me:

(B

aptis

tery

mos

aic,

Tra

pezo

idal

Hal

l m

osai

c,

Vrin

a Pl

ain

mos

aics

).Ve

geta

tion

man

agem

ent

and

train

ing.

Butri

ntIC

CROM

Sout

h-Ea

st E

urop

ean

Herit

age

Cons

erva

tion

cour

se m

anag

ed a

t Bu

trint

.–

Shën

Dël

liBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Plan

ting

of f

ruit

and

oliv

e tre

es.

–

2008

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

n Pa

laeo

envi

ronm

enta

l st

udie

s fo

cuse

d on

con

tem

pora

ry R

oman

sh

orel

ines

. Lo

cal pr

oduc

tion

of s

ouve

nirs

for

sal

e in

the

Com

mun

ity S

hop.

Boat

tou

rs t

o Al

i Pa

sha’

s Ca

stle

and

to

Diap

orit

villa

.Cl

assr

oom

and

out

door

act

iviti

es f

or s

choo

lchi

ldre

n pr

omot

ed.

Asse

ssm

ent

of r

oad

impr

ovem

ent

sche

mes

in

the

Butri

nt r

egio

n.

Mas

onry

con

solid

atio

n.Ve

geta

tion

man

agem

ent

and

site

lan

dsca

ping

. Al

i Pa

sha’

s Ca

stle

con

serv

atio

n pr

opos

al

com

plet

ed.

Cons

erva

tion

and

pres

enta

tion

of t

he B

aptis

tery

m

osai

c.

TAB

LE 1

CON

TIN

UED


Year

Plac

eIn

stitu

tions

Even

tCo

nser

vatio

n fo

cus

2009

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Gjiro

kast

ra c

onse

rvat

ion

and

deve

lopm

ent

orga

niza

tion

Trai

ning

exe

rcis

e fo

r fir

e pr

even

tion.

Four

teen

nat

ive

spec

ies

of t

rees

wer

e pl

ante

d fo

llow

ing

Dutc

h el

m d

isea

se i

n w

oodl

and.

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

n’s

GIS

spec

ialis

t jo

ined

the

Alb

ania

n He

ritag

e Fo

unda

tion’

s hi

stor

ic e

nviro

nmen

t pr

ojec

t ‘T

he f

utur

e of

Alb

ania

’s

past

’.

Woo

dlan

d an

d ve

geta

tion

man

agem

ent

cont

inue

d.M

ason

ry c

onso

lidat

ion:

Grea

t Ba

silic

a, A

crop

olis

Bas

ilica

, Vrin

a Pl

ain

Tom

b.

Butri

nt

Butri

nt N

atio

nal Pa

rkBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Firs

t de

taile

d an

alyt

ical

rec

ordi

ng o

f w

alls

.N

ew o

nlin

e co

nditi

on s

urve

y ca

talo

gue

of B

utrin

t’s w

alls

and

m

onum

ents

.

–

2010

Butri

ntTr

icon

ch P

alac

eBu

trint

Fou

ndat

ion

Tric

onch

Pal

ace

mos

aic

cons

erve

d (a

sec

ond

time)

.–

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

UN

ESCO

IC

OM

OS

Butri

nt N

atio

nal Pa

rk

UN

ESCO

and

ICO

MOS

sent

a j

oint

mis

sion

to

inve

stig

ate

the

(new

ly e

nlar

ged)

roa

d bu

ildin

g sc

hem

e fro

m S

aran

da t

o Bu

trint

.–

2011

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Inst

itute

of

Mon

umen

ts

Cont

inui

ng c

onse

rvat

ion

of m

osai

cs o

f th

e Tr

icon

ch P

alac

e.

Cons

erva

tion

of t

he m

osai

c pa

vem

ents

in

the

Gym

nasi

um.

Gym

nasi

um:

stab

iliza

tion

and

impr

ovem

ent

of

phys

ical

pro

perti

es a

nd s

ituat

ion,

inc

ludi

ng

clea

ning

and

min

imiz

atio

n of

bio

logi

cal

degr

adin

g pa

thol

ogie

s.

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nIC

OM

OS

UK

Begi

nnin

g of

tra

nsiti

onal

per

iod

durin

g w

hich

man

agem

ent

of t

he

com

mun

ity-b

ased

inc

ome-

gene

ratin

g ac

tiviti

es h

ande

d ov

er t

o th

e st

akeh

olde

rs.

Prep

arat

ion

for

a ne

w m

anag

emen

t pl

an.

Visi

t of

ICO

MOS

UK

Cultu

ral To

uris

m C

omm

ittee

.

–

2012

Butri

nt N

atio

nal

Park

Butri

nt F

ound

atio

nM

inis

try o

f To

uris

m, C

ultu

re,

Yout

h an

d Sp

orts

Butri

nt N

atio

nal Pa

rk

Esta

blis

hmen

t of

yea

r-rou

nd v

eget

atio

n m

anag

emen

t sy

stem

Nat

iona

l Pa

rk w

ins

gove

rnm

ent

appr

oval

to

expe

nd 9

0% o

f its

tic

ket

reve

nue.

Inst

alla

tion

and

use

of e

lect

roni

c tic

ketin

g sy

stem

.Al

l m

onum

ent

inte

rpre

tatio

n pa

nels

rep

rinte

d an

d in

stal

led.

New

tic

ket

offic

e an

d in

frast

ruct

ure

built

, inc

ludi

ng w

i-fi

Inte

rnet

ac

cess

and

CCT

V.

Ong

oing

mai

nten

ance

of

the

cons

olid

ated

w

alls

as

wel

l as

veg

etat

ion

and

woo

dlan

d m

anag

emen

t.Co

nclu

sion

of

cons

erva

tion

proj

ects

of

chan

nel-

side

def

ensi

ve w

all an

d th

e Gr

eat

Basi

lica.

TAB

LE 1

CON

TIN

UED


Phase 1: 1993–97 — an unlikely meeting of conservation mindsThe fi rst period of this project, between 1993–97, can best be described as an often

savage confrontation of scientifi c cultures (cf. Vickers & Pettifer, 1997; Hall, 1999).

The Foundation set out to develop a strategy based upon a combination of research,

low-cost reversible conservation (suitable for the local circumstances), presentation,

and marketing in order to increase tourism and therefore create income and employ-

ment at Butrint. The model for this strategy was Riccardo Francovich’s innovative

archaeological park at Rocca San Silvestro, a deserted medieval hilltop village in

Tuscany that was fully opened to the public in 1996. The Foundation team included

a buildings conservation architect, Richard Andrews (Carden and Godfrey Architects,

London) and a practising materials and fi nds conservator (Pippa Pearce, British

Museum).

From the outset, therefore, the vision for conservation was to protect the unspoilt

spirit of Butrint that had been created by Ugolini and respectfully sustained by the

Albanian authorities between 1945 and 1991.

Fortunately, while the Institute of Archaeology showed no willingness to engage in

a planned programme for Butrint, including site conservation, the local offi cial

responsible for the Institute of Monuments, Telemark Llakana, with reference to his

director in Tirana, Valter Shtylla, took a different position. Llakana brokered the fi rst

conservation initiatives with the Foundation in 1995. These included support for

woodland clearance to protect walls that were endangered by low, invasive vegeta-

tion, an outline survey of the monuments including the churches with frescoes, and

a condition survey of the mosaic pavements at the Baptistery. With funds from the

World Monuments Fund these early initiatives established priorities and at risk

monuments, while re-invoking woodland management practices that had been stand-

ard annual exercises since the 1970s. By the end of 1996 the site was once again

adequately managed in conservation terms, and an outline condition survey had been

completed.

In 1995–96 one palpable conservation threat (which did not materialize) was a bid

by the Institute of Archaeology for European Union funds to build a cover over the

Baptistery. This scheme envisaged keeping the mosaic pavement exposed throughout

the year. Perhaps the scheme failed to win support because the concept involved using

solar-power energy, generated by panels on the roof, to operate a pumping system to

drain the Baptistery of groundwater (which in winter tends to cover the monument

up to 30 cm deep).

Phase 2: 1998–2000 — making the Butrint National Park After the civil uprising (the so-called Pyramid Fund crisis) in February 1997, the

World Bank and the Getty Grant Program encouraged the Foundation to be more

aggressive in pursuing its objectives.

Phase 2 at Butrint began with a values-based workshop funded by the Getty Grant

Program in April 1998 to determine its signifi cance, from which it was proposed

to develop a management strategy (cf. Demas, 2002). This was not a ‘meeting of

experts [. . .] best [. . .] seen as a piece of political theatre in which archaeologists

(and conservation professionals) played the role of the white-coated specialist on a

television commercial for an over-the-counter cold remedy’ (Joyce, 2005: 267). On the


contrary, the high-level and diverse Albanian participants, perhaps artfully manipu-

lated by the foreigners present, concluded that fi rst and foremost the magical spirit

of Butrint needed to be protected as its asset of greatest signifi cance. The gravita-

tional pull of the monuments themselves was resisted and instead the context, the

spirit of ruins in an unexpected woodland surrounded on three sides, was prioritized.

The most immediate outcome was a landscape plan for Butrint and its setting

was drawn up by Jamie Buchanan, the landscape architect who designed the Rocca

San Silvestro park in Tuscany. This led to the enlargement of the UNESCO World

Heritage Site in 1999 to include a buffer zone, encompassing an area of 29 km2

(Hodges & Martin, 2001; Martin, 2001; 2002).

The Saranda workshop in 1998 had specifi c implications for the management

and conservation of Butrint’s monuments. Since the groundwater of Butrint did not

damage the buildings, pumping the water out of the cavea of the Theatre, for

example, contravened sustaining the spirit of Butrint. A better solution was to keep

the water clean as opposed to suffer the perpetual noise from a pump. Cleaning the

water also provided employment, whereas a pump did not. At a second workshop

in September 1998 dedicated to conserving the celebrated Baptistery pavement, the

participants arrived at the same conclusion. Pumping the water from the monument,

it was concluded, would destroy the spirit of the place; it was better to open the

mosaic pavement each summer and train local conservators to maintain it. Again, the

latter provided employment and the intervention involved was minimal.

In this unsettled period, though, the Foundation was unable to carry out conserva-

tion on any scale or indeed to train any conservators. Nevertheless, Telemark Llakan a

skilfully maintained a small woodland management team and carried out limited

conservation projects if these were urgent (with the Foundation’s support).

Phase 3: 2000–07 — developing the park infrastructureThe creation of the Butrint National Park in 1999 facilitated major developments at

Butrint over the following seven years. A management plan (2000–05) based upon

a condition survey of the monuments (see Appendix 1) paved the way for a strategy

(cf. Sullivan, 1997) that included regular conservation (Martin, 2001). Objective 6

of the plan set out the following short-term (Phase I) and medium-term (Phase II)

objectives:

Phase I

• Appoint a part-time conservation offi cer to direct and advise the skilled

workforce on technical and conservation matters.

• Undertake a full condition survey of the monuments.

• Programme the reburial of old excavation trenches not needed for site interpre-

tation and display.

• Develop a modern code of practice for conservation staff based on the old

Institute of Monument’s handbook and the knowledge of the existing experi-

enced workforce.

• Establish a placement and training programme for new staff.

• Create an accessible conservation archive.

• Facilitate a mosaic conservation and display programme.


Phase II

• Develop a dedicated conservation workshop with teaching and demonstration

areas.

• Establish a formal apprenticeship system to assist local school leavers into

skilled and semi-skilled conservation posts.

• Develop an annual maintenance and monitoring system.

Over the following decade the Phase I objectives were mostly met, and the will to

meet the Phase II objectives certainly exists. In addition, in these years there were

many other initiatives including the extensive refurbishment of the Museum (made in

1938 and enlarged in 1988), new hiking trails though the buffer zone, new informa-

tion panels, a new website, new guidebooks, wide-ranging capacity building including

a guide-training programme, an archaeological and conservation training school, and

a major research programme including archival studies. Signifi cantly, in 2003 the

Foundation also won support from RAMSAR for an even larger environmentally

protected zone encompassing Lake Butrint and its immediate surroundings.

The new Park administration included a conservator, Albana Hakani, who took

over from Llakana after he retired in 2001. The conservator sustained the woodland

management programme, and signifi cantly, with the Foundation’s support, created

capacity building training schools. Wall conservation and mosaic conservation were

taught as summer schools with experienced programme instructors in 2005–07.

In October 2007 ICCROM supported Butrint’s conservation offi cer to manage a

South-East Europe Conservation course at the World Heritage Site. During this

period major conservation interventions were undertaken: the Baptistery mosaic

pavement (2006) (Figure 4), the Well of Junia Rufi na (2007), the nymphaeum (2005),

the Triangular Fortress (2004–05), the Venetian Tower (2002–03), the Water Gate

(2007), and the remains on the Vrina Plain (2006). In addition, the excavations of the

Triconch Palace, covering nearly a third of a hectare, completed in 2004, were

conserved and transformed into a presentable archaeological site in 2005 (Figure 5).

Part of the Triconch Palace conservation plan, designed by Richard Andrews and

implemented by Albana Hakani, included the stabilizing and conservation of all the

buried mosaic pavements (Bowden & Hodges, 2011: 8). In 2005 Hakani also oversaw

the backfi lling and presentation of the maritime villa at Diaporit on the south-east

corner of Lake Butrint, excavated between 2000 and 2004 (Figure 6).

In all these interventions, a strong effort was made to minimize the invasiveness of

the conservation, to control the vegetation on a regular basis, to manage and clean

the seasonal groundwater, and to backfi ll archaeological excavations with the notable

exception of the Triconch Palace (cf. Bowden & Hodges, 2011: 7–8). Above all, more

than a dozen Albanian conservators were provided with basic training in contempo-

rary techniques and a similar number of local workmen were trained in the basics of

stone and mortar restoration.

Phase 4: 2007–12 — towards a sustainable future?By 2008 Albania had ostensibly disposed of its transition status and on the eve of the

fi nancial crisis beginning that September, the future of the Park seemed set. During

these years the Foundation updated and expanded the fi rst condition survey of

Butrint’s monuments. Special attention was given by the Foundation’s consultant,


fi gure 4 Conservation of the Baptistery mosaic (2006).Butrint Foundation

fi gure 5 Conservation of the Triconch Palace (2005).Alket Islami




fi gure 6 Conservation of Diaporit Roman villa (2005).Alket Islami



René Rice, to the condition of the kilometres of fortifi cation walls. Many sections of

the defences with their gates were cleaned, repaired, and stabilized, this offering the

opportunity to train a cohort of artisans in basic conservation tasks (Figure 7). A

number of monuments also received renewed interventions, but perhaps the greatest

efforts were given to woodland management, path making, landscaping, trench

fi lling, and spoil removal. One major project involved stabilizing Ali Pasha’s Castle

that suffered signifi cant subsidence in 2008 and was stabilized after a systematic

architectural study in 2010–11.

fi gure 7 Conservation of the lakeside (sixth-century) fortifi cations (2008). Butrint Foundation



With greater collaboration now possible, and the availability of a cohort of work-

men under well-trained management, this was the occasion to refl ect upon the future

of the Butrint Foundation. With the creation of a cultural section of the Albanian-

American Development Fund and an agreement by the Albanian Ministry of Culture

to permit 90 per cent of the ticket revenue from Butrint’s 80,000 or more visitors

(in 2012) to be employed at Butrint, the Foundation has, as of 2013, ceased active

operations and now is maintained as a grant-giving body. Since 2008 the Foundation,

then, has supported conservation of individual monuments, primarily undertaken by

Albanian conservators. As of 2013, the Butrint National Park’s conservator, Eva

Thomagjini, in collaboration with the Institute of Monuments, is responsible for

updating the conservation component of the quinquennial management plan, and for

its implementation.

Discussion

Limited access to Butrint, fi rst principally by boat before 1959, when the road was

built for Khrushchev’s visit, and then until 1991, because it was effectively in a fron-

tier zone accessible only with permission, almost certainly restricted the temptation

to reconstruction of its excavated archaeological monuments. Unlike Apollonia, for

example, there was instead an emphasis upon stabilizing the monuments and mosaic

pavements. Reconstruction using concrete is almost absent. In addition, Butrint was

fortunate in its local management from the 1970s through to the twenty-fi rst century.

Through this agency Butrint was protected from the excesses of non-reversible recon-

struction that were favoured by communist governments after World War II to gener-

ate tourist revenues in foreign hard currencies. The steady hand of Telemark Llakana

(in many modest and discrete ways an admirable successor to Ugolini’s overseers,

Giacomo Franz and Alfredo Nuccitelli), managed the Institute of Monuments’ opera-

tion at Butrint, providing an essential and intelligent continuity during the destabiliz-

ing early 1990s when all kinds of eccentric and inappropriate projects were being

considered. He comprehended that ‘the greatest challenge to pursuing a values-based

approach to planning is acknowledging that values are mutable and there are few

absolutes in terms of what is right or wrong’ (Demas, 2002: 49). One ‘absolute’, the

greatest problem at Butrint also happens to be what makes it an especially beautiful

place, namely the vegetation that is prodigiously nurtured by the abundant winter and

spring groundwater. Working with Llakana, then assisting the creation of a new

generation of conservators trained in the importance of minimalist and reversible

techniques, the conservation promoted by the Butrint Foundation has been a critical

element in sustaining Luigi Maria Ugolini’s thoughtful legacy for modern visitors. As

Lord Norwich wrote in 1999, Butrint feels unspoilt, and, as Ugolini might have

wished, the ruins still remain a place for romantic meditation.

Acknowledgements

The Butrint Foundation project is a British charity supported by Lord Rothschild and

Lord Sainsbury which operated in partnership with the Packard Humanities Institute

between 1999–2012. We are also grateful to support from the Getty Conservation


Institute, the Howard and Nancy Marks Foundation, the Oak Foundation, and the

World Monuments Fund. Particular thanks in preparing this essay to Richard An-

drews, Brian Ayers, Will Bowden, Andy Crowson, Oliver Gilkes, Aldi Kola, Sally

Martin, Nevila Molla, and Diana Ndrenika.

Appendix 1

The Butrint Foundation supported the preparation of a Management Plan in 2000 (Martin,

2001) that included a condition survey of all the monuments made by the conservation archi-

tect, Richard Andrews. This was updated by the Foundation in 2009: <http://www.butrintcon-

ditionsurvey.com/Survey/intro%20page.htm>.

This is the executive summary of the fi rst, 2000, survey (from Martin, 2001).

Summary of proposed repairs: 2000–01 inspectionRepairs are divided into three categories of priority as follows:

1 desirable to be carried out within 1 year of inspection

2 desirable to be carried out within 2–3 years of inspection

3 desirable to be carried out within 4–5 years of inspection

These broad categories of priority refl ect the seriousness of the defect when viewed in 2001. It

is likely that the order of priority will change as environmental conditions make the need for

some repairs more serious, and others less so. It is desirable that an inspection is carried out

on an annual basis to ensure that work programmed for the following year meets the need of

the site: some repairs may need to be brought forward, and the condition may deteriorate to

the extent that masonry viewed as sound in 2001 may become at risk.

When creating a work programme it may be desirable for logistical reasons for repairs of

lesser priority to be carried out at the same time as higher priority work adjacent. The prior-

ity for repair may also be varied to suit the needs of site interpretation, public access, etc. The

converse is not true: that a monument has no public access and there are no plans for its display

does not mean that the repairs can be regarded as of lower priority.

Category 1

Agora 2 prytaneum Repoint whole wall as indicated.

Agora 4 Theatre & temple Provide support for masonry at Z.

Bath-house by Baptistery Remove fallen tree.

Bath-house by Venetian tower Repair and repointing of the medieval wall.

Church by the Baptistery Repoint belfry walls.

City wall AB Devegetation repointing and resetting of stones sections 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8.

City wall PQ Take down upper part of the wall (up to 1 m) and devegetate including removal of trees; rebuild wall and consolidate as necessary.

City wall TU Removal of 3 trees at 6.

” Repair corework section 5/6.

Gymnasium Remove fallen tree and five other trees around site.

Nymphaeum Consolidate as is pushed out brickwork on north side (1.5 m2), point around.


Triconch Palace Devegetation of site including removal of all trees indicated on plan.

” Initial consolidation of all low level walls, including mortaring of wall tops and sides as necessary.

Water gate Rebuild collapsed north-west corner and associated facing (approx.. 5 m2).

Well of Junia Rufina Remove tree, rebuild masonry around as necessary.

” Remove tree stump, consolidate vault as necessary.

Diaporit basilica Point all walls and rebed wall tops.

” Backfill over pavings and in tomb.

Ali Pasha’s Castle Devegetation of top of vaulted building, including filling hole in roof and rescreeding top surface. External wall repointing and repairs to vaulted building.

Triangular fortress Seal access to prevent east tower being used as lavatory.

” South-west wall artillery platform door jamb renewal.

Category 2

Agora 1 south of city wall Repoint bottoms of walls as indicated.

” Provide corbel support for upper part of wall at X.

” Repoint whole wall as indicated.

Agora 2 prytaneum Repoint bottoms of walls as indicated.

” Clean off wall tops and reset loose stones as indicated.

Agora 3 bath-house Repoint bottoms of walls as indicated.



” Devegetate and clear out spaces and walls as indicated.

” Check pointing on hypocaust pilae after clearing out.

” Repoint side of high level masonry at Y.

Agora 4 Theatre & temple Provide support to upper lines of seating.

” Repoint and consolidate walling to north-east.

” Remove two trees.

” Repoint and reset at top of Temple roof masonry.

” Repair as necessary lowest seating row in theatre.

Agora 5 east of Theatre Devegetate high-level masonry at steps up from Peristyle Building, reset loose stones and repoint as necessary.

” Repoint face of tower to north-east (10 m2), remove vegetation from top, and consolidate.

” Cut back vegetation above well, secure wall.

Aqueduct and fountain Devegetate fountain, repair capping, and repoint as necessary.

Baptistery General consolidation of hypercaust and walls around apse.

“ Repointing of bottoms of surrounding walls, etc., as indicated.

Basilica General removal of weeds and shrubs and associated filling of holes, high and low level, etc.

Bath-house by Venetian tower Clearance of vegetation in and around the bath house.

” General repointing and resetting of loose stones, etc., as necessary.


Byzantine building Reset loose stones, general filling of voids, and repointing as necessary including at base of walls.

Church by the Baptistery Repoint sides of lower church walls.

City wall AB Devegetation repointing and resetting of stones sections 4/5, 6/7.

City wall CD Remove trees and devegetate whole length of wall, including consequential repairs and resetting of wall tops and corework.

” Repoint base of wall to south and establish walkway above water line for inspection and repair.

City wall MN In area 2/3, repoint 4 m2 on face, 1.5 m2 on north cross wall.

City wall PQ Repoint smaller limestone walling, allow for 40 m2.

” Reset loose stones on slope at end Q, repoint as necessary.

City wall QR General devegetation of wall tops all sections, including capping of wall tops and resetting of loose stones.

City wall RS General devegetation of wall tops all sections, including capping of wall tops and resetting of loose stones.

” Repair corework section 4/5.

City wall TU General devegetation of wall tops sections 1/2, 4/5, 5/6, including capping of wall tops and removal of vegetation on repaired wall tops.

City wall XY Devegetation of sections 1/2, 2/3, 4/5, 6/7 and 8/9 and associated consolidation.

” Repoint bottom section 1/2, corework and face section 8/9, and cap section 8/9.

” Facing of corework and resetting of stones section 4/5.

” Rebuilding at south end section 1/2.

City wall YZ Removal of vegetation and repointing, etc., to sections 3/4 and 4/5.

Hellenistic building Remove vegetation in and around the walls.

” Remove vegetation and trees on revetting wall and walls to south and repoint and reset loose stones.

Late Roman nymphaeum Repoint tall walls (40%), reset top stones as necessary.

Nymphaeum Remove fig trees from walls, and vegetation from inside fountain.

” Repair and point up the exposed core of the walls around the cistern on west side.

Small church Devegetate around and inside.

Triconch palace Low level wall repointing around trefoil dining room, etc., as indicated.

Vaulted building south of Hellenistic building

Remove trees on and adjacent, make good as necessary.

Venetian house Repoint high walls and areas adjacent.

Venetian tower Repoint areas around steps: allow for repointing 50%.

” Repoint areas of walls as necessary:South wall: open joints throughout; filling in and around relieving arches. Tiles to decorative band and corbel.West wall: as for south wall.North wall: as for south wall, plus most of top 600 mm of wall and all tiles to openings.East wall: base needs extensive repointing, as does upper 600 mm of wall and about 3 m2 in small areas elsewhere. Tiles to decorative band and corbel and to all openings.


Water gate Devegetate wall tops, including lifting and rebedding top 2–3 courses of stones as necessary to allow removal of trees and woody shrubs.

” Reset loose stones and repoint masonry and tiling as necessary throughout.

Well of Junia Rufina Devegetate all walls immediately around, repoint and repair corework as necessary.

Ali Pasha’s Castle Devegetation of rest of castle and ground clearance.

” Repointing of inside of vaulted building.

” Repairs to north-east corner tower.

” Repairs and rebuilding where appropriate of north wall.

” Clearance of internal platforms, repointing and rebuilding of front walls as necessary.

Triangular Fortress Devegetation inside generally.

” South-east wall, pin lintel in opening and reset masonry over.

” East and west corner towers external repointing.

” South-west wall artillery platform repoint face.

” South corner tower interior local repoint, etc.

” South corner tower consolidate masonry at openings.

” Retile magazine roof.

” West defences local repointing and extensive repointing to inside face south wall.

Aqueduct pier bases 1 Repair detached face on north pier.

” Stabilize necked masonry on third pier by building out on north and south sides in core work.

Vrina Plain tomb Deep point crack between main structure and loose upper block.

Category 3

Agora 4 Theatre & temple Repoint on scaenae frons and wall behind as indicated.

” Repoint within Temple.

” Remove surplus stone in theatre.

Agora 5 east of theatre Repoint bottoms of walls as indicated.



” Clear out chamber to north-east of Temple of Minerva, consolidate as necessary.

Aqueduct and fountain Devegetate fountain, repair capping and repoint as necessary.

Bath-house by Baptistery Local repointing and resetting of occasional stones.

Church by the Baptistery Devegetate paving areas, etc.

City wall AB Devegetation repointing and resetting of stones section 8/9.

City wall CD Repoint faces as necessary.

City wall MN Devegetate as necessary, partic. at section 2/3.

City wall QR Removal of woody shrubs and trees on wall faces.

” Repointing as necessary.


City wall RS Removal of woody shrubs and trees on wall faces.

” Repointing as necessary, section 1/2 30 m2, section 2/3 10 m2, section 3/4 20 m2, section 4/5 5 m2.

City wall TU Removal of woody shrubs and trees on wall faces.

” Repointing as necessary, section 1/2 4 m2, section 2/3 8 m22, section 3/4 25 m2, section 4/5 4 m2.

City wall XY Minor repointing to sections 1/2, 2/3, 6/7.

” Removal of vegetation and filling of holes section 5/6.

City wall YZ General devegetation and repointing, etc., to all sections except 3/4 and 4/5.

Gymnasium Devegetate and repair top of north-east part of fountain.

” Carry out repairs to base of wall, face of wall, top of wall, as indicated.

Late Roman nymphaeum Repoint low walls (60%) and reset top stones.

Nymphaeum Local repairs to capping and resetting of loose bricks.

Small church Devegetate wall tops, reset loose stones, point 30% of wall surfaces.

Tower gate Remove trees and other vegetation on and in the monument.

” Devegetate and repoint as necessary wall to north.

Venetian house Reset loose stones on lower walls and repoint as necessary.

” Remove trees in north chambers.

Venetian tower Tile repairs to openings.

Ali Pasha’s Castle Repointing at base of walls externally.

” Resetting of lose stones, local rebuilding as necessary and repointing as necessary of other three corner towers and perimeter walls, etc.

Triangular Fortress Minor repointing to wall walks and wall tops inc. resetting of stones.

” East corner tower minor internal repairs.

” West corner tower internal repoint.

” South-west wall external repoint.

” South corner tower external local repoint.

Aqueduct pier bases 1 Clear vegetation around.

” Minor and local repointing on all bases as necessary.

Aqueduct pier bases 2 Clear vegetation around.

” South base: grout and point up at separation crack.

” Minor repointing as necessary.

Cistern base Deep point crack between main structure and loose upper block.

Plain wall ruins 1 Reset loose stones and repoint open and defective joints.

” Clear vegetation around.

Plain wall ruins 3 Devegetate and repoint open joints.

Recommendations

Acropolis basilica Ground clearance and re-inspection.

Agora 1 south of city wall Consider removal of moss on walls.

Agora 2 prytaneum Increase margin for vegetation to 2m on north side.


Aqueduct and fountain Improvement of the display and interpretation of these ruins is needed.

Baptistery Burial of walls to south-east.

” Conservation of mosaics coordinated with masonry repairs.

Bath-house by Baptistery Regular cleaning of water and floor surfaces, monitoring of condition.

Bath-house by Venetian tower Annual clean of the surfaces and inspection of the mosaics and other floors: this should be discussed with a conservator to agree procedure.

Byzantine building Archaeological excavation to enable ground to be cleared in advance of consolidation.

Cemetery area building Consideration needs to be given to whether this building, on the public tour route, should be displayed, in which case excavation and consolidation will be required. Alternatively, it could be accepted that the level of decay will be slow and that a more romantic less sanitized appearance could be appropriate here. Backfilling is an option, and may be preferred on safety grounds.

City wall AB This wall is adjacent to the public footpath and presents a continuing hazard unless it is kept in good repair. It should be cleared and consol-idated at the west end to display its relationship with the Venetian Tower.

City wall CD After excavation is complete the spoil heaps and runways should be removed to improve the display of the wall.

” Consideration should be given to the establishment of a spoil walkway above water level outside the wall, to allow inspection and repair and to provide another route for visitors.

City wall DO Clearance of the whole wall line in advance of survey and consolida-tion.

City wall MN Excavate and clean off to show top of wall section 3/4, prior to consolidation.

City wall NO Wood and undergrowth to be cleared to reveal wall line. To be coordinated with archaeological programme and to be followed by consolidation.

City wall PQ Carry on clearance westward from section 1/2, but only when resources can be available within 2 years to carry out complete consolidation.

City wall ST Wood and undergrowth to be cleared to reveal wall line. To be coordinated with archaeological programme and to be followed by consolidation.

City wall UV Wood and undergrowth to be cleared to reveal wall line. To be coordinated with archaeological programme and to be followed by consolidation.

City wall VW Clearance of vegetation in advance of survey and repair programme.

City wall WX Wall line needs to be cleared on both sides to allow proper inspection.

City wall XY Specialist report on frescoes.

Gymnasium Mosaic conservators to advise on condition of submerged mosaics.

Hellenistic building All the grass around the big block masonry should be regularly strimmed (twice a year?). The area within the rubble walls should also be strimmed regularly.

Small church Investigate retention and conservation of painted plaster.

Tower gate Consider re-securing top stones of Gate to eliminate safety hazard.

” Selective backfill to improve presentation.

” Investigate condition of lintels.


Triconch Palace Replacement of concrete corbel on south trefoil with turned tile arch pinned back.

” Vegetation around site should be cut back to provide a margin of between 2–3 m; trees further than 1m from walls can be kept.

” Display of triconch needs to be considered, particularly whether gravel be introduced into floor areas to differentiate between inside and outside.

” Conservation of all mosaics and floor surfaces needs to be reviewed and coordinated with wall consolidation.

Vaulted building south of Hellenistic building

Consideration should be given to back-filling this building, perhaps to some 450 mm below present ground level inside: this will require archaeological reduction of the surviving fill.

Venetian house Rebuild rebuilt vault to correct line.

” Archaeologically clear ground around in advance of consolidation.

” Improve interpretation.

Wall with inscriptions Consider demolition of walls and internal display to protect stones; otherwise roof over.

Water gate Clearance of spoil tip in the central area. Remove trees, etc., around.

Diaporit basilica The remains are visually interesting and should be preserved for display. Fencing around should be considered to exclude animals.

Diaporit Roman villa There are potential problems with the consolidation for display of these walls as they are at present, associated with the sloping hillside, terracing and depth of section: walls may need to be stabilized against the pressure of masonry and soil above, the sections are likely to collapse, and the excavation at present is dangerous to humans and animals alike. Extending the excavation would deal with the problems of collapse of the section, fencing would keep out animals, and further excavation may be needed to help with the problems with the terracing walls. In the short term it would be sensible to backfill the excavation, and review the exposure of the walls and their consolida-tion when a decision on further excavation has been taken. As the walls are in fair condition consolidation of the walls would be simple, but the painted plaster at least will need specialist conservation.

Ali Pasha’s Castle Proposals for interpretation need to be progressed, which will inform the repair work.

Church in channel bank General clearance of ruin, including cutting back and removal of vegetation around, followed by recording and consolidation as necessary.

” Conservator’s report on condition of wall plaster.

Structures on north side of channel Investigation and recording of structures.

Triangular Fortress Close road to enable structures between fortress and channel to be preserved and consolidated.

Aqueduct pier bases 1 Consider fencing off to keep animals away.

Aqueduct pier bases 2 Consider rebuilding collapsed base.

” Consider fencing around.

Cistern base It is likely that the greatest threat is from animals and farmers; it may be necessary to consider some simple fence around to exclude both if decay is noticeable.


Kalivo walls To safeguard the wall for the future it is desirable that vegetation, and especially trees, is removed from the face and top. Some further clearance could enable the wall to be seem more easily from afar, for example from Diaporit. If it is thought realistic to take visitors up to the walls, some clearance of vegetation and stones from the wall tops for the complete length of the circuit would be required.

Vrina Plain tomb Consideration should be given to fencing around to exclude animals.

Vrina Plain wall ruins 1 These walls will be easier to maintain if the rubble around is cleared. Before this can be done the archaeological significance of the rubble needs to be established, and it is recommended that all rubble clearance around should be done under archaeological supervision. Although at present animals do not appear to be causing damage, it is possible that rubble clearance will encourage animal proximity, and it may be necessary to consider fencing.

Vrina Plain wall ruins 2 These walls are the best survival on the plain, and as such measures should be taken to protect and display them. Animal usage should be prevented, perhaps by fencing, the ground around should be cleared of vegetation and rubble and the original floor levels established if possible. The cistern should be cleared out. All work of this sort should be carried out under archaeological supervision and will give rise to the need for simple conservation work.

Vrina Plain wall ruins 3 The ground around could be cleared to improve the appearance.

Bibliography

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Notes on contributors

Richard Hodges served as Scientifi c Director of the Butrint Foundation, 1993–2012.

He has excavated in Britain, Italy, and Turkey, as well as Greece. He has been

Director of the British School at Rome, Director of the Prince of Wales’s Institute of

Architecture, Director of the Institute of World Archaeology, Williams Director of

the University of Pennsylvania Museum, and is currently President of the American

University of Rome.

Correspondence to: Richard Hodges. Email: [email protected]

Anna Paterlini is a heritage consultant who divides her time between managing

special projects for the President’s Offi ce at the American University at Rome and

implementing visitor research at the archaeological site of Herculaneum (Italy) for the

Herculaneum Conservation Project. She is a former Public Archaeology MA student

at the Institute of Archaeology (UCL) in London.

Correspondence to: Anna Paterlini. Email: [email protected]

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