It’s not on the usual list of must-see archaeological sites of the Eastern Mediterranean—the Acropolis, Delphi, Olympia. Rhodes, Antioch, Ephesus, and so on. Probably the main reason Byllis is relatively unknown to tourists is because of where it is—in Albania. And, even by Albanian standards, it’s not easy to reach.
Built in the 4th century BC on a hill overlooking the Vjosa River, Byllis was the capital of a small Illyrian republic. The Greeks and Romans used the collective name Illyrians to describe the tribes of the western Balkans (from present-day Slovenia to Albania and North Macedonia), although there’s no conclusive evidence the tribes considered themselves an ethnic group.
Byllis was a city state, with the capital on the hill and villages along the river valley. At one time it was the largest city in Illyria. It had a system of government, minted bronze coins, and traded with other Illyrian tribes and the Greeks to the south. It is mentioned by Greek authors, Caesar and Cicero as a trading center.
We were staying in Fier, a modern city of about 250,000, to the north. The guidebook told us to take a taxi for the 45-minute trip to Ballsh (its name is probably derived from Byllis), the nearest town, and then a local taxi to Byllis.
Finding that local taxi—at least at a price we were prepared to pay—was not easy. I briefly haggled with an older man who spoke some Russian, but I was not going to pay 30 Euros, Eventually, I asked a cop who instructed a café owner to help us.
Other characters appeared on the scene, including an English-speaking petroleum engineer and his father who ran a currency exchange counter. Phone calls were made and eventually a driver showed up, then left immediately to run an errand. When he returned an hour later, he was with his teenage son, a high school junior, who had skipped school for the rest of the day to practice his English with us. It was tiring responding to a series of non-sequitur questions, so when we arrived at Byllis we politely refused his offer to be our guide and agreed to call when we were ready to leave.
The hilltop site is huge, around 30 hectares according to the guidebook. That’s about 75 acres, or 75 football fields, if you like. It’s pretty easy going along the main paths, with descriptive signs in Albanian and English for the main attractions—the stadium, the theater, the agora, the cistern, the Roman bathhouse, the Byzantine basilicas. And stunning views of the river valley and mountain ranges to the south.
The walls and all structures were built from limestone, cut into blocks. Throughout the city’s history, through sieges and conquests, buildings were demolished, and the stone blocks used for new construction, saving the expense and labor of hauling more stone up the hill from the quarry.
For the Romans, who took the city in 229 BC, Byllis offered a strategic location on the route from Apollonia, another Roman city west of Fier and close to the Adriatic coast, and Macedonia.
Within the walls, they built a residential district, laid out on a grid, an arsenal, a bathhouse and sewer system, and public buildings.
Cistern in foreground, bathhouse back
Historians estimate that the theatre, dating from the 3rd century BC and built into a slope, could accommodate an audience of 7,500.
The city was periodically sacked and burned but always rebuilt. Under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, basilicas with paved mosaic floors were built. The largest basilica, called the cathedral, includes a church, a baptistry and an ecclesiastical palace. Most of the mosaics are covered with sand to protect them from the elements but on the day we visited three were temporarily uncovered for viewing.
In such a massive archaeological site, there’s likely much more to be discovered. Excavations started at the end of World War I and continued intermittently, through regime changes. Given Albania’s current economic state, and the need to shore up education, health and social services, digging up history is not high on the government’s budget agenda. Further funding will likely need to come from UNESCO or sources outside Albania.
Right now, the only commercial business at the site is a small restaurant that sells some guides. Maybe some day Byllis will join the must-see list, but Stephanie and I are happy we experienced this site and its dramatic location before the crowds arrive.
