The Illyrian Settlement at Dimal and Its Place within the Mediterranean World

The ancient city of Dimal, an Illyrian hilltop settlement, lies about 450 m above sea level, in the hinterland of Apollonia – a colony of Corinth and Corcyra – just about 30 km from the Adriatic eastern coast. The ruins of the ancient city were first explored by C. Praschniker in 1917 and then, about half a century later, by the Institute of Archaeology, during the period between 1963 and 1976, with some restoration works undertaken in the early 1980s. It is to these investigations that we owe the identification of the antique settlement with the Illyrian city of Dimal, thanks to the presence of the name DIMALLITAN on several stamps of Hellenistic roof tiles. From 2010–2015, the ancient city of Dimal and its surroundings have been subject to study within the joint project between the Institute of Archaeology, at the time part of the Academy for Albanian Studies, now Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Classical Archaeology of the University of Cologne. Along with the archaeological excavations undertaken in different sectors of the intra-muros area, which brought to light important public monuments and the phases of the history of the site, several intensive and extensive surveys of the territory immediately outside the fortification wall lead to the identification of two funerary areas. Ancient and recent research has helped to shed light on the history Dimal prior to and after the Roman annexation of the territory.