Alcune riflessioni sull’archeologia della laguna di Butrinto. Approdi per terra e per mare

A crucial key factor in the evolution of the coastal landscape of Butrint (southern Albania) is the dynamism of its lagoon. The Butrint peninsula is located at the end of the narrow strait that connects the Ionian Sea to the Vivari Lake and divides Butrint from the Vrina plain, providing the city with a protected and optimal location for the exploitation of lagoon resources and the control of inland routes. Deposition of sediments from the Pavlla River, colluvium from the uplands in the mouth area, sea-level changes and bradyseism accelerated the formation of the Vrina plain and produced large backwaters. Settlement strategies and economic system in the territory of Butrint reveal a prevailing preference towards wetlands for economic exploitation and for shielding hilltop settlements to avoid the effect of swamping. In the dynamism of the coastal landscape, human action plays a key role: after the deduction of the Roman colony, the town expands on the now drained Vrina plain and becomes accessible by land through a bridge crossing the lagoon. This contribution presents settlement dynamics in the territory of Butrint and the possible access routes to the Acropolis in relation to the variations of the wetlands, from a diachronic perspective and in light of the latest surveys of the Butrint Project (University of Bologna and Archaeological Institute of Tirana). Special focus will be given to the discussion of the preliminary results of the underwater survey in the Vivari channel, which uncovered the collapsed remains of the Roman bridge.