| Rozafa Castle Shkodra Castle | |
|---|---|
Kalaja e Rozafës Kalaja e Shkodrës | |
| Shkodër, in northwestern Albania | |
 Rozafa Castle | |
.svg)  Rozafa Castle Shkodra Castle | |
| Coordinates | 42°02′47″N 19°29′37″E / 42.0465°N 19.4935°E |
| Site information | |
| Owner |  Albania |
| Controlled by | Illyrian tribes (Labeates, Ardiaei) Illyrian kingdom  Roman Empire  Byzantine Empire Duklja First Bulgarian Empire Serbian Grand Principality  Kingdom of Serbia  Serbian Empire  Lordship of Zeta  Principality of Zaharia .svg){kind=small} Venetian Albania  Ottoman Empire  Pashalik of Scutari  Kingdom of Montenegro Great Powers Albania |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | 4th or early 3rd century BC (earliest detected walls)[1] |
| Materials | Limestone, brick |
Rozafa Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Rozafës) or Shkodër Castle (Albanian: Kalaja e Shkodrës) is a castle near the city of Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. It rises imposingly on a rocky hill, 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level, surrounded by the Buna and Drin rivers. Shkodër is the seat of Shkodër County, and is one of Albania's oldest and most historic towns, as well as an important cultural and economic centre.
The hill was settled since the Early Bronze Age. The earliest fortification walls are dated to the 4th-3rd century BCE constituting the citadel of the Illyrian city of Skodra, which together with various sites of the lower city, shows the growing and vibrant nature of the Illyrian capital under the Labeatae, especially during the reign of king Gentius.[2][1] Nevertheless, the visible walls of the castle are mostly of Venetian construction.
- ^ a b Dyczek 2022: "A section of the original so-called Cyclopean walls has been traced and dated to the 4th (?) or early 3rd century BC (Figure 5). There is also some modest evidence of the Lower City walls seen by Livy. Considered in relation to the results of the excavations, this gives a provisional picture of the Hellenistic fortifications, as well as an improved understanding of the urban grid. The small finds: fragments of amphorae and amphora stoppers, and sherds of table ware come mainly from the 2nd century BC (Figure 6). Extensive geophysical (Figure 7) and archaeological research in the upcoming seasons of fieldwork will be instrumental in planning the gradual uncovering of the Hellenistic history of the town."
- ^ Galaty & Bejko 2023, p. 60: "Recently, excavations were reopened at Shkodër Castle by Shpuza, working in collaboration with Polish archaeologist Piotr Dyczek (recently summarized in Dyczek and Shpuza 2020). They began in 2011 with mapping, reconnaissance, and a survey of the inscriptions in the Venetian cistern (Shpuza and Dyczek 2012). They also excavated additional segments of the Iower town's fortification wall—originally excavated by Hoxha and Lahi (see above; apparently built in 340 AD, Dyczek and Shpuza 2014:393)—a round tower, an ossuary, and an Ottoman road and cemetery (fourteenth to fifteenth century AD) near the Xhamia e Plumbit (the Lead Mosque) (Dyczek and Shpuza 2014:393). Finds recovered from various test excavations date to the period of Gentius and demonstrate the presence of a vibrant, growing, pre- Roman (i.e., Illyrian) city (Shpuza and Dyczek 2012:444-445). In subsequent years, Dyczek and Shpuza (2014; see also Shpuza and Dyczek 2013, 2018) excavated 1 7 test trenches covering 400 sq. m., both inside and outside the fortress. Pottery and walls from the Hellenistic period (third to first century BC) were discovered both inside and outside the city walls, providing further support for the idea that the Illyrian city encompassed a Wide area, both atop the citadel and near the banks of the Drin and Buna rivers" [...] p. 65: "For example, despite identifying eighteen Illyrian settlements in the Shkodër region, and despite conducting large-scale excavations at six ot them, including massive, recent excavations at Shkodër Castle, we still possess only the foggiest of impressoins regarding how the regional Illyrian tribes formed and were organized."