Antigonia

About

Antigonia (Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνεια), also transliterated as Antigonea and Antigoneia, was an ancient Greek city in Chaonia, Epirus, and the chief inland city of the ancient Chaonians. It is located just south of the village of Saraqinisht, Gjirokastër County, Albania. The area has been declared a National Archaeological Park.

The site: Antigoneia was built on a strategic location at 600 metres above sea level on an almost impregnable hill overlooking the settlements in the Drino valley from where it could control access through the mountains and to the sea.

History: It was founded in the 3rd century BC, maybe by Antigonus II Gonatas, but more probably by Pyrrhus of Epirus. In the latter case, Pyrrhus would have named the city after one of his wives, Antigone, daughter of Berenice I and step-daughter of Ptolemy I of Egypt. The straits near Antigonia were mentioned in 230 BC, when a force of Illyrians under Scerdilaidas passed the city to join an invading army further south. In 198 BC, during the Second Macedonian War, the Romans marched against the Macedonian armies of Philip V. His general, Athenagoras, was able to occupy one of the nearby passes, leading to the Romans...