- Durres is a Port city in the Northern Albania Region of Albania.
- After 146 BCE it became the Roman Port of Dyrrachium in the Province of Macedonia.
History
- Durres was founded as Epidamnos by the Greeks from Corinth in the 7th century BCE.
- After 146 BCE it became part of the Roman Empire.
- Its importance lay in being at the start of the Via Egnatia, the Roman road connecting the Adriatic to the Aegean at Constantinople.
- Dyrrachium was linked to the Port of Brindisi on the opposite coast, where the Via Appia ran direct to Rome.
- Under Diocletian (284-305 CE), Dyrrachium became the capital of Epirus Nova.
Roman Sites
- Durres Amphitheatre
- It was constructed in c.120 CE, had a capacity for 20,000 spectators, and was the largest Amphitheatre in the Balkans.
- Today, it is half built over by housing.
- Byzantine Walls (6th century CE)
Museums
- Durres Archeological Museum
- Located on Rruga Taulantia, Durres, in front of the beach.
- The museum holds over 3,000 Artefacts from the excavations of Dyrrachium, which cover the Ancient Greek, Hellenistic and Roman Periods.
Roman Roads
Durres
