TIRANA, Sept 25 /ATA/ - Archaeologists in southern Albania have uncovered a previously unknown defensive wall belonging to the lower city of ancient Amantia, believed to date back to the 3rd century BCE, officials announced on Thursday.

The discovery was made during recent excavations at the Amantia Archaeological Park, near the coastal city of Vlorë.

According to Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Blendi Gonxhja, the find sheds new light on the urban and public organization of the Illyrian settlement.

“This is an entirely new element for archaeologists,” Gonxhja wrote in a social media post, noting that the wall likely remained in use until the 6th century CE, when it was destroyed.

In addition to the wall, the archaeological team has conducted urgent restoration work on monumental tombs and other vulnerable structures within the park, aiming to protect them from environmental damage such as frost and rainfall.

The new findings and conservation efforts are part of a broader initiative to enhance the archaeological landscape of the Amantia site

- once a key center of Illyrian civilization - and to preserve it for both scholarly research and public tourism.

/u.sh/