Antigonea is one of the largest ancient cities in the territory of Albania and the most important ancient settlement of the Drinos Valley. National Archeological Park of Antigonea is located just 14 km in east of Gjirokastra, near with the village Saraqinishte in Drinos Valley.
Antigoneia was founded by King Pyhrrus of Epirus (319 – 272 BC), from whom we gain the expression ‘a Pyrrhic victory’, (a victory achieved at such cost that its worth questionable) after his disastrous invasion of Italy. The city was named after his wife, Antigone, who was the step-daughter of King Ptolemy of Egypt, one of Alexander the Great’s generals. Pyrrhus wanted to consolidate his kingdom against the tribal neighbours to the north, and sponsored a new city to bring together the scattered settlements of the valley.
A cousin of Alexander the Great, Pyrrhus led a colourful life as a mercenary, general and later King of Epirus, which he raised briefly to the status of great power. Antogoneia flourished from the 4th to the 2nd centuries BC and Epirus had become allied with the Kingdom of Macedonia in their wars against the rising power of the Roman Republic. Following the final defeat of King Philip V of Macedonia in 168 BC, the Roman Consul Aemilius Paullus ordered the destruction of all the cities of Epirus as punishment. Antigoneia was one of these cities, deliberately razed and its inhabitants sold into slavery.
It is possible to see the excavated remains of a number of sections of Antigoneia. The Albanian Archeologist Dhimosten Budina first identified the ruins of the ancient city, known only from historical sources, after discovering a series of bronze tokens with the Greek word “Antigoneiaon” stamped on them. These may have been used for balloting in the city assembly. Most impressive are the walls that run along the western side of the city and around acropolis at its northern end. The eastern side, protected by the almost sheer drop into the valley on this side of the town, appears to have been left without defensive structures. The walls were built of limestone blocks quarried from the nearby hillside. There are a number of noticeable gates, the most visible being at the southwestern side of the city.
Its position may have been chosen for its remoteness and it is likely to have been built as a small pilgrimage centre. A rough, interesting mosaic covers the floor of the triconch, featuring at its core the figure of Abraxas, the cock-headed fighter against evil, depicted in battle with a snake representing the powers of darkness. Other panels depict fish, a typical reference to Christianity and Christ. An encircling band of ivy leaves forms the border while a series of Greek inscriptions name the donor who have paid for the church and presumably the maintenance of the priest: “The slave of God, Agothokles, made this in fulfillment of a vow”.
