Amantia

Amantia was an ancient city and the main settlement of the Amantes, traditionally located in southern Illyria in classical antiquity [1]. The site has been identified with the village of Ploçë, Vlorë County [1]. Amantia occupied an important defensive position above the Aoos/Vjosë river valley to the east [1]. At the archaeological site of Ploçë, a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, a theatre, and a stadium have also been found [1]. The first inscriptions in Amantia appear in the 4th century BC, during the Hellenistic era [1]. The town was surrounded with a walled enclosure roughly 2,100 metres long [1]. A large fort was built with two gates and two defensive towers in the north [1].