Durrës

Durres, one of Albania's oldest continuously inhabited cities, was founded as Epidamnos in 627 BC by Greek colonists from Corinth and Corcyra in cooperation with the local Illyrian Taulantii tribe. After Rome's victory in the Illyrian Wars of 229 BC, it became the major port of Dyrrachium, serving as the western terminus of the Via Egnatia linking Italy to the eastern provinces. The city's port was active from the 7th century BC through the 7th century AD, with a Roman marketplace (macellum) and an aqueduct built during Hadrian's reign (117-138 AD). Its fortifications were reinforced under Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. The archaeological site of Muret e Portes preserves a 62-metre Roman wall and tower, though sections have been damaged by modern port development.