Scribd
Upload
28 views1 page

Berat County

Berat County is located in southern Albania, covering an area of 1,798 km2 and housing approximately 140,956 residents. Historically significant, it was home to the ancient Greek polis Antipatrea and has artifacts dating back to the Bronze Age. The region has a rich manuscript tradition, with many historical documents originating from Berat, highlighting its cultural importance over the centuries.

Uploaded by

sichansherpa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
28 views1 page

Berat County

Berat County is located in southern Albania, covering an area of 1,798 km2 and housing approximately 140,956 residents. Historically significant, it was home to the ancient Greek polis Antipatrea and has artifacts dating back to the Bronze Age. The region has a rich manuscript tradition, with many historical documents originating from Berat, highlighting its cultural importance over the centuries.

Uploaded by

sichansherpa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Berat County (Albanian pronunciation: [beɽat]; Albanian: Qarku Berat), officially the County of Berat

(Albanian: Qarku i Beratit), is a county in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the ninth
largest by area and the ninth most populous of the twelve counties, with around 140,956 people within
an area of 1,798 km2 (694 sq mi).[2] The county borders the counties of Elbasan to the north, Korçë to
the east, Gjirokastër to the south and Fier to the west. It is divided into five municipalities, Berat, Dimal,
Kuçovë, Poliçan and Skrapar, with all of whom incorporate twenty-five administrative units.[3]

History

Archaeologists have found artifacts including silver women's earrings and bronze belt-buckles in Bronze
Age tumuli in Pëllumbas, one of the villages of Berat. These items are similar to other artifacts found in
northern Albania (Kukës and Mat), Kosovo (Gjilan) and northwestern Greece (Pogoni).[4]

Antipatrea (Ancient Greek: Ἀντιπάτρεια)[5] was an ancient Greek polis in Illyria, now Berat. It was
founded by Cassander as Antipatreia, who named it after his father Antipater at 314 BC.[6] An ancient
Greek fortress and settlement are still visible today.[7] Dassaretae tribe existed in the area,[8] as early as
the 6th century BC. It was captured by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. Livy (31.27.2) describes
Antipatrea as a strongly fortified city in a narrow pass that the Romans sacked and burned. The city was
composed of two fortifications on both banks of the Osum River.[9]

Historical manuscripts such as the 6th century Codex Purpureus Beratinus, discovered in 1868,[10] and
the Codex Aureus, a 9th-century Greek language manuscript have revealed much about the history of
the region and that Berat had a reputation for producing manuscripts; 76 of the 100 codes protected in
the National Archives of Albania are from Berat, indicating its historical importance.[9][11]

The town of Berat became part of the unstable frontier of the Byzantine Empire following the fall of the
Roman Empire and, along with much of the rest of the Balkan peninsula, it suffered from repeated
invasions by Slavs and other tribes. During the Byzantine period, it was known as Pulcheriopolis.[9]

You might also like