Research project details
- P.I.: Francesca D’Ambola
- Funding: “Progetti per Avvio alla Ricerca” programme of Sapienza University of Rome
- Year: 2025
- Protocol no.: AR125199C3541023
- Participants
- Francesca D’Ambola, P.I. francesca.dambola@uniroma1.it
- Julian Bogdani, Tutor julian.bogdani@uniroma1.it
Abstract
The FACES: Fragments of Ancient Cestrine project addresses the sacred landscape of northern Epirus and, in particular, of the sub-region of Cestrine, an area on the border between Chaonia and Thesprotia, today divided between Greece and Albania. The research, carried out in collaboration with the Digital Archaeology Laboratory (LAD), is part of the framework of the Sapienza Archaeological Mission at Çuka e Ajtoit (southern Albania). The aim is to reconstruct the geography of minor cults and sacred places through the analysis of bibliographic and archival data, organised in a georeferenced database that can be consulted through an interactive platform. Although in recent years the Epirote region has attracted growing scientific attention, the evidence relating to minor sanctuaries and secondary centres remains fragmentary and is rarely integrated into a systematic framework. To fill this gap, the project adopts an integrated approach that combines bibliographic and archival research, targeted site visits and digital data processing. Through the systematisation of fragmentary sources, the research will make it possible to comparatively assess the distribution, density and nature of the evidence for the sacred within the territory, providing a more articulated view of the ancient landscapes, one that also includes minor sites and seeks to overcome the traditional dichotomy between centres and peripheries.