UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE

Auerbach Lecture | 08.01.2024 | 18 Uhr

Patrick Willett (Anthropology, Archaeology, Brussels): Above the Plain. Shifting Perceptions of Mountainscapes in the Korça Region, Albania

The Korça Plain is known for its concentration of early agricultural settlements dating from the Neolithic Period (6500-4500 BCE). Until modern times, this low-lying plain contained a lake around which these settlements were located. But the Korça region itself is surrounded by mountainous uplands, situated between two much larger permanent lakes — Ohrid and Prespa — linked by mountain passes that now represent the intersection of Albania, Greece, and North Macedonia. Through systematic archaeological explorations, it has become apparent that these mountainscapes have a deep and varied history of human presence beyond the Neolithic period. Based on the results of this research, the changing uses of — and attitudes towards — the mountainscapes of the region through time will be discussed.