The Illyrian Tombs of Selca e Poshtme (Albanian: Varret e Selcës së Poshtme) are located near the town of Pogradec in Albania near the village of Selcë e Poshtme. On the right bank of the river Shkumbin at an elevation of 1040 m above sea level, lie the remains of the ancient city of Pelion and the accompanying necropolis. The Roman Via Egnatia led past it towards Thessaloniki. Though there are traces of human activity in Neolithic times, the settlement proper dates to the Iron Age (Illyrian proto-urban) through to the Illyrian urban period (5th to 2nd centuries BC), and reached its height under settlement by the Illyrian tribe of Enchele in the later Iron Age and was also occupied in the Roman period as traces of a municipal building show. From the 4th to 1st centuries BC the city was the royal residence of Illyrian kings and therefore, also probably an important political and economic centre. In 1996, Albania included the Royal tombs of Selca e Poshtme in the UNESCO World heritage list of proposals.
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👉 Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme in the context of Dassaretii
The Dassaretii (Ancient Greek: Δασσαρῆται, Δασσαρήτιοι, Dassaretai, Dassaretioi; Latin: Dassaretae, Dassaretii) were an Illyrian people that lived in the inlands of southern Illyria, between present-day south-eastern Albania and south-western North Macedonia. Their territory included the entire region between the rivers Asamus and Eordaicus (whose union forms the Apsus), the plateau of Korça locked by the fortress of Pelion and, towards the north it extended to Lake Lychnidus up to the Black Drin. They were directly in contact with the regions of Orestis and Lynkestis of Upper Macedonia. Their chief city was Lychnidos, located on the edge of the lake of the same name. One of the most important settlements in their territory was established at Selcë e Poshtme near the western shore of Lake Lychnidus, where the Illyrian Royal Tombs were built.
The Dassaretii were one of the most prominent peoples of southern Illyria, forming an ethnic state. They made up the ancient Illyrian kingdom that was established in this region. The weakening of the kingdom of the Enchelei presumably led to Enchelei's assimilation and inclusion into a newly established Illyrian realm at the latest in the 6th–5th centuries BC, marking the arising of the Dassaretii, who appear to have replaced the Enchelei in the lakeland area.
Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme in the context of Mokër
Mokër is a geographical region in Southeastern Albania, composed by 47 villages, which are all above 1,000m from sea level. The region is composed of two subregions, Upper Mokër (Mokra e Sipërme) and Lower Mokër (Mokra e Poshtme). In recent years, several villages have lost much of their population due to severe economic conditions, unemployment, lack of infrastructure and emigration. One of the villages in the Mokër region is Selcë e Poshtme, which was an Illyrian settlement established in the early Iron Age. Located in the region of the Illyrian Dassaretii, it holds the Illyrian Royal Tombs which were built during the 4th and 2nd centuries BC.
Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme in the context of Selcë e Poshtme
Selcë e Poshtme ("Lower Selcë") is a village located in the Mokra area, Korçë County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Pogradec. Near the village, on the right bank of Shkumbin river at an elevation of 1,040 metres (3,410 ft) above sea level, 5 Illyrian Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme are found. In 1996, Albania included the Royal Tombs of Lower Selcë in the UNESCO World heritage list of proposals.
Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme in the context of Pogradec
Pogradec (Albanian pronunciation: [pɔɡɾaˈdɛt͡s],) is the eleventh most populous city in Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality. It is located on a narrow plain between two mountain chains along the southwestern banks of the Lake of Ohrid. Its climate is profoundly influenced by a seasonal Mediterranean and continental climate. The total municipal population is 46,070, of which 17,371 is in the municipal unit as of the 2023 census.
Pogradec and its surroundings were listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site as part of the natural and cultural heritage of the region of Ohrid. Nevertheless, the Illyrian Royal Tombs in the adjacent unit of Proptisht are on the Albanian tentative list for becoming a World Heritage Site.