Διμάλη | |
Alternative name | Διμάλλον, Dimal |
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Location | Krotinë, Berat County, Albania |
Region | Illyria |
Coordinates | 40°42′59″N 19°47′49″E / 40.71639°N 19.79694°E |
Type | Settlement |
History | |
Periods | Iron Age, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman |
Cultures | Illyrian, Greek, Roman |
Site notes | |
Ownership | Public |
Dimal or Dimal (Illyrian: Διμάλη /Dimálē;[1] Ancient Greek: Διμάλη or Διμάλλον; Latin: Dimallum) was a town in southern Illyria in classical antiquity which was situated in the vicinity or within the territory of the Parthini, an Illyrian tribe. It was built on a hill of 450 m above sea level, in the hinterland of Apollonia, about 30 km from the eastern coast of the Adriatic. It is located in today Krotinë, Berat County, Albania.[2]
The first walls of Dimale were built around mid-4th century BC when the Illyrians went through a dynamic development founding their own cities. The urban settlement was built on an already existent Illyrian hilltop proto-urban area dating back to the previous century.[3] In the Hellenistic period (between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC) the town experienced its climax, during a phase marked by intense urban planning, including the construction of a new city wall and the building of several stoas, a temple, and a theater, showing a significant influence of the Ancient Greek culture on the local Illyrian inhabitants. Manufacturing and materials seem to witness an intense exchange with nearby Apollonia.[4]
The fortified town of Dimale was regarded as impenetrable by Illyrians.[5] It was involved in the Second Roman-Illyrian War[6] and the First Roman-Macedonian War.[7]