Skënder Anamali (5 May 1921,
Shkodër
Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...
– 21 April 1996,
Tirana) was one of the founders of Albanian archaeology.
He made significant contributions to the field of
Illyrian studies.
Biography
Skënder Anamali was born and raised in
Shkodra. After completing high school in his hometown, Anamali continued his studies at the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy at the
University of Padua in
Italy, gaining knowledge in the field of antiquity. On returning to
Albania after his studies, he began a career as an archaeologist at the Institute of Sciences in Tirana.
Together with his colleague Hasan Ceka, he opened the first
Archaeological museum in Tirana in 1948. Anamali became known for his excavations in the city of
Amantia,
Apollonia,
Epidamnos
The ancient Greek city of Epidamnos or Epidamnus ( grc-gre, Ἐπίδαμνος), ( sq, Epidamni) later the Roman Dyrrachium (Δυρράχιον) ( sq, Dyrrahu) (modern Durrës, Albania), was founded in 627 BC in Illyria by a group of colonists ...
(
Durres), and many other places. He focused on studying the culture of late antiquity and early medieval times in the Albanian territory.
The results of these investigations appeared in over 70 articles and scientific studies, making Anamali a significant contributor to the field of archaeology and ancient history of
Illyrians. He was an author of the monograph on the Illyrian city of
Amantia and a co-author of important works such as ''Illyrians and Illyria among ancient authors'' (1965) and ''The History of Albania,'' vol. I (1959).''
Anamali contributed to the expansion of archaeological research to Mat and Stelush, to Lin and even to
Kosovo, but first of all to Koman, where for the first time the existence of a cultural layer of the bridge from the Illyrians to the Arbers, a layer that also proved their typological continuity. Today the
Koman culture
The Komani-Kruja culture is an archaeological culture attested from late antiquity to the Middle Ages in central and northern Albania, southern Montenegro and similar sites in the western parts of North Macedonia. It consists of settlements usuall ...
has become a reference point not only to date archaeological discoveries, but also to make comparisons of layers, cultures and civilizations, autochthonous and allochthonous.
[ During the archaeological expedition of 1960s and 1970s, in Kosovo, together with Muhamet Pirraku, he explored the ruins of the castles of Verboci and Kosmaç in Drenica region.
Anamali was active in international cooperaration, being a member of the International Association for Greek and Latin Epigraphy based in Paris. He helped establish several archaeological museums.
]
Publications
* ''Illyrians and Illyria among ancient authors (Ilirët dhe Iliria tek autorët antikë),'' coauthor, 1965
* ''The History of Albania vol. I (Historia e Shqipërisë) coathor,'' 1959
* ''Mosaiques de l'Albanie, (with Stilian Adhami) 1974''
* ''Archaeology and Agriculture (Arkeologjia dhe bujqësia)'' author, 1980
See also
* History of Albania
* List of museums in Albania
This is a list of museums in Albania. In 2017, museums in the country welcomed 200,986 visitors. Most museums are closed on Mondays.
List of museums in Albania Archaeological museums
* National Archaeological Museum
* Archaeological Museum of Du ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anamali, Skënder
1921 births
Albanian archaeologists
University of Padua alumni
1996 deaths
People from Shkodër