The ancient city of Arnisa in Babunja of Lushnja, Albania, still hides many treasures of antiquity, which are waiting for the light of discovery, to enrich the local and also the national history”.
With many secrets and underground archaeological treasures, the ancient ancient city of Ilir Arnisa, in Babunje of Lushnja, surprises the research teams of archaeologists with rare discoveries in its ruins.
The discoveries so far date some historical stratifications with a 2600-year-old origin, while the protective wall was built in the 15th century BC. e. s, the time of Illyrian cultures.
In 2018, as a result of the research work of the Institute of Archeology in collaboration with a German team, an artistic work named “Babo Rider”, a 14-15 cm high bronze composition depicting a rider on a horse, was discovered.
Adriatik Rrasa, a member of the Albanian-German archaeological expedition, tells the moment of discovery full of emotion.
“It was an ordinary working day as it often happens with archaeological expeditions and it was my chance to make the first touch of the Baboon rider. It was a very special emotion, not only for me but for the entire work group, who were excited when they found out that this knight had an extraordinary value” – said archaeologist Adriatik Rrasa.
“If we start from the Babunja folk, it has an extraordinary value, but even the specialists described it as a rare find, not only in Albania but also in the Mediterranean, because from the technique of working as a work of art or casting in bronze, it showed that it had an extraordinary value” – said archaeologist Adriatik Rrasa.
For the rare values it carries, the “Getty” institute in America made possible the restoration of the 2500-year-old bronze statue. Even based on the results, the researchers think that it could be city near Apollonia.
The wonderful landscape, the favorable agricultural and livestock terrain, as well as the use of the Seman River to sail towards Apollonia, seem to have been an advantage for a good living of the ancient population, which settled there around the beginning of the 6th century BC.
Excavations in Babunje are currently interrupted due to lack of funds, but if Arnisa was given the right attention it could be turned into an Archaeological Park with cultural and material benefits for the area.
Bronze Knight of Babunja will travel to America, and will be displayed at the Getty Villa Museum in the USA from July 26, 2023 to January 29, 2024. At the end of the exhibition, it will return to Albania and is expected to be displayed at the National Historical Museum in Tirana.
