2016© LoRa Photography
By the 4th century B.C., a walled settlement had been established and the city began to grow through trade. Augustus founded a colony at Butrint and the town remained a relatively small Roman port until the 6th century A.D.. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the city shrank in population and significance. Butrint then entered a turbulent period and control of the city was bitterly fought for by the Byzantine, Norman, Angevin, and Venetian states. Later ownership was disputed by Venetians, the Ottoman Turks and, briefly, the French. By the time it became part of Albania in 1912, it was virtually deserted. Various archeological efforts began in the 1920s and continue today. Butrint was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992.