Dardana Fortress
Kalaja e Dardanës | |
Dardana Fortress - aerial view | |
Location within Kosovo | |
| Location | Kosovo |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°35′36″N 21°33′38″E / 42.59333°N 21.56056°E |
| Altitude | 560 m (1,837 ft) |
| Area | 3 ha (7.4 acres) |
| History | |
| Periods | Late Bronze Iron Age (8th-7th centuries BCE) Classical-Hellenistic antiquity (5th-4th centuries BCE) Late Antiquity (4th-6th centuries CE) |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1970s |
| Excavation dates | 2012-present day |
| Archaeologists | Shafi Gashi, Klodian Velo |
| Management | Archaeological Institute of Kosovo |
The Dardana Fortress (Albanian: Kalaja e Dardanës) is an archaeological site of the Bronze Age, Iron Age and late antiquity in eastern Kosovo. It is located on a hill to the northwest of Kamenica. It was a hilltop settlement and fortress of the Dardani in classical antiquity. It was rebuilt in the late Roman period as part of the fortification system in the Roman province of Dardania. The site was discovered in the 1970s, but excavations did not start in earnest until 2012. One of the very earliest finds at the site is a funerary stele found accidentally at the foot of the hill in 1992. Its interpretation has helped shed light on Illyrian burial customs, and excavations at the site have contributed to knowledge about the trade patterns between Dardania and the Mediterranean region. Similar sites have been discovered in recent years in the Kamenica region.