This is the fourth volume in the series of publications arising from the Finnish Institute's ongoing study of Thesprotia in north-west Greece. Although the region has seen relatively little research, Thesprotia is a key area for the study of Rome's early expansion across the Adriatic. It suffered (along with other parts of Epirus) from the depredations of Aemilius Paullus in 167 b.c. before seeing first the increasing involvement of Roman landowners (Varro, Rust. 2.2.1) and then major political interest in the aftermath of Actium, including the probable foundation of a colony at Photike (of which little is known archaeologically). This volume, composed of reports from a diverse range of excavations and surveys in the region, is an important contribution to understanding of this period.
The volume is structured in chronological order, running from the Classical to the Ottoman period. A useful introductory overview by Forsén is followed by a lengthy treatment of enfilading in late Classical/early Hellenistic Epirote fortifications by Suha. This (very) detailed chapter only deals with the region of Epirus that falls within modern Greece, leaving out the sites in present-day Albania, and relies on the traditional approach of relating stylistic developments to textually attested events. This is followed by Turmo's chapter on the discovery of a major pottery kiln dating to the fourth century b.c. alongside other agricultural structures at Gouriza, which also include an intriguing foundation deposit of 30 vessels associated with a rural building.
The central part (chs 5–14) forms the most significant section of the book, highlighting the singular nature of the Roman archaeology of the region and the interaction between Rome and its Greek neighbours. Palli's discussion of the cemetery at Mazarakia, predominantly dating from the mid first century b.c. until the mid second century a.d., presents a number of grave monuments and shows the range of people using Latin for epitaphs in the region including ‘Polynicus, a herdsman’ commemorated in Latin by his father Heracleo on a reused Hellenistic stele (188). The predominant rite was cremation with the bodies burned in situ (also known as a bustum burial), an unusual rite for Epirus. Burials are also the focus of Betsiou's chapter on new excavations at the mausoleum associated with a major waterfront villa at Ladochori near Igoumenitsa, which gives an outline report of inhumation burials and grave goods predominantly of the third and fourth centuries. As with the small number of inhumations at the Mazarakia cemetery, there is unfortunately no analysis or discussion of the skeletal remains themselves.
The strongly Latin focus of epigraphy at Photike is emphasised in Korhonen and Forsén's presentation of an important corpus of twenty-five new inscriptions from the town (predominantly first- and second-century), of which only three were in Greek (in stark contrast to the inscriptions from Actian Nikopolis slightly to the south, which are predominantly Greek). The inscriptions probably derive partly from buildings and partly from funerary epitaphs and include a dedication to Nemesis and possible evidence of a Jewish presence.
Chs 8–14 relate to aspects of a major villa complex at Agios Donatos near Paramythia. This villa was a focus of the Finnish project and represents a major addition to our knowledge of villas in the region. It is exceptional both in terms of its date of around the mid first century b.c. and the clear Italian parallels for its painted and stucco decoration (discussed by Freccero), which suggest a high-status owner of Italian origin. The villa was situated in an elevated location within an earlier Hellenistic fortress, elements of which appear to have been reused. This included a tower that contained a large and coherent assemblage of pottery dating from the mid first century b.c. to mid first century a.d., analysed in detail by Reynolds and Ikäheimo in what will become a milestone pottery publication for the region in this period.
Aside from the evidence of the wall paintings, further indications of high-status Roman ownership come from the brickstamps, seventeen of which feature the stamp COS, which Forsén, Korhonen and Reynolds suggest may be associated with L. Cossinius, one of the affluent Romans noted by Varro and Cicero as owning villas in Epirus. The authors note that the COS stamps are only attested at Agios Donatos and at the nearby so-called Nekyomanteion, suggesting they were manufactured close by on an estate of the Cossinii (419).
The final chapters detail a medieval burial from Agios Donatos (Niskanen) and an important early Ottoman cemetery at Gouriza (Tritsaroli), which is an excellent treatment of archaeological remains from a period still usually neglected in Greece. The evidence of poor diet and endemic ill health (together with skull modification, intriguing genetic traits and violent death) paint a vivid picture of life at the site.
Although this is ostensibly a volume covering the results of a multi-period project, its significance for the Roman period is clear and the publication could have sustained a volume that was more explicitly focused on Agios Donatos and Photike (for which other data are also contained within the preceding three volumes of the series). The Agios Donatos villa and the clear evidence of a Latin-literate population at Photike provide graphic archaeological detail that complements the textual evidence of Rome's increasing involvement in the region in the crucial decades either side of Actium.
