Editing Butrint (section)

== Archaeological excavations ==
[[File:Arte romana, statua di soldato, I secolo ac- I dc, da butrinto.JPG|150px|thumb|Statue of a Roman soldier found in Buthrotum]]
The first modern archaeological excavations began in 1928 when the [[Fascism|Fascist]] government of [[Benito Mussolini]]'s [[Italy]] sent an expedition to Butrint. The aim was geopolitical rather than scientific, aiming to extend Italian hegemony in the area. The leader was an Italian archaeologist, [[Luigi Maria Ugolini]] who despite the political aims of his mission was a good archaeologist. Ugolini died in 1936, but the excavations continued until 1943 and the [[Second World War]]. They uncovered the [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic]] and [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] part of the city including the "Lion Gate" and the "Scaean Gate" (named by Ugolini for the famous gate at [[Troy]] mentioned in the [[Homer]]ic ''[[Iliad]]'').

After the [[communism|communist]] government of [[Enver Hoxha]] took Albania over in 1944, foreign archaeological missions were banned. Albanian archaeologists including [[Hasan Ceka]] continued the work. [[Nikita Khrushchev]] visited the ruins in 1959 and suggested that Hoxha should turn the area into a submarine base. The Albanian Institute of Archaeology began larger scale excavations in the 1970s. Since 1993 further major excavations have taken place led by the [[Butrint Foundation]] in collaboration with the Albanian Institute of Archaeology. Recent excavations in the western defences of the city have revealed evidence of the continued use of the walls, implying the continuation of life in the town. The walls themselves certainly seem to have burnt down in the 9th century, but were subsequently repaired.

After the collapse of the communist regime in 1992, the new democratic government planned various major developments at the site. The same year remains of Butrint were included in the [[UNESCO]] list of [[World Heritage Sites]]. A major political and economic crisis in 1997 and lobbying stopped the airport plan and UNESCO placed it on the [[List of World Heritage in Danger]] because of [[looting]], lack of protection, management and conservation. Archaeological missions during 1994–9 uncovered further [[Roman villa]]s and an early Christian church.<ref name="HodgesBowden2004" />

In 2004,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dame|first=Marketing Communications: Web // University of Notre|title=David - Hernandez // Department of Classics // University of Notre Dame|url=https://classics.nd.edu/faculty/david-hernandez/|access-date=2020-09-20|website=Department of Classics|language=en}}</ref> archaeological excavations continued under principal investigator, David R. Hernandez.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hernandez|first=David R.|date=2017|title=Bouthrotos (Butrint) in the Archaic and Classical Periods: The Acropolis and Temple of Athena Polias|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2972/hesperia.86.2.0205|journal=Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens|volume=86|issue=2|pages=205–271|doi=10.2972/hesperia.86.2.0205|jstor=10.2972/hesperia.86.2.0205|s2cid=164963550 |issn=0018-098X}}</ref>

Climate change means that the site, especially the area of the ancient theatre and Roman forum, can sometimes be covered with water, and a new management plan for both the cultural and natural assets has been implemented.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Miziri|first1=Ela |last2=Meshini |first2=Mariglen |last3=Zoto|first3=Rudina|title=Butrint National Park 'Integrated Management Plan' – Combining Natural Park with Cultural Heritage|journal=Internet Archaeology|date=2023|issue=62|doi=10.11141/ia.62.2|doi-access=free|url=https://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue62/2/index.html}}</ref>