The wall of Dema

The Wall of Dema was first discovered by Ugolini during excavations in the ancient city of Butrint in 1930. This wall belongs to Cen. IV-III para e. ours. It is located at the narrowest point of the Ksamil peninsula, on the hill of St. George. The hill of the Monastery of St. George, on one side is bordered by the Ionian Sea and on the other by Lake Butrint. The surface of the hill is generally rocky. The wall starts from the sea shore, near a small natural harbor climbs up to the top of the hill, passes below the Monastery and then descends to the other shore of Butrint Lake. The wall has two construction hands belonging to different periods. The ancient wall is generally not preserved in good condition, except for the part by the sea, while on the other hand the medieval wall is better preserved. The antique wall is 4m thick and one height equal to three rows of blocks placed one on top of the other in the dry. The Wall of the Bull was built again in late antiquity (IV-I after K). In the masonry there are also stone blocks of the ancient wall, used for the second time. It seems that the wall of Dema served as a barrier for the protection of the Ksamil peninsula, both in ancient times and in the Middle Ages. Near the Ionian coast the wall ends with a tower, the frontal length of which is 9 m and a height of 8 rows of stone blocks which is equal to 5.60 m. The tower is built with the same technique as the wall. Today, the Ancient Walls near the monastery of St. George and the Tower at the end of it are not in good condition, they need restoration intervention and consolidation of the walls. The antique wall is 4 m wide and is built of stone blocks placed one on top of the other in the dry. They are well done, from all sites. The joints between the blocks form regular horizontal lines. The structure that forms the blocks is placed in an orderly manner, with different large dimensions 2.20 x0.75; 0.88 x 0.77. The Bull Wall has a height that varies as a result of damage from 0.20 m to 1.10 m from the ground quota. The medieval wall has a thickness of 1.80 m. It is built of small stones and bound with lime mortar.