Apollonia (Illyria)

Apollonia (Illyria)

Coordinates: 40°43′N 19°28′E / 40.717°N 19.467°E / 40.717; 19.467

Apollonia (Ancient Greek: Ἀπολλωνία κατ' Ἐπίδαμνον or Ἀπολλωνία πρὸς Ἐπιδάμνῳ, Apollonia kat' Epidamnon or Apollonia pros Epidamno) was an ancient Greek city in Illyria, located on the right bank of the Aous river (modern-day Vjosë). Its ruins are situated in the Fier region, near the village of Pojani, in modern-day Albania. Apollonia was founded in 588 BCE by Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth, on a site initially occupied by Illyrian tribes and was perhaps the most important of the several classical towns known as Apollonia. Apollonia flourished in the Roman period and was home to a renowned school of philosophy, but began to decline in the 3rd century AD when its harbor started silting up as a result of an earthquake. It was abandoned by the end of Late Antiquity.