An Albanian farmer in the village of Turan in Tepeleni, specifically in his castle, made a great discovery without realizing it. While plowing the land with his tractor, he discovered a tombstone, as well as other ancient vessels, along with coins, which are certainly pieces of invaluable historical value.
The fortress in question is located far from the village in the direction of Tepelen, built on a rocky hill about 300 meters above sea level. Its perimeter is about 430 m., while its area is about half a hectare. Also, its stone walls are 1.6-1.8 m thick and are reinforced by three towers.
The castle was also visited and described for the first Time by poukeville, whose thoughts are found in his Work “Voyage de La Grece” (Journey To greece), published in Paris in 1817 and according to him, the fortress was built by the Latins.
Furthermore, archaeological findings such as ceramic materials, clay vessels, metal parts, etc. prove that it was built in the period of late antiquity, while Albanian archaeologists believe that it was built between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. century.
In addition to the above, the stone upper part of a well-preserved sarcophagus was also brought to light, where on one of its sides are carved in relief two figures of people standing next to each other. Above the heads of the figures there is an inscription that reads in Greek "XAIPE Λ EONTICICKOCET", while in one of the corners of the frame is the letter "Κ", while in another place the relief inscription appears: "KOCMI ΛΛ A, A Λ EZANDROI XAIRE", which archaeologists date back to the Hellenistic period.
Finally, a historical reference suggests that the castle was erected to stop barbarian raids in the Balkans in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD.
Ένας ‘τυχαίος’ τρακτεράς; Ναι, σίγουρα. Κάτι άλλο κρύβεται πίσω απ’ όλα αυτά, στίσανε το έργο. Μην ψάχνεται αλλού!
akoma mia fora i gnorimi istoria tou topou mas vgenoun kai ta lene oi geitones