Transformations in Western Greece between the Hellenistic and Roman periods

Epirus and the Ionian Islands, situated along the Adriatic–Ionian axis, that is, at the crossroads of communication between East and West, were among the first regions of the Greek world to come into contact with Rome. Contacts with Sicily and Italy, whether through the oracle of Dodona, which attracted pilgrims from the West, or through peripheral trade relations developed between the two opposing shores, were continuous both on the islands and along the mainland coast. Epirus paid a heavy price with the devastation of 70 Epirote settlements by Aemilius Paullus in 168/7 BC, in the aftermath of the Third Macedonian War, as punishment for the pro-Macedonian stance of certain Epirotes. The various levels of transformation of the land of the ethne, the pastoral way of life, of the kingdom of Pyrrhus (the first Greek leader to confront Rome) brought about by Rome’s presence and eventual dominance, the early integration of the Ionian Islands into the Roman sphere of influence, and the new realities that emerged as the region became part of the Roman oikoumene, are currently under study and yielding significant new insights, especially since this area had long remained outside the focus of research. Many of the projects conducted in the Section are carried out in collaboration with local Ephorates of Antiquities.