Ceraunian Mountains
| Ceraunian Mountains | |
|---|---|
| Malet e Vetëtimës | |
 View from the Maja e Çikës | |
| Highest point | |
| Coordinates | 40°11′53″N 19°38′20.27″E / 40.19806°N 19.6389639°E |
| Geography | |
  Ceraunian Mountains | |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Triassic |
| Mountain type | Limestone |
The Ceraunian Mountains (Template:Lang-sq,[1] "Thunderbolt mountains"; Template:Lang-el, Keravnia ori; Template:Lang-la), also commonly Akroceraunian Mountains (Template:Lang-grc, Template:Lang-sq[1]), are a coastal mountain range in southwestern Albania, within the county of Vlorë. The range rises on the northeastern bank of the Ionian Sea. It extends for approximately 100 km (62 mi) in a southeast-northwest direction near Sarandë along the Albanian Riviera nearby to Orikum. Geologically, the Karaburun Peninsula belongs to the mountain range, forming the eastern Akroceraunian Mountains. The mountains are about 24 km (15 mi) long and about 4–7 km (2.5–4.3 mi) wide.[2]
The highest peak is Maja e Çikës with an elevation of 2,044 metres (6,706 ft).[3][4] The Llogara Pass (1,027 metres (3,369 ft)) divides the mountains into a western and the Akroceraunian Mountains within the Karaburun Peninsula.
Name
The name Ceraunia is derived from Ancient Greek Κεραύνια ὄρη,[5][6] meaning "thunder-split peaks"[7] and illustrates the bad weather and the danger found there by ancient seafarers and travellers.[8]
History
The Ceraunian mountain range is located in the northernmost part of the wider historical and geographical region of Epirus.[9] According to Greek mythology, the Abantes from Euboea who had previously joined the Ancient Greek army in the Trojan War settled in the Ceraunian Mountains. They were later expelled by the forces of the Ancient Greek city-state of Apollonia.[10]
The Ceraunian Mountains have been described by ancient writers such as Ptolemy, Strabo and Pausanias. Consequently, the mountains are still known under their classical name. Julius Caesar first set foot on Llogara Pass and rested his legion at Palasë on the Ionian coast during his pursuit of Pompey.
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See also
References
- ^ a b Basha, Nermin (2012). "Epiri dhe Botailire ne veprën e Jul Cezarit, "Mbi Luftën Civile" [Epirus and the Illyrian world in the work of Julius Cesar, "On the Civil War"]". Studime Historike (3–4): 5–25. "malet Akrokeraune, sot Malet e Vetëtimës"
- ^ "Management Plan Llogora-Rreza e Kanalit-Dukat -Orikum-TragjasRadhime-Karaburun Complex Site" (PDF). vinc.s.free.fr (in Albanian). p. 23.
- ^ "Maja e Çikës". Geonames.org. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
- ^ The Finest Peaks - Prominence and Other Mountain Measures (Adam Helman ed.). Trafford Publishing. 2005. ISBN 9781412059954.
- ^ Strabo, Geography, Book VI, 3.5 at LacusCurtius
- ^ Strabo, Geography Book VII, 5.1 LacusCurtius
- ^ Keraunia Archived December 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, at Perseus
- ^ Morton, Jamie (18 September 2017). The Role of the Physical Environment in Ancient Greek Seafaring. BRILL. p. 77. ISBN 978-90-04-35107-3.
- ^ Shrimpton, Gordon S. (1991). [9780773562912 Theopompus the historian]. McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 391. ISBN 978-0-7735-6291-2.
{{cite book}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Joaquim Carvalho. Religion, Ritual and Mythology: Aspects of Identity Formation in Europe, Pisa University Press, p. 148
