Pentimento: Layers of civilization

People in horror movies quite often have a tendency to either be curious about something or disregard its existence as a whole. This phenomenon is also present in real life with the idea behind the creation of everyday necessities people need. The creation of water reservoirs, bathrooms, or graveyards can be something that might fly right above people’s heads, as it is something they use, but aren’t curious to research the origins of these everyday necessities. This week I had the chance to visit the ancient city of Ulpiana, an ancient archeological site located outside Prishtina near the municipality of Lipjan. When researching online about its location I was thrilled to read that a stray dog was the guide of Ulpiana, but unfortunately, the dog wasn’t present that day, so I had to guide myself around the place, but it was all worth it because of its beauty and the interesting history behind it.

Pic.1 Ulpiana signboard

As I was visiting this incredible archaeological treasure, I was amazed by the view and also the thought of how much civilization has progressed over centuries. When entering some of the first things you could notice were the water reservoirs designed to store the water. While walking throughout the whole site and seeing all the different places that people had built as a means of living truly tells a story and makes you wonder how people build these necessities and how they came up with the ideas of creating these things that have now been around for centuries and are an essential component of everyday life for humans. 

Pic.2 Water reservoir

Pic.3 Part of the Necropolis

Therefore, when you start to notice these similarities, you can also notice that nowadays inventions are just remodeled versions of the original blueprints that our ancestors created for us. That, for some reason, made me feel proud of being able to acknowledge civilizations that are being forgotten or even erased by today’s society. My visit to Ulpiana brought me joy when I noticed that the hard work of the people that lived centuries before us has survived and is now showcased with pride and honor to future generations. Other than the water reservoirs, I also had the chance to visit the Necropolis, a site where people were buried at the time. The Necropolis was originally designed as a villa called Villa Suburbana, but after an unfortunate earthquake, it collapsed and had to later be turned into a graveyard for people of the city to be buried in. Visiting an ancient treasure like Ulpiana and walking through the sites tells a lot of stories, the stories of people who lived centuries before us, their suffering, and also their creations. And the survival and maintenance of archeological sites such as Ulpiana serve as a reminder of how life began and how civilization thrived through centuries.

Pic.4 Statue in Ulpiana

Erion Maliqi