This site contains the currently available on-line resources of the Shala Valley Project (SVP).

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Projekti i Lugines se Shales
The Shala Valley Project
Internet Edition

(This site is still under construction, and this is not its permanent location)

© 2005 The Shala Valley Project.

Directors

Michael L. Galaty, Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Ols Lafe, Albanian Institute of Archaeology, Tirana, Albania
Zamir Tafilica, Shkodër Historical Museum, Shkodër, Albania

Co-directors

Wayne E. Lee, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Leader of the Ethnohistoric Survey Team

Robert Schon, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Leader of the Extensive Archaeological Survey Team

Michael E. Timpson, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Geoscientific Research

Charles Watkinson, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
Leader of the Intensive Archaeological Survey Team

Antonia Young, Bradford University, Bradford, UK
Leader of the Ethnographic Survey Team

Table of Contents

Duplication, Publication, and Redistribution

The texts and illustrations contained in this site may not be published, reproduced, or otherwise redistributed without permission of the authors or artists and are for personal and educational use only. Commercial use is strictly prohibited. Scholarly publications should make reference to this site as "The Shala Valley Project: Internet Edition," <__permanent site address__>.

Introduction

The Shala Valley Project (SVP) is an interdisciplinary, regional studies project focused on the Shala River valley of the Dukagjin region of the northern Albanian high mountains.  The project supports integrated programs of archaeological, ethnographic, ethno-historical, and geo-scientific research.  We aim 1) to produce a diachronic record of the regional cultural resources, material and human, of Shala; and 2) to contribute to theoretical discussions regarding cultural isolation – why do some societies choose isolation over incorporation?

The SVP has been funded by Millsaps College, the United States Embassy in Tirana, the Global Partners Project, the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), International Peace Research Association, the University of Louisville, and two private donors, Bud Robinson and John Stevens.

SVP fieldwork is conducted by permission of the Albanian Institute of Archaeology, Tirana, and the Albanian Academy of Sciences. 

Project Reports and Publications

The 2005 Field Season Report (pdf format, a large file)

Personnel

Permanent Field Personnel
Sasha Caufield, field ethnohistorian, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Mario Delia, logistical support, Shkodër, Albania
Ann Christine Eek, photographer, Museum of Cultural History, Oslo, Norway
Petrit Imeraj, logistical support, Shkodër, Albania
Mentor Mustafa, field ethnographer, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Ajrina Tafilica, field technician, Shkodër University, Shkodër, Albania

Affiliated Scholars
Siriol Davies, University of Stirling, Medieval history
Ferit Duka, University of Tirana, Ottoman history
Chris Fisher, Colorado State University, terrace geoarchaeology
Romeo Gurakuqi, University of Shkodër, Early Modern and Modern history
Gëzim Hoxha, Albanian Institute of Archaeology, Late Antique archaeology
Bashkim Lahi, Albanian Institute of Archaeology, Roman archaeology
Etleva Nallbani, Albanian Institute of Archaeology, Medieval archaeology
Afërdita Onuzi, Director, Albanian Institute of Popular Culture, ethnographic consultant
William Parkinson, Florida State University, lithics analyst
Joanita Vroom, Institute of World Archaeology, University of East Anglia, Byzantine-Modern ceramics analyst
Rhawn Denniston, Cornell College, paleo-climatology

Advisory Board

Maria-Grazia Amore, International Centre for Albanian Archaeology, Tirana, Albania
Fredrik Barth, Department of Anthropology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Lorenc Bejko, International Centre for Albanian Archaeology, Tirana, Albania
Van Christo, Executive Director, FROSINA, an Albanian immigrant and cultural organization, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Jack L. Davis, Carl Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Thomas D. Hall, Department of Sociology, DePauw University, DePauw, Indiana, USA
Richard Hodges, University of East Anglia, Institute of World Archaeology; Scientific Director, Butrint Foundation
Muzafer Korkuti, Director, Albanian Institute of Archaeology, Tirana, Albania
Skënder Muçaj, Albanian Institute of Archaeology, Tirana, Albania
E. "Bud" Robinson, Jackson, Mississippi businessman and philanthropist, traveled to Shala in 2003
Curtis Runnels, Department of Archaeology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
John Stevens, Massachusetts businessman and educator who is of Albanian descent, traveled to Shala in 2005
Sharon R. Stocker, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Robert Whallon, Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Michigan, USA
Peter Wood, Professor of Anthropology, The King's College, New York, New York, USA

Contact Information
Mailing Addresses:

Professor Michael L. Galaty
The Shala Valley Project
Millsaps College
1701 North State Street
Jackson, Mississippi, USA
601-974-1387, 601-974-1397 (fax)

    or

Ols Lafe
Department of Antiquity
Institute of Archaeology
Bulevardi 'Dëshmorët e Kombit'
Sheshi 'Nënë Tereza'
Tirana ALBANIA

    or

Zamir Tafilica
Muzeu Historik- Shkodër
Rr. Oso Kuka, Nr.5
Shkodër ALBANIA

Inquiries by e-mail about the project may be addressed to galatml@millsaps.edu or olslafe@hotmail.com.