The Illyrian City-State Apollonia was founded around 600 BC by Illyrians on the Adriatic coast and the Vjosa river banks. The Illyrians called the City Apollonia to honor their ancient Pelasgian God Apollo. The City of Apollonia was one of the major ports at the time and the second most important city (after Dyrrah – today Durres) in the Adriatic Sea. It was a very significant city for trade, agriculture, and industry. It had a large harbor that could accommodate hundreds of ships. Illyrians were the first to explore and accumulate stockpiled asphalt that was used for building ships. Illyrian Apollonia also had its own currency, Dhrahmi. The philosopher Aristotle has mentioned the Illyrian Apollonia as one of the extremely well-managed Cities and with a society with well-defined classes where everyone was happy.

Illyrian Apollonia was home to the first University in the Mediterranean and Europe, the School of Philosophy (equivalent to the Universities today). The School of Philosophy of Apollonia was a major learning and cultural center where many elites of the region studied. The subjects were taught in the Illyrian Language, which is one of the preceptors of the ancient Pelasgian Language and the ancestor of the Albanian Language spoken by the Albanians within Albania and in the Mediterranean. Around 753 BC, after the Troyan war, the Troyans founded Rome. During the Roman period, The City – State of Apollonia flourished. The first Emperor of Rome, Augustus, studied at the School of Philosophy in Apollonia, like many other brilliant students.

At the dawn of Christianity, Apollonia was the center of the Diocese. The City was important to the Byzantine Empire, too. Due to the floods caused by earthquakes, the city began to decline in the 3rd century AD and was abandoned in the 4th century AD. In 1821, after the Arvanitas Revolution against the Ottoman Empire, European Powers took away the Albanian lands to create a country called Greece. They gave this country Dhrahmi as currency, leaving the Albanians with the option to use francs first and later Lek. Greeks use our Pelasgian letters taken from the alphabet Albanians of Greece, Arvanitis.

To date, archaeologists have excavated some of the remains of the city. While artifacts and statues are expropriated by other countries, the rest are placed in a museum located in the monastery at the Byzantine Church of St. Mary of the XIV century in Apollonia, Albania.