[24] Oricum, placed at the end of the Karaburun Peninsula (ancient Akrokeraunia), constitutes the eastern point of the narrowest stretch of the sea – the Strait of Otranto – which connects the Iapygian promontory in southeastern Italy with Albania.

From pre-colonial times until the Hellenistic period the Strait of Otranto was the main east-west sea route, which, with a distance of around 72 km, required about twelve hours of navigation with very favorable wind.

The usage as navigation landmark instead of stopping points of the Akrokeraunian Mountains is due to the fact that, except for a few small bays, its topography does not feature large harbors.

This mountain pass connects the valley of Dukat in Illyria with the ancient Palaeste in Epirus to the south of the Karaburun Peninsula in open sea.

However the Llogara Pass is difficult to cross, as highlighted also by Caesar in the De Bello Civili describing his military operations in the area during the Great Roman Civil War in winter 48 BC.

From the archaic period until Roman imperial times the limestone was transported to Apollonia and Dyrrhachium[34] Orikos is firstly mentioned in ancient sources by Hecataeus of Miletus and Herodotus (fl.

[38] In the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax (4th century BC) Orikos is identified for the first time as a Greek polis ('Ελληνίς πόλις) located within the territory of Amantia, the latter being regarded as an Illyrian city.

[29] The territory of Orikos is delimited by high mountains on its western, southern and eastern sides: Maja e Çikës in the southeast; the Lungara massif in the east that stretches north towards Kaninë and Drashovicë near Vlorë; Rrëza e Kanalit and the Karaburun peninsula in the southwest.

[43][29] The site of Oricum forms an island that is separated from the edge of the Bay of Vlorë by a lagoon, which was sufficiently deep to have allowed the sheltering of Caesar's ships during his arrival in the port.

In another passage he mentions Panormos as a large harbor at the centre of the Ceraunian Mountains, which has tentatively been identified with present-day Porto Palermo on the Ionian coast.

Rather than conjecturing a phase in which Oricum might have extended its area of regional influence as far as Porto Palermo wresting it from the Chaonians and the city of Chimara, it is much more likely that Strabo uses the term Panormos (lit.

[48] The earliest traces of human life in the area of Oricum (rock shelter at Rrëza e Kanalit) belong to the Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic.

The architectural similarity with the tumulus of Torre Santa Sabina in Brindisi, Apulia, provides evidence of communication and interaction between the two shores of the Adriatic.

[50] The earlier graves offered a variety of Middle Helladic findings, Aegean type knives and Minyan ware probably of local manufacture.

[5] Despite the absence of archaeological evidence, Euboeans and Phoenicians might have established trade routes along the eastern shores of the Adriatic (including the site of Oricum) following the same networks that had been traversed previously during the Mycenaean period.

[60] Archaeological evidence has shown that the site of Oricum was not inhabited before the 6th century BC,[4] however the lack of artifactual confirmation does not necessary mean that the Euboean seafarers did not reach these parts at an earlier era.

[53] The site appears to possess all the characteristics of places that were typically chosen by Greek expedition movements of the 8th–6th century BC to establish new settlements.

[54][10] Orikos, like Epidamnos, could have served as a stopover for merchant ships coming from Corinth and heading towards the Po delta and the port of Spina, where many Corinthian vases from the 6th century BC are found.

The ports of southern Illyria were places of exchange of products and a meeting point between the outside world and the Illyrians located in the hinterland of the coastal cities.

[29][14] No fortifications are found in the city and its territory most probably because Oricum was surrounded by mountains and due to the friendly relation towards its neighbors: the Chaonians, Apollonia and the Amantes.

[30] Hellenistic brick-structured graves were largely found in Apollonia, Amantia and Oricum in southern Illyria, as well as in parts of Chaonia, specifically in Phoenice.

[15] It had military importance under Roman rule, being among the Greek towns in Illyria serving as a base during Rome's wars with the Illyrians and with Macedonia (which occupied it for a time).

[17] Oricum asked Rome protection against Philip,[68] and the city was quickly recovered by Roman propraetor of the fleet Marcus Valerius Laevinus.

[17] Laevinus crossed the sea to Illyria, intervening immediately because in Philip V's hands, Oricum and Apollonia would have been good naval bases for a Macedonian attack upon Italy.

[72] Oricum was the first city taken by Julius Caesar after his arrival on the Acroceraunia, and he provides a vivid description of its surrender in Book 3 of his De Bello Civili:[73]But as soon as Caesar had landed his troops, he set off the same day for Oricum: when he arrived there, Lucius Torquatus, who was governor of the town by Pompey's appointment, and had a garrison of Parthinians in it, endeavored to shut the gates and defend the town, and ordered the Greeks to man the walls, and to take arms.

[78] During the Ottoman Empire the harbor of Oricum was renamed Pashaliman, 'the Pasha's harbour', and the lagoon still bears this name, as does the nearby Albanian navy base.

[79][3] The periegesis of Pseudo-Scymnus (c. 100 BC) reported the tradition according to which the city was founded by Euboeans on the Illyrian coast, blown off their route on their return home from Troy by strong winds.

[80][81] It remains uncertain whether the myth of the foundation reported in the periegesis is to be considered as historically relevant or whether it is merely an attempt to attribute a glorious Homeric past to the city aiming to justify a Greek presence on the Illyrian coast.

author Apollonius of Rhodes mentions in his work Argonautica that a sanctuary of Apollon Nomios was located at Oricum which included altars of the Nymphs and the Moirai founded by Medea.