[1][2] It is located high on an almost impregnable hill commanding the fertile valley below and near the modern town of the same name, Finiq, in southern Albania.

[7] The earliest phase of Phoenice's walls consisted of massive blocks up to 3.6 metres thick, the Chaonians' primary concern being to defend the city against Corcyraeans or Illyrian raiders.

[2] In circa 233 BC, Queen Deidamia II, the last member of the Aeacid ruling dynasty, was assassinated, the monarchy was abolished in Epirus, and the city became the centre of the federal government of the Epirote League.

[9] In 231 BC, an Illyrian army of Queen Teuta, returning north from a raid in the Peloponnese, captured Phoenice after the town was surrendered by the 800 Gaulish mercenary garrison.

[21] Phoenice was one of the main settlements in Epirus Vetus together with Nicopolis, Dodona, Euroia, Andrianoupolis, Anhiasmos, Vouthroton, Photike, Corfu and Ithaka.

Formal excavations in the area started in 1924 by an Italian Archaeological Mission as a political tool for Mussolini's nationalistic ambitions to the east of the Adriatic.

In fact, the Italian mission headed by the fascist prehistorian,[26] Luigi Ugolini, hoped that the prehistoric graves that would be discovered could be attributed to the Illyrians in order exploit Albanian nationalist sentiment, but the finds themselves were hardly stunning.

The authors identified three distinct structures, it has been suggested by them that this whole complex comprised a Prytaneion, serving visitors to the town, outside the principal enceinte.

They also found an "egalitarian" nature among the excavated dwellings, in line with the philosophy of communist "self-reliance" promoted by the Albanian state during that period.

[31] At the same time, research continued in the southern necropolis with the discovery of other Hellenistic tombs among which one with rich grave goods, probably from the end of the 4th century BC.

The looters reportedly used heavy construction equipment to dig a trench several metres deep through the hillside, scattering the stones of the tomb in the process.