Hasan Ceka honored as a founder of Albanian archaeology

The Academy of Sciences of Albania honored archaeologist and scholar Hasan Ceka on his birthday, recognizing him as a founding figure of Albanian archaeology.

Born on August 25, 1900, Ceka studied in Vienna before returning to Albania in 1930 to work at the National Library, where he established an archaeological collection still used by the Institute of Archaeology. His career included representing Albania in foreign missions at Apollonia and Butrint, and leading the first archaeological expedition to Apollonia in 1947.

Ceka was a specialist in numismatics, focusing on the preservation of ancient and medieval coins. His notable works include ‘Probleme të numizmatikës ilire’ (1965) and studies on the coins of Durrës and Apollonia. He also contributed to the translation of ‘Ilirët dhe Iliria tek autorët antikë’ due to his proficiency in Ancient Greek and Latin. His scientific legacy is compiled in the volume ‘Në kërkim të historisë ilire’.