Hasan Ceka was born in Elbasan and is recognized as one of the founders of Albanian archaeology, specializing in antiquity and numismatics. He completed high school in his hometown and graduated from the University of Vienna with a degree in archaeology in 1930. That same year, he returned to Albania, where he worked on creating an archaeological collection and represented the Albanian state on foreign missions in Butrint and Apollonia. From 1947 until his retirement, Ceka engaged in extensive research and study activities, dedicating 40 years to excavating and studying the ancient city of Apollonia. He authored numerous articles on various historical and archaeological topics published abroad and, as a connoisseur of ancient Greek and Latin, assisted in preparing the volume “Ilirët dhe Iliria tek autorët antikë” (“Illyrians and Illyria among Ancient Authors”). He also focused on establishing a numismatic cabinet, culminating in the publication of his works “Probleme të numizmatikës ilire” (“Problems of Illyrian Numismatics”) (1965) and “Në kërkim të historisë Ilire” (“In Search of Illyrian History”) (1998). Hasan Ceka passed away in 1998. (In the photo: Hasan Ceka)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 1 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 357-358.
Photo: © Albanian Telegraphic Agency
Graphic processing: AHCF
