The Roman civil wars of the first century BC reached these shores. Following Augustus' victory in 31 BC, a Roman colony was established at Butrint. This brought a profound shift for the local population, who lost substantial land that was then redistributed to Roman settlers. Soon, Latin appeared in inscriptions, new burial customs were introduced, and Butrint officially became part of the Roman Empire. The city center was thoroughly reorganized. A new forum was laid out over the earlier Hellenistic agora, leading to the removal of parts of the fortifications around the sacred area.