Among the ruins of Gitana I feel a sense of ownership and pride. The Thesprotians were a tribe dispersed in small pastoral groups that roamed the countryside and resided in insignificant hamlets. But then the Athenians came to their shores and brought with them our superior urban lifestyle. Soon the Thesprotians abandoned the mountains and gathered in permanent settlements protected by strong walls. Eventually they established the Thesprotian League and selected the north shore of the river Thyamis to build their capital, Gitana. The location enabled them to control the blessed coastal region as well as the land routes towards the interior of Epirus.