Burning the Bones of the Earth — Documenting the Traditional Lime Kilns Technology Across the Albanian-Greek Border

<table><tr><td><p dir="ltr">The project was initiated in November 2021 and completed two years later, after 5 extensive field research sessions in Epirus, northwestern Greece, and multiple locations in south Albania.</p><p dir="ltr">Its objective was to trace and document the traditional craftsmanship of wood-fired, flare lime kilns on both sides of the border; to explore the knowledge, the technical and social dimensions of this kiln technology and its evolution in the two neighboring countries. Material remains of pre-industrial lime kilns and community memories can still be found in the Greek regions, despite the fact that the traditional practice has been completely subsumed by industrial processes since the 1960s. </p><p dir="ltr">The traditional practice was continued in Albania until the early 90s, during the communist regime and within the framework of agricultural cooperatives. In the region of Korçë there are, still, a few masons who follow the traditional process and maintain an open-air lime kiln workshop.</p><p dir="ltr">Today, the practice is endangered, as there are only a few craftspeople working with traditional lime kilns in the Balkans; the south Albanian paradigm documented by the project is, to our knowledge, one of the last surviving. Using a multi-level and multimedia documentation methodology, a rich digital archive of audiovisual material, architectural drawings, interviews, field notes and geographical mapping has been developed.</p><p dir="ltr">The project stimulates interest in traditional lime production and its modern implications for natural resources management and architectural heritage. It is essential to document the last tangible and intangible remains of lime kilns technology, within the context of preserving the traditional skills and practices that have historically shaped the built environment in Greece, Albania and the Balkans; as well as to reexamine traditional technologies as an operative field of knowledge which can teach us a lot today on sustainability.</p><p dir="ltr">Moreover, a discussion is being triggered on whether low-scale production processes that draw from tradition can serve today as alternative production models for the regeneration of rural areas. By the same token, the use of traditionally produced air building lime in architecture, restoration and modern design, is being advocated as a less carbon-intensive and culturally consistent choice.</p></td></tr></table>