The functioning of several ancient ports of Sozopol is evidenced by a partially preserved anonymo... more The functioning of several ancient ports of Sozopol is evidenced by a partially preserved anonymous Byzantine periplus dated to the second half of the 6th century (Anonym. Peripl. Pont. Eux.78.15r21 – 15r 25/ed. Diller/). It mentions that the former Apollonia Pontica / Magna, which “is now called Sozopol, has two large harbours” (Ἀπολλωνίαν πόλιν τὴν νῦν Σωζόπολιν λεγομένην ἔχουσαν καὶ λιμένας μεγέλος δύο). The part of the periplus we are interested in, mentions the term λιμήν, which means a place where ships are drawn ashore. What were these two ports of Sozopol and where were they located? It is known that the first and oldest port of the city was located in the water area to the west of the island of St. St. Cyricus and Julita. The impossibility of building a port on the eastern side of the Skamni Peninsula is obvious, since the small bay between the old town and the Akrotiri Peninsula (Harmanite) is perfectly exposed to all the dangerous winds of the Black Sea. The next so-called Paradise Bay is also too small and exposed to the north and northeastern winds. Despite the recorded anchor finds in it, I believe that it does not correspond to the idea of an area where a large port would exist. To the south, the well-protected bay next to the Budzhaka Peninsula remains the only possibility to have been part of the large harbour zone of the ancient polis. The bay is bounded by Cape Hristos to the north and Cape Golyama Agalina to the south. During the two underwater campaigns conducted by the National History Museum in 2022, various items related to shipping, loading and unloading activities in the bay were discovered. An area with a large assemblage of fragments of Late Antique vessels and amphorae has been located. The most characteristic are Late Roman 1 type amphora body walls, Late Roman C red-glazed Asia Minor plates and local kitchen ware. The fragments date from the 5th – 6th centuries. The ceramic assemblage is one of the largest that has been recorded underwater along the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It marks the places of loading and unloading activities in the quietest part of the bay next to Cape Hristos. If the hypothesis that a large Late Antiquity harbour functioned in the bay between the capes of Hristos and Agalina is true, it remains to discover the Late Antiquity structures that served it. In any case, to this day the described bay remains one of the places with abundant concentration of Late Antique underwater materials. This is hardly accidental. The research is at the very beginning and underwater excavations are forthcoming, on the results of which the answers to the questions posed in the article, depend.
Recent excavations at Hrisosotira, on the western Black Sea coast, have yielded an abundance of a... more Recent excavations at Hrisosotira, on the western Black Sea coast, have yielded an abundance of archaeological material dating from late antiquity. The most spectacular find is a closed complex labelled Building 18, where three coin hoards have been found, one gold and two copper, as well as a rich inventory including scales, weights, a bronze lamp and a diversity of ceramic containers. The coin finds indicate that wealth could still be found in small fortresses of the Black Sea coast even as late as AD 615. The destruction recorded in the southern part of the fortress was a tragic event, but one which cannot be connected with a particular invasion or any other event known from written accounts.
We report on the salvage, conservation and archaeological analysis of two cast iron naval guns fr... more We report on the salvage, conservation and archaeological analysis of two cast iron naval guns from the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The artefacts were discovered by recreational divers in three metres of water off the beach of Ezerets. They are nearly identical and represent mid-19 th century 12-pounder carronades. The exposed shallow-water nature of the site and the threat of illicit salvage warranted recovery and conservation efforts to ensure their preservation. In December 2022, the guns were salvaged by an archaeological mission of the Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Sozopol, and transported to the Central Laboratory for Conservation of the Bulgarian National Museum of History. After undergoing conservation, the carronades are now displayed in replica carriages as part of the museum's maritime collection.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY Vol . XXXVI, 2023
In the late autumn of 2022, a team of the National History Museum conducted field survey at archa... more In the late autumn of 2022, a team of the National History Museum conducted field survey at archaeological sites on the territory of the town of Sozopol. The work was concentrated in the hinterland between the Budzhaka Peninsula,Cape Agalina and the Sharlan Bair peak. The most interesting archaeological sites, mapped in detail, are located on the hilltops of Sharlan Bair and Alefo Tumba and the northwestern periphery of the Kavatsite locality, land of Sozopol. It is a complex of mines, buildings from the Hellenistic era, enclosing walls and a necropolis of mounds in the surrounding area of the peak and a large pre-Roman settlement situated in the immediate north-east vicinity of Sharlan Bair. The significance of the discovery provoked the writing of this article in the hope that it will be a good scholarly basis for subsequent archaeological excavations on the peak.
The purpose of this article is to describe the
structures of a supposedly fortified late antique
... more The purpose of this article is to describe the structures of a supposedly fortified late antique settlement located on Cape Kaba Burun in the Burgas Gulf, as well as to propose a reconstruction of the ancient coastline of the headland with the help of modern non-destructive scientific methods. The need for such a paper is justified by the real danger that the promontory will “transform” into an island, due to the detachment of huge unstable land masses caused by the work of the sea waters . The results yielded by the geophysical, geological and underwater research of the cape and its water
area undertaken in the summer of 2022 will be introduced for the first time in this paper. The surveys were initiated and financed by the Burgas Regional History Museum
The paper publishes a milestone for Emperor Trajan Decius dated to late
AD 249. It was found in 2... more The paper publishes a milestone for Emperor Trajan Decius dated to late AD 249. It was found in 2021 in the area facing the main gate of the castellum of Sostra, close to the findspot of a milestone of AD 244 for Emperor Philip the Arab. Its erection by the city of Nicopolis ad Istrum confirms the existence of a road Sostra – Nicopolis, as shown in the Peutinger Map, and suggests that the administrative territory of the city extended as faras Sostra to the west.
The article introduces three lead seals (two of the Bulgarian Tsar Petar and one of Alexander,
st... more The article introduces three lead seals (two of the Bulgarian Tsar Petar and one of Alexander, strategos of the thema of Thrace) discovered in the autumn of 2021 in the Kaleto site, land of Dolno Ezerovo, Burgas M1 unicipality. The fortress in the Kaleto site is located 5 km to the southwest of the Burgas quarter of Dolno Ezerovo. The fortress is situated in the western part of an elongated low hill with pronounced northern and western steep slopes and an average altitude of 80 m. According to the preliminary data, it occupies an area of 20 decares, currently not cultivated with agricultural machinery due to the huge amount of stones with different sizes and level of processing. The two Bulgarian seals are among the rare cases of discovering Bulgarian molybdobullae of Tsar Petar in the territories of the Bulgarian kingdom to the south of Haemus. As to the third seal described in the article, it can be explicitly written that it is synchronous with those of the Bulgarian ruler and fits well in the supposed correspondence between the representatives of the Bulgarian kingdom and the strategos of the Byzantine thema of Thrace, the closest to the Erkesiya border wall. Alexander probably held the honorary position of protospatharios and manglabites. The name of this strategos for the first time reads on a seal originating in the territory of present-day Bulgaria. It is still too early to express definite opinions on the nature of the site from which the seals originate, but it is obvious that an active correspondence with the capital Pliska and Byzantium was carried out in this fortification. We should not forget the fact that the fortress near Dolno Ezerovo is located in close proximity to the route of the so-called Little Erkesiya. It is an addition to the Erkesiya rampart, the largest and most famous earthen fortification to the south of the Danube, within the vast territory of the 8th-10th century Bulgaria. It is well known that besides its military defence function, the Erkesiya was also a well-regulated customs border, through which trade and cultural connections with Byzantium took place. The extension of the great border wall between the two medieval states begins from the area of the present-day village of Debelt, stretching for approximately 11 km in the direction of Lake Vaya. The construction of the Little Erkesiya can definitely be referred to the period after 812-813, when the Bulgars established themselves permanently in this part of Europe. Although today there are no visible traces on the ground of the said earthen fortification, it can be written that the fortress near Dolno Ezerovo was in close proximity to the Little Erkesiya in the Bulgarian territory. On the other hand, we have to take into account the fact that it is located very close to Lake Vaya, which in the Middle Ages had a connection with the Black Sea, and it is very likely that sailing vessels could enter it from the sea as is the case with Lake Mandra. 104 През есента на 2021 г. в Националния исторически музей постъпват като дарение предмети, открити в м. Калето – две медни римски монети и три оловни средновековни печата1 . Обектът се локализира в землището на кв. Долно Езерово, Община Бургас. Значимостта на предметите и тяхното относително точно местонамиране ме задължават да ги публикувам и изкажа хипотеза относно тяхното присъствие в територия, 1 Монетите и печатите ми бяха предадени безвъзмездно от жител на Бургас, пожелал да остане анонимен дарител. Приети са с акт за примане № I8303 и № I8304. Според откривателя през последното десетилетие в крепостта са били открити около 20 подобни печата Взети са мерки от страна на РИМ-Бургас обектът да бъде обозначен с табели като археологически. Изпратено е писмо до областния управител на Бургаска област за разрешение за провеждане на спасителни теренни проучвания. която през втората половина на X век е в пределите на Първото българско царство. Описание на крепостта Крепостта в м. Калето е разположена на 5 км югозападно от центъра на кв. Долно Езерово на Бургас (обр.1). В административно отношение тя попада в землището на кв. Долно Езерово, но част от южната й периферия и близко разположени синхронно функциониращи структури днес се забелязват на терен, попадащ в землището на с. Полски Извор, Община Камено (обр. 2). Крепостта е разположена е в западната част на продълговат нисък рид с изявени северни и западни стръмни склонове и средна надморска височина от 80 м. По предварителни данни заема площ от 20 дка, която в момента не се обработват от селскостопанска техника поради наличието If we assume that at the Kale site near Dolno Ezerovo there was a customs point, then it is logically to have inherited the functions of the one at Debelt. During the archaeological excavations in 1984-85 in the Kostadin Cheshma locality near the village of Debelt a church of a basilican plan was uncovered, built in the late 9th century. Forty lead seals (molybdobullae) were found inside the church and in the church yard, owned by prominent Bulgarian and Byzantine dignitaries and high clergy; three of them belonged to the Bulgarian rulers Knyaz Boris I Mihail (aer his conversion) and Tsar Simeon. e kommerkiaria established in Develt, played for a century (from 815 to 913, with some interruption) the role of one of the most important customs points between Bulgaria and Byzantium. Aer 913, this role was probably taken over by the site in the vicinity of today's city of Burgas
This article is devoted to the analysis of the map of the English Captain Thomas Sprat created
in... more This article is devoted to the analysis of the map of the English Captain Thomas Sprat created in 1854 with the focal point of the work being the depiction and representation on the map of the ruins and the outlying area of the fortress on the peak of Budzhaka at the Atia Peninsula.. The map subject to this article is entitled ‘Gulf of Pyrgos or Burghaz’. As a prototype, it was drafted by Cap. Thomas Sprat and originally published in 1854. supplemented by Charles Hartley in 1889. In fact, the map was republished many times in the following decades, not only by the British Admiralty, but also by other countries. The biographical notes about Admiral Thomas Sprat listed in the article show his rich culture and interest in the natural sciences, history and archaeology. Atiya Kavo and Hellenic Fortress are marked on the commented map in the highest and middle parts of the peninsula. A fortress oriented with its long walls north-to-south, is marked with a dashed thick contour. Characteristic bends on the western and eastern walls of the fortification are also indicated. At the western foot of the fortress, the author of the map has drawn separate walls, part of an unexplored suburb of the fortress. By the way, the antiquities on Cape Atia are the second archaeological site that we see as archaeological sites on the map of the Burgas Gulf, together with the so-called Ruined Fort near Nesebar. All the details on the map correspond to later photographs and excavations on Atia. First of all, I will comment here on a German aerial photograph from 1918 (Archive of the Shkorpil brothers. Scientific Archive, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). It was taken from German planes in 1918 based in Constanta on a scale of 1: 10000. The contours of the whole fortification are clearly visible on it. It has an oval shape elongated in the southwest-northeast direction. Best preserved are parts of the eastern and southeastern walls. The presumed entrance to the fortification, as shown on the photograph, is from the east. It was probably flanked by two towers, judging by the very obscure outlines of the photo. The next, albeit later, photograph of the ancient fortress was taken in the spring of 2017 by a team of the National History Museum, together with geodetic surveyors from the Military Geographical Service of the Bulgarian Army. If we assume that the marking on the 19th century map of the ruined Ancient Greek fortress on the Atia Peninsula are the work of Capt. Thomas Sprat then he will turn out to be the first researcher of archaeological monuments in the Burgas Gulf long before the French consul Alexandre Degrand started surveys and excavations on the island of St. Cyricus near Sozopol. The marked walls and suburbs on the map are an important reference point for the outlay and the state of the structure, which unfortunately in the 20th century has suffered greatly from the modern construction activity.
The volume was realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Bulg... more The volume was realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Bulgaria within the project of the Cnetre for Underwater Archeology "Glass Treasure from Black Sea. Presentation of a Unique Collection of Late Medieval Glass Vessels Found in the Gulf of Burgas". This publication does not seek to answer these and other questions arising from the discovery of the glassware complex in the Chengene Skele Bay. Our task is to publish this important, unusual and currently unique find, which will contribute to the study of trade in and use of glass in the Balkans during the Ottoman period, as well as to seek answers to the questions posed above.
Over the last twenty years, the National
History Museum has conducted systematic archaeological
e... more Over the last twenty years, the National History Museum has conducted systematic archaeological excavations at some of the best-preserved Roman roadside complexes located on the Oescus-Philippopolis road, now part of the Troyan villages of Lomets and Dalbok Dol (Fig. 1). The complex includes the fortified camp (castellum) and the Sostra roadside station, a civilian settlement (vicus), necropoleis and sanctuaries1. The early Christian basilica in the Gergyuva Cherkva site, land of the village of Dalbok Dol stands out among the significant monuments in the southern periphery of the complex. This article summarizes the results of the excavations of both the basilica and the remains of a pre-Christian sanctuary situated in the specified area. The researched structures are analysed in vertical plan starting from the "upper" contexts associated with the church and continuing in depth to the preserved areas and materials from the 2nd – 3rd centuries.
In this article, the emphasis is on describing the material from the Archaic
Period discovered on... more In this article, the emphasis is on describing the material from the Archaic Period discovered on the Hrisosotira Peninsula near Chernomorets, Sozopol Municipality, finds that enrich the information about the early Greek settlements in the Burgas Bay area. The first find dated from the Archaic Period was discovered in the 2009 digs carried out by the team of K. Popkonstantinov. It is the so-called arrow-coin found in trial trench No 2. In 2017, another bronze arrow-coin was discovered in trench No. 51 below the floor level of the late-antique building No. 14. In 2019, a bronze arrow-coin was also found within the building No 22 in the southern sector of the site. It is known that such coin-like signs are found along the entire western and northwestern Pontic coast (Berezan / Pontic Olbia, along the Dobrudzha coast - Histria, Orgame and between Odessos and Apollonia Pontica in the south) and date back to the 6th century BC. Their presence on the peninsula is a prerequisite to search for a temple dedicated to some Greek deity - for example to Apollo the Healer, because arrow-coins were also left as gifts at the altar of the gods. The 2019 discovery of the remains of a pit of alleged cultic purpose in the southern sector of the site affords interesting data about the earliest human occupancy on the Hrisosotira Peninsula. The pit was found next to the inside of the western wall of the late antique building №18 and the northern periphery of a dug-in cellar. It has a preserved size of 0.40 / 0.50 m and a depth of only 0.15 m. During the excavations discovered were about 50 fragments of amphorae and bowls of the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Greek ceramics from the Archaic era, fragments of monochrome Greek ceramic vessels, large amounts of sea shells, fragments of animal bones, charcoal and a bronze arrowhead with spike. The discoveries of the National Museum of History team shed light on the earliest history of a multi-layered archaeological site, where traces of the Classical and Hellenistic periods have been discovered. Luxury archaic ceramic pottery, with elaborate figural and floral ornamentation, is an important source of information about the earliest period of the settlement‘s existence on the peninsula. The intricately decorated fragments of vessels are evidence of the intense trade contacts with the major centres of West Asia Minor. From the end of the 7th to the third quarter of the 6th century BC the main importers of ceramic pottery in Apollonia and its closest satellite settlements, as in the case of Hrisosotira, were the major production centres such as Rhodes, Miletus, Samos and Klazomenai, which completely dominated the imports into the West Pontic market. The spread of Eastern Greek painted pottery throughout the territory of the peninsula of Sozopol proves that when Apollonia was founded at the end of the 7th century BC, the Milesian colonists conquered the entire territory of what are now St. Kirik Island and the Skamni Peninsula. With the finds from Hrisosotira, the perimeter increases and apparently the entire coastal area between Atia and Apollonia in the 6th century BC and beyond, was under Hellenic control.
The article describes a valuable find - a medallion discovered in the summer
of 2019 during the r... more The article describes a valuable find - a medallion discovered in the summer of 2019 during the rescue archaeological digs of the late antique and medieval fortress on Cape Emine, on the land of the village of Emona, Nesebar Municipality. The medallion bears the image of Emperor Gordianus III (238 - 244) and is issued in Marcianopolis. It is 3.6 cm in diameter and weighs 24.22 g. On the obverse is the bust of the emperor with a radiant crown to the left. In his left hand he holds a globe, his right hand is raised for a salute. The circular legend reads: AV T K M A N T Γ ΟΡΔ | Ι | A N O C AV T. Reverse: Emperor on the right and the city goddess on the left, standing, facing each other and shaking hands. Between them is a burning altar. Circular legend: VΠ TERTYΛΛIANOV MAPKIANOΠOΛΠΩ. Exergue: OMONIA. The medallion was discovered in trial trench No 1 on the southeastern flat terrace next to the lighthouse on the cape, in a layer with material from the 3rd century. Gordianus III’s medallions from Marcianopolis were made in 242 AD or soon after and were intended to commemorate the emperor’s victories and his eventual visit to Lower Moesia and the city.The discovery of a coin in a layer prior to that associated with the time of the construction of the fortress wall on the cape in the 5th century is a prerequisite for the assumption that a temple of pagan deity existed on Cape Emine in the 3rd century. A kind of a sanctuary of the ancient Greeks also functioned during the Hellenistic era and the proof of this is the discovery context of pits backfilled with materials from the 3rd century BC.
In the early winter of 2019, a hoard of 22 tetradrachms
was discovered during levelling with
a ca... more In the early winter of 2019, a hoard of 22 tetradrachms was discovered during levelling with a caterpillar machine an old road connecting the Koman hut with the Vasilyov hut in the Troyan region. The terrain is in the territory of the village of Terziysko, municipality of Troyan1. Subsequently, the coins were handed over to the National Museum of History. In this article, we present the hoard and a detailed catalogue, an analysis of similar finds and interpretation of the hoard.The hoard discovered in the area of the village of Terziysko has no published analogue in the Bulgarian numismatic literature.The hoard from Terziysko consists of two components: original and imitation coins. It contains original coins from the time of Alexander III to the middle of the 3rd century BC.
On the archaeological map of the Burgas region
there are still places that can be marked as
insuf... more On the archaeological map of the Burgas region there are still places that can be marked as insufficiently researched and where the data on the ancient settlement system are unsatisfactory. One such area is the land of the village of Emona, Nesebar Municipality.Among the most interesting in archaeological terms is a Hellenistic building located in Palyura, a site 1.7 km to the southwest of Emona. Here we present the terrain information about the site and a detailed description of the Greek building ceramics found within its boundaries.
In 2018, a well-preserved bronze lamp was
discovered in the open courtyard of late antique
Buildi... more In 2018, a well-preserved bronze lamp was discovered in the open courtyard of late antique Building № 18, located in the southern sector of the Early Byzantine city of Hrisosotira. The lamp underwent conservation and is now one of the valuable exhibits composing the NHM main collection. This article aims at describing in detail the bronze lamp as well as at comparing it with other known lamps from the 6th – 7th centuries.
The paper publishes a milestone from the road Oescus – Philippopolis found
at the castellum of So... more The paper publishes a milestone from the road Oescus – Philippopolis found at the castellum of Sostra. It was erected on a small paved alley (possibly a kind of a sacred area) connected to the road and facing the eastern wall of the castellum. The inscription on the milestone is in honour of Emperor Philip the Arab, who bears the rare titles of Persicus Maximus and Parthicus Maximus, and his son Philip Caesar; the date can be set to August – December AD 244. In late AD 249, the names of the two Philippi were subjected to damnatio memoriae, and, shortly afterwards, most probably during or immediately after the Gothic invasions of AD 250-251, this section of the road was abandoned and the milestone was pulled down.
The functioning of several ancient ports of Sozopol is evidenced by a partially preserved anonymo... more The functioning of several ancient ports of Sozopol is evidenced by a partially preserved anonymous Byzantine periplus dated to the second half of the 6th century (Anonym. Peripl. Pont. Eux.78.15r21 – 15r 25/ed. Diller/). It mentions that the former Apollonia Pontica / Magna, which “is now called Sozopol, has two large harbours” (Ἀπολλωνίαν πόλιν τὴν νῦν Σωζόπολιν λεγομένην ἔχουσαν καὶ λιμένας μεγέλος δύο). The part of the periplus we are interested in, mentions the term λιμήν, which means a place where ships are drawn ashore. What were these two ports of Sozopol and where were they located? It is known that the first and oldest port of the city was located in the water area to the west of the island of St. St. Cyricus and Julita. The impossibility of building a port on the eastern side of the Skamni Peninsula is obvious, since the small bay between the old town and the Akrotiri Peninsula (Harmanite) is perfectly exposed to all the dangerous winds of the Black Sea. The next so-called Paradise Bay is also too small and exposed to the north and northeastern winds. Despite the recorded anchor finds in it, I believe that it does not correspond to the idea of an area where a large port would exist. To the south, the well-protected bay next to the Budzhaka Peninsula remains the only possibility to have been part of the large harbour zone of the ancient polis. The bay is bounded by Cape Hristos to the north and Cape Golyama Agalina to the south. During the two underwater campaigns conducted by the National History Museum in 2022, various items related to shipping, loading and unloading activities in the bay were discovered. An area with a large assemblage of fragments of Late Antique vessels and amphorae has been located. The most characteristic are Late Roman 1 type amphora body walls, Late Roman C red-glazed Asia Minor plates and local kitchen ware. The fragments date from the 5th – 6th centuries. The ceramic assemblage is one of the largest that has been recorded underwater along the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It marks the places of loading and unloading activities in the quietest part of the bay next to Cape Hristos. If the hypothesis that a large Late Antiquity harbour functioned in the bay between the capes of Hristos and Agalina is true, it remains to discover the Late Antiquity structures that served it. In any case, to this day the described bay remains one of the places with abundant concentration of Late Antique underwater materials. This is hardly accidental. The research is at the very beginning and underwater excavations are forthcoming, on the results of which the answers to the questions posed in the article, depend.
Recent excavations at Hrisosotira, on the western Black Sea coast, have yielded an abundance of a... more Recent excavations at Hrisosotira, on the western Black Sea coast, have yielded an abundance of archaeological material dating from late antiquity. The most spectacular find is a closed complex labelled Building 18, where three coin hoards have been found, one gold and two copper, as well as a rich inventory including scales, weights, a bronze lamp and a diversity of ceramic containers. The coin finds indicate that wealth could still be found in small fortresses of the Black Sea coast even as late as AD 615. The destruction recorded in the southern part of the fortress was a tragic event, but one which cannot be connected with a particular invasion or any other event known from written accounts.
We report on the salvage, conservation and archaeological analysis of two cast iron naval guns fr... more We report on the salvage, conservation and archaeological analysis of two cast iron naval guns from the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The artefacts were discovered by recreational divers in three metres of water off the beach of Ezerets. They are nearly identical and represent mid-19 th century 12-pounder carronades. The exposed shallow-water nature of the site and the threat of illicit salvage warranted recovery and conservation efforts to ensure their preservation. In December 2022, the guns were salvaged by an archaeological mission of the Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Sozopol, and transported to the Central Laboratory for Conservation of the Bulgarian National Museum of History. After undergoing conservation, the carronades are now displayed in replica carriages as part of the museum's maritime collection.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY Vol . XXXVI, 2023
In the late autumn of 2022, a team of the National History Museum conducted field survey at archa... more In the late autumn of 2022, a team of the National History Museum conducted field survey at archaeological sites on the territory of the town of Sozopol. The work was concentrated in the hinterland between the Budzhaka Peninsula,Cape Agalina and the Sharlan Bair peak. The most interesting archaeological sites, mapped in detail, are located on the hilltops of Sharlan Bair and Alefo Tumba and the northwestern periphery of the Kavatsite locality, land of Sozopol. It is a complex of mines, buildings from the Hellenistic era, enclosing walls and a necropolis of mounds in the surrounding area of the peak and a large pre-Roman settlement situated in the immediate north-east vicinity of Sharlan Bair. The significance of the discovery provoked the writing of this article in the hope that it will be a good scholarly basis for subsequent archaeological excavations on the peak.
The purpose of this article is to describe the
structures of a supposedly fortified late antique
... more The purpose of this article is to describe the structures of a supposedly fortified late antique settlement located on Cape Kaba Burun in the Burgas Gulf, as well as to propose a reconstruction of the ancient coastline of the headland with the help of modern non-destructive scientific methods. The need for such a paper is justified by the real danger that the promontory will “transform” into an island, due to the detachment of huge unstable land masses caused by the work of the sea waters . The results yielded by the geophysical, geological and underwater research of the cape and its water
area undertaken in the summer of 2022 will be introduced for the first time in this paper. The surveys were initiated and financed by the Burgas Regional History Museum
The paper publishes a milestone for Emperor Trajan Decius dated to late
AD 249. It was found in 2... more The paper publishes a milestone for Emperor Trajan Decius dated to late AD 249. It was found in 2021 in the area facing the main gate of the castellum of Sostra, close to the findspot of a milestone of AD 244 for Emperor Philip the Arab. Its erection by the city of Nicopolis ad Istrum confirms the existence of a road Sostra – Nicopolis, as shown in the Peutinger Map, and suggests that the administrative territory of the city extended as faras Sostra to the west.
The article introduces three lead seals (two of the Bulgarian Tsar Petar and one of Alexander,
st... more The article introduces three lead seals (two of the Bulgarian Tsar Petar and one of Alexander, strategos of the thema of Thrace) discovered in the autumn of 2021 in the Kaleto site, land of Dolno Ezerovo, Burgas M1 unicipality. The fortress in the Kaleto site is located 5 km to the southwest of the Burgas quarter of Dolno Ezerovo. The fortress is situated in the western part of an elongated low hill with pronounced northern and western steep slopes and an average altitude of 80 m. According to the preliminary data, it occupies an area of 20 decares, currently not cultivated with agricultural machinery due to the huge amount of stones with different sizes and level of processing. The two Bulgarian seals are among the rare cases of discovering Bulgarian molybdobullae of Tsar Petar in the territories of the Bulgarian kingdom to the south of Haemus. As to the third seal described in the article, it can be explicitly written that it is synchronous with those of the Bulgarian ruler and fits well in the supposed correspondence between the representatives of the Bulgarian kingdom and the strategos of the Byzantine thema of Thrace, the closest to the Erkesiya border wall. Alexander probably held the honorary position of protospatharios and manglabites. The name of this strategos for the first time reads on a seal originating in the territory of present-day Bulgaria. It is still too early to express definite opinions on the nature of the site from which the seals originate, but it is obvious that an active correspondence with the capital Pliska and Byzantium was carried out in this fortification. We should not forget the fact that the fortress near Dolno Ezerovo is located in close proximity to the route of the so-called Little Erkesiya. It is an addition to the Erkesiya rampart, the largest and most famous earthen fortification to the south of the Danube, within the vast territory of the 8th-10th century Bulgaria. It is well known that besides its military defence function, the Erkesiya was also a well-regulated customs border, through which trade and cultural connections with Byzantium took place. The extension of the great border wall between the two medieval states begins from the area of the present-day village of Debelt, stretching for approximately 11 km in the direction of Lake Vaya. The construction of the Little Erkesiya can definitely be referred to the period after 812-813, when the Bulgars established themselves permanently in this part of Europe. Although today there are no visible traces on the ground of the said earthen fortification, it can be written that the fortress near Dolno Ezerovo was in close proximity to the Little Erkesiya in the Bulgarian territory. On the other hand, we have to take into account the fact that it is located very close to Lake Vaya, which in the Middle Ages had a connection with the Black Sea, and it is very likely that sailing vessels could enter it from the sea as is the case with Lake Mandra. 104 През есента на 2021 г. в Националния исторически музей постъпват като дарение предмети, открити в м. Калето – две медни римски монети и три оловни средновековни печата1 . Обектът се локализира в землището на кв. Долно Езерово, Община Бургас. Значимостта на предметите и тяхното относително точно местонамиране ме задължават да ги публикувам и изкажа хипотеза относно тяхното присъствие в територия, 1 Монетите и печатите ми бяха предадени безвъзмездно от жител на Бургас, пожелал да остане анонимен дарител. Приети са с акт за примане № I8303 и № I8304. Според откривателя през последното десетилетие в крепостта са били открити около 20 подобни печата Взети са мерки от страна на РИМ-Бургас обектът да бъде обозначен с табели като археологически. Изпратено е писмо до областния управител на Бургаска област за разрешение за провеждане на спасителни теренни проучвания. която през втората половина на X век е в пределите на Първото българско царство. Описание на крепостта Крепостта в м. Калето е разположена на 5 км югозападно от центъра на кв. Долно Езерово на Бургас (обр.1). В административно отношение тя попада в землището на кв. Долно Езерово, но част от южната й периферия и близко разположени синхронно функциониращи структури днес се забелязват на терен, попадащ в землището на с. Полски Извор, Община Камено (обр. 2). Крепостта е разположена е в западната част на продълговат нисък рид с изявени северни и западни стръмни склонове и средна надморска височина от 80 м. По предварителни данни заема площ от 20 дка, която в момента не се обработват от селскостопанска техника поради наличието If we assume that at the Kale site near Dolno Ezerovo there was a customs point, then it is logically to have inherited the functions of the one at Debelt. During the archaeological excavations in 1984-85 in the Kostadin Cheshma locality near the village of Debelt a church of a basilican plan was uncovered, built in the late 9th century. Forty lead seals (molybdobullae) were found inside the church and in the church yard, owned by prominent Bulgarian and Byzantine dignitaries and high clergy; three of them belonged to the Bulgarian rulers Knyaz Boris I Mihail (aer his conversion) and Tsar Simeon. e kommerkiaria established in Develt, played for a century (from 815 to 913, with some interruption) the role of one of the most important customs points between Bulgaria and Byzantium. Aer 913, this role was probably taken over by the site in the vicinity of today's city of Burgas
This article is devoted to the analysis of the map of the English Captain Thomas Sprat created
in... more This article is devoted to the analysis of the map of the English Captain Thomas Sprat created in 1854 with the focal point of the work being the depiction and representation on the map of the ruins and the outlying area of the fortress on the peak of Budzhaka at the Atia Peninsula.. The map subject to this article is entitled ‘Gulf of Pyrgos or Burghaz’. As a prototype, it was drafted by Cap. Thomas Sprat and originally published in 1854. supplemented by Charles Hartley in 1889. In fact, the map was republished many times in the following decades, not only by the British Admiralty, but also by other countries. The biographical notes about Admiral Thomas Sprat listed in the article show his rich culture and interest in the natural sciences, history and archaeology. Atiya Kavo and Hellenic Fortress are marked on the commented map in the highest and middle parts of the peninsula. A fortress oriented with its long walls north-to-south, is marked with a dashed thick contour. Characteristic bends on the western and eastern walls of the fortification are also indicated. At the western foot of the fortress, the author of the map has drawn separate walls, part of an unexplored suburb of the fortress. By the way, the antiquities on Cape Atia are the second archaeological site that we see as archaeological sites on the map of the Burgas Gulf, together with the so-called Ruined Fort near Nesebar. All the details on the map correspond to later photographs and excavations on Atia. First of all, I will comment here on a German aerial photograph from 1918 (Archive of the Shkorpil brothers. Scientific Archive, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). It was taken from German planes in 1918 based in Constanta on a scale of 1: 10000. The contours of the whole fortification are clearly visible on it. It has an oval shape elongated in the southwest-northeast direction. Best preserved are parts of the eastern and southeastern walls. The presumed entrance to the fortification, as shown on the photograph, is from the east. It was probably flanked by two towers, judging by the very obscure outlines of the photo. The next, albeit later, photograph of the ancient fortress was taken in the spring of 2017 by a team of the National History Museum, together with geodetic surveyors from the Military Geographical Service of the Bulgarian Army. If we assume that the marking on the 19th century map of the ruined Ancient Greek fortress on the Atia Peninsula are the work of Capt. Thomas Sprat then he will turn out to be the first researcher of archaeological monuments in the Burgas Gulf long before the French consul Alexandre Degrand started surveys and excavations on the island of St. Cyricus near Sozopol. The marked walls and suburbs on the map are an important reference point for the outlay and the state of the structure, which unfortunately in the 20th century has suffered greatly from the modern construction activity.
The volume was realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Bulg... more The volume was realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Bulgaria within the project of the Cnetre for Underwater Archeology "Glass Treasure from Black Sea. Presentation of a Unique Collection of Late Medieval Glass Vessels Found in the Gulf of Burgas". This publication does not seek to answer these and other questions arising from the discovery of the glassware complex in the Chengene Skele Bay. Our task is to publish this important, unusual and currently unique find, which will contribute to the study of trade in and use of glass in the Balkans during the Ottoman period, as well as to seek answers to the questions posed above.
Over the last twenty years, the National
History Museum has conducted systematic archaeological
e... more Over the last twenty years, the National History Museum has conducted systematic archaeological excavations at some of the best-preserved Roman roadside complexes located on the Oescus-Philippopolis road, now part of the Troyan villages of Lomets and Dalbok Dol (Fig. 1). The complex includes the fortified camp (castellum) and the Sostra roadside station, a civilian settlement (vicus), necropoleis and sanctuaries1. The early Christian basilica in the Gergyuva Cherkva site, land of the village of Dalbok Dol stands out among the significant monuments in the southern periphery of the complex. This article summarizes the results of the excavations of both the basilica and the remains of a pre-Christian sanctuary situated in the specified area. The researched structures are analysed in vertical plan starting from the "upper" contexts associated with the church and continuing in depth to the preserved areas and materials from the 2nd – 3rd centuries.
In this article, the emphasis is on describing the material from the Archaic
Period discovered on... more In this article, the emphasis is on describing the material from the Archaic Period discovered on the Hrisosotira Peninsula near Chernomorets, Sozopol Municipality, finds that enrich the information about the early Greek settlements in the Burgas Bay area. The first find dated from the Archaic Period was discovered in the 2009 digs carried out by the team of K. Popkonstantinov. It is the so-called arrow-coin found in trial trench No 2. In 2017, another bronze arrow-coin was discovered in trench No. 51 below the floor level of the late-antique building No. 14. In 2019, a bronze arrow-coin was also found within the building No 22 in the southern sector of the site. It is known that such coin-like signs are found along the entire western and northwestern Pontic coast (Berezan / Pontic Olbia, along the Dobrudzha coast - Histria, Orgame and between Odessos and Apollonia Pontica in the south) and date back to the 6th century BC. Their presence on the peninsula is a prerequisite to search for a temple dedicated to some Greek deity - for example to Apollo the Healer, because arrow-coins were also left as gifts at the altar of the gods. The 2019 discovery of the remains of a pit of alleged cultic purpose in the southern sector of the site affords interesting data about the earliest human occupancy on the Hrisosotira Peninsula. The pit was found next to the inside of the western wall of the late antique building №18 and the northern periphery of a dug-in cellar. It has a preserved size of 0.40 / 0.50 m and a depth of only 0.15 m. During the excavations discovered were about 50 fragments of amphorae and bowls of the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Greek ceramics from the Archaic era, fragments of monochrome Greek ceramic vessels, large amounts of sea shells, fragments of animal bones, charcoal and a bronze arrowhead with spike. The discoveries of the National Museum of History team shed light on the earliest history of a multi-layered archaeological site, where traces of the Classical and Hellenistic periods have been discovered. Luxury archaic ceramic pottery, with elaborate figural and floral ornamentation, is an important source of information about the earliest period of the settlement‘s existence on the peninsula. The intricately decorated fragments of vessels are evidence of the intense trade contacts with the major centres of West Asia Minor. From the end of the 7th to the third quarter of the 6th century BC the main importers of ceramic pottery in Apollonia and its closest satellite settlements, as in the case of Hrisosotira, were the major production centres such as Rhodes, Miletus, Samos and Klazomenai, which completely dominated the imports into the West Pontic market. The spread of Eastern Greek painted pottery throughout the territory of the peninsula of Sozopol proves that when Apollonia was founded at the end of the 7th century BC, the Milesian colonists conquered the entire territory of what are now St. Kirik Island and the Skamni Peninsula. With the finds from Hrisosotira, the perimeter increases and apparently the entire coastal area between Atia and Apollonia in the 6th century BC and beyond, was under Hellenic control.
The article describes a valuable find - a medallion discovered in the summer
of 2019 during the r... more The article describes a valuable find - a medallion discovered in the summer of 2019 during the rescue archaeological digs of the late antique and medieval fortress on Cape Emine, on the land of the village of Emona, Nesebar Municipality. The medallion bears the image of Emperor Gordianus III (238 - 244) and is issued in Marcianopolis. It is 3.6 cm in diameter and weighs 24.22 g. On the obverse is the bust of the emperor with a radiant crown to the left. In his left hand he holds a globe, his right hand is raised for a salute. The circular legend reads: AV T K M A N T Γ ΟΡΔ | Ι | A N O C AV T. Reverse: Emperor on the right and the city goddess on the left, standing, facing each other and shaking hands. Between them is a burning altar. Circular legend: VΠ TERTYΛΛIANOV MAPKIANOΠOΛΠΩ. Exergue: OMONIA. The medallion was discovered in trial trench No 1 on the southeastern flat terrace next to the lighthouse on the cape, in a layer with material from the 3rd century. Gordianus III’s medallions from Marcianopolis were made in 242 AD or soon after and were intended to commemorate the emperor’s victories and his eventual visit to Lower Moesia and the city.The discovery of a coin in a layer prior to that associated with the time of the construction of the fortress wall on the cape in the 5th century is a prerequisite for the assumption that a temple of pagan deity existed on Cape Emine in the 3rd century. A kind of a sanctuary of the ancient Greeks also functioned during the Hellenistic era and the proof of this is the discovery context of pits backfilled with materials from the 3rd century BC.
In the early winter of 2019, a hoard of 22 tetradrachms
was discovered during levelling with
a ca... more In the early winter of 2019, a hoard of 22 tetradrachms was discovered during levelling with a caterpillar machine an old road connecting the Koman hut with the Vasilyov hut in the Troyan region. The terrain is in the territory of the village of Terziysko, municipality of Troyan1. Subsequently, the coins were handed over to the National Museum of History. In this article, we present the hoard and a detailed catalogue, an analysis of similar finds and interpretation of the hoard.The hoard discovered in the area of the village of Terziysko has no published analogue in the Bulgarian numismatic literature.The hoard from Terziysko consists of two components: original and imitation coins. It contains original coins from the time of Alexander III to the middle of the 3rd century BC.
On the archaeological map of the Burgas region
there are still places that can be marked as
insuf... more On the archaeological map of the Burgas region there are still places that can be marked as insufficiently researched and where the data on the ancient settlement system are unsatisfactory. One such area is the land of the village of Emona, Nesebar Municipality.Among the most interesting in archaeological terms is a Hellenistic building located in Palyura, a site 1.7 km to the southwest of Emona. Here we present the terrain information about the site and a detailed description of the Greek building ceramics found within its boundaries.
In 2018, a well-preserved bronze lamp was
discovered in the open courtyard of late antique
Buildi... more In 2018, a well-preserved bronze lamp was discovered in the open courtyard of late antique Building № 18, located in the southern sector of the Early Byzantine city of Hrisosotira. The lamp underwent conservation and is now one of the valuable exhibits composing the NHM main collection. This article aims at describing in detail the bronze lamp as well as at comparing it with other known lamps from the 6th – 7th centuries.
The paper publishes a milestone from the road Oescus – Philippopolis found
at the castellum of So... more The paper publishes a milestone from the road Oescus – Philippopolis found at the castellum of Sostra. It was erected on a small paved alley (possibly a kind of a sacred area) connected to the road and facing the eastern wall of the castellum. The inscription on the milestone is in honour of Emperor Philip the Arab, who bears the rare titles of Persicus Maximus and Parthicus Maximus, and his son Philip Caesar; the date can be set to August – December AD 244. In late AD 249, the names of the two Philippi were subjected to damnatio memoriae, and, shortly afterwards, most probably during or immediately after the Gothic invasions of AD 250-251, this section of the road was abandoned and the milestone was pulled down.
The present study is a continuation of the book entitled ‘Mare Ponticum. Coastal Fortresses and H... more The present study is a continuation of the book entitled ‘Mare Ponticum. Coastal Fortresses and Harbour Zones in the Province of Haemimont, 5th - 7th Centuries' issued in 2018. It largely follows the structure and methodology of the previous study. The emphasis is laid on the history of fortresses, settlements and harbour zones in the coastal area of the province of Moesia Secunda. The description of early Christian temples built outside the fortress walls, but near small bays and river mouths, have also been included in the present text. Territorially, the new study covers a relatively small coastal area locked between the mouths of the Batova and Dvoynitsa rivers, which area is the eastern coastal border of the province. Structurally, the book contains separate chapters that deal with issues related to the southeastern, northeastern, and eastern borders of the province of Moesia Secunda; the modern geographical division of the territory, the features of the investigated coastline and the shallow water (coastal) zone; the description of fortresses, settlements, temples and harbour zones. In the concluding part, some problems and trends in the study of both land and underwater sites are presented. The book, in addition to a summary of already known data yielded by the written sources and conducted archaeological surveys of the sites, includes also new unpublished data and materials from the author’s own surveys carried out in the 2023-2024 period. What I have in mind here refers to the underwater surveys in the water area of Cape Killik to the mouth of the Kamchia River; the geophysical surveys at Cape Killik and the sunken island at the mouth of the Kamchia River; the underwater research in the Eski Baalak Bay at Cape Galata; the underwater surveys in the harbour zone of the Kastritsi fortress and the field-walking in the area of the villages of Kranevo, Bliznatsi, Shkorpilovtsi and the town of Byala. The book also contains descriptions of archaeological materials stored in the depositories of the museums in Byala and Varna an
This main objective of this book, one of the series dedicated to the multi-layered archaeological... more This main objective of this book, one of the series dedicated to the multi-layered archaeological site on the Hrisosotira Peninsula near the town of Chernomorets is to summarize the results achieved by its comprehensive study between 2014 and 2023. The research work was funded by the Ministry of Culture and the National Museum of History as a part of a large scientific project of the museum, aimed at analyzing the archaeological and historical data on the seaside fortresses and ports in the province of Haemimont for the 5thand- 7th century time period. The expeditions were undertaken with the assistance of the Ministry of Defence (the Defence Infrastructure Main Directorate) as well. The book is a continuation of the previously published three volumes representing the archaeological excavations of the early Byzantine fortress that took place from 2014 to 2018. Descriptions and catalogues of all moveable cultural artifacts, which were recovered from the excavated archaeological strata, are also included in the present monograph in addition to the detailed presentation of the stages of the excavations. The unpublished results yielded during the campaigns undertaken in the period between 2019 and 2024 are for the first time presented in the book. The aim is to introduce the undeniably interesting archaeological material into scientific circulation, thereby enriching our understanding of the history and archeology of the hinterland around the vast Burgas Bay at the transition between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.
My present book on maritime archaeology is an attempt to summarize the information on the discove... more My present book on maritime archaeology is an attempt to summarize the information on the discovery and storage of antique and medieval iron anchors recovered from the Black Sea water area of Bulgaria. Chronologically, the anchors considered cover the period span from the 2nd to the 13th century.Structurally, the book has two main chapters. In the first chapter, in a synthesized form, I present both the evolution of the iron anchors until the Late Middle Ages based on known finds mainly from the Mediterranean water area and their typology. The second chapter is a catalogue of all anchors recovered from the Bulgarian Black Sea coast waters until the summer of 2023. It includes a description of the ship's artifacts, location and presumed connection to harbour zones used in certain historical periods. The conclusion consists of a summary of the data, information on chemical analyses performed on some samples and a detailed archaeological map of the finds. The book uses materials recorded in the collections of the museums in Kavarna, Varna, Nesebar, Ahtopol, Sozopol, Kiten, Primorsko, Tsarevo, Ahtopol and the National Museum of History in Sofia. It also contains archival information provided by the first planned underwater expeditions in Bulgaria from the second half of the 20th century as well as by accidental underwater discoveries.
The present book is another of my studies dedicated to the maritime
archeology of the West Pontos... more The present book is another of my studies dedicated to the maritime archeology of the West Pontos. More specifically, it is related to the water area of Cape Hristos near the town of Sozopol and to the adjacent hinterland of the Kavatsite Bay. I believe that the water area in question was an important harbour zone in close proximity to the large ancient and medieval urban centre. Its importance was determined by the exceptional geographical location: a bay protected from the north and north-easterly winds, good depth measured maximum close to the shore. Although the bay remained unattested in Antiquity, it was part of the Apollonia/Sozopol harbour system and possibly that “second” port mentioned by an anonymous 6th-century author. In the Late Middle Ages, the waters of Cape Hristos were marked on West European maps under the name of Port Baglar. The existence of a ‘port’ is also confirmed by some Western European and Russian travellers and diplomats. However, the true significance of the harbour zone to the south of Sozopol is determined by the archaeological finds recovered from the seafloor. For the most part, they were found underwater without any context. Now they are part of the National History Museum collection and some private ones. Another group of archaeological materials fortunately found its way into the largest Bulgarian museum after two underwater expeditions undertaken in the area in 2022. It is the results of these surveys that form the basis of the present research work.
This book is a kind of continuation of my publications related to the archaeological
research on... more This book is a kind of continuation of my publications related to the archaeological research on the west littoral of the Black Sea over the past ten years. In this particular case, the focus is laid on the coastal area locked between the Metoha Peninsula (Cape Chukalyata) and the Foros Peninsula (Cape Foros) in the Gulf of Burgas. This area has not been accidentally chosen. It is a kind of white spot on the archaeological map of t he Burgas region. What I mean is t hat t he archaeological excavations in the coastal zone at the border between the municipalities of Sozopol and Burgas are limited to the Atia Peninsula in the east and to the coastal sites at the Foros Bay in the west. The research contributes to the improvement and supplementing of the archaeological map of the Burgas Gulf through the detailed information it has provided about sites that until the summer of 2020 had remained almost unknown or little known. I should also add that for the first time in scholarly circulation we introduce the results of the underwater survey undertaken in the vast area locked to the north by the island of St. Anastasia, to the west by Cape Kaba Burun and to the east by the Chukalyata Cape. As to its structure, the book consists of seven parts. The results yielded by the archaeological digs at a Hellenistic fortified site on Cape Chiroza and the undertaken surveys in the Chengene Skele Bay in 2020 – 2022 are presented in detail.
This book is dedicated to the history and archeology of the islands off the
Western Black Sea c... more This book is dedicated to the history and archeology of the islands off the Western Black Sea coast. It is a natural continuation of the book "Mare Ponticum, Coastal fortresses and harbour are-as in the province of Hemimont 5th – 7th century" published in 2018. In this case, the text focuses on the ancient history of the islands of St. Thomas (Sv. Toma), St.John (Sv. Ivan), St. Peter (Sv. Petar), Sts.Cyricus and Julitta (Sv. Kirik and Yulita),St. Anastasia and Leuke. Little-known smaller islands in the Bulgarian territorial waters are also described. Notes have also been added on the appearance and disappearance of islands of which there is no visible trace today. In conclu sion, I offer examples of theirreversible processes that have begun and that would lead to the emergence of new islands in the sea. The topic of the book fits into the issues of the Island Archeology.
The present catalogue dedicated to the ancient history of the Troyan region is a logical compleme... more The present catalogue dedicated to the ancient history of the Troyan region is a logical complement to the archaeological excavations in Central Stara Planina, conducted over the last 120 years by a number of Bulgarian researchers (Georgi Bonchev, Iliya Stoyanov, Nikolay Sirakov,Ivan Gatsov, Varbinka Naydenova, Atanas Milchev,Georgi Kitov, Totyo Totevski, Maria Balbolova-Ivanova,Ivan Zahariev, Maria Tsacheva, Yordan Aleksiev, Sergey Torbatov, Ivan Hristov). The publishing of the book’s body goes beyond the usual aims of listing the movable cultural values which is traditional for such a publication. The aim here is to present thematic groups of archaeological monuments by introducing the reader into the archaeological environment of their discovery. The historical angle is the leading one and introduces the reader to the main historical periods: Prehistory, Antiquity and Middle Ages.
The goals of this book are modest.
The focus is only on the Late
Antiquity and namely on the hist... more The goals of this book are modest. The focus is only on the Late Antiquity and namely on the history of the fortresses in the coastal zone of the province of Hemimont. Harbour zones have also been added because these forts could hardly exist without their contact with the sea through the Byzantine fleet. At first glance, the coastal area is the relatively narrow coastline marked with fortresses and larger fortified urban centres situated on peninsulas jutting out into the sea. This strip is limited to the northern and southern periphery of the province by the mountainous massifs of Haemus and Strandzha. The coastal zone goes inland up to an average of 20 km. Eastwards to the sea it should be viewed differently, as the area there is open to active navigation and business development depending on the sea.
This book offers the reader a detailed
account of the results achieved
in the study of the early ... more This book offers the reader a detailed account of the results achieved in the study of the early Byzantine and medieval fortress located on the Black Sea cape of Emine. It is in addition to the already published results of the surveys in the area of the Emona village, Municipality of Nesebar by teams of the National Museum of History.The study has three main parts. In addition to the facts presented and the description of the cultural values unearthed during the excavations on Cape Emine, the book also provides an overview of the preserved sources of the ancient history of the area and the history of the archaeological researches from Felix Kanitz onwards.In chapter three, the main focus is on the description of all localized archaeological sites in the land of the village of Emona and the contact area with other settlements near the Black Sea coast. In fact, an attempt has been made here to fill the so-called “white spot” in the archaeological map of the West Pontic area between the village of Sveti Vlas in the east-northeast to Cape Kochan (Herkulente Fortress?); from the Black Sea coast in the north to the road through the Pomorie Pass (Emonski Prohod).
Проблеми в историческото развитие на планински тип култура по модели от Хемус, Родопа и Карпати п... more Проблеми в историческото развитие на планински тип култура по модели от Хемус, Родопа и Карпати през I хил. пр. Хр.
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Papers
The part of the periplus we are interested in, mentions the term λιμήν, which means a place where ships are drawn ashore.
What were these two ports of Sozopol and where were they located?
It is known that the first and oldest port of the city was located in the water area to the west of the island of St. St. Cyricus and Julita.
The impossibility of building a port on the eastern side of the Skamni Peninsula is obvious, since the small bay between the old town and the Akrotiri Peninsula (Harmanite) is perfectly exposed to all the dangerous winds of the Black Sea. The next so-called Paradise Bay is also too small and exposed to the north and northeastern winds. Despite the recorded anchor finds in it, I believe that it does not correspond to the idea of an area where a large port would exist. To the south, the well-protected bay next to the Budzhaka Peninsula remains the only possibility to have been part of the large harbour zone of the ancient polis.
The bay is bounded by Cape Hristos to the north and Cape Golyama Agalina to the south.
During the two underwater campaigns conducted by the National History Museum in 2022, various items related to shipping, loading and unloading activities in the bay were discovered.
An area with a large assemblage of fragments of Late Antique vessels and amphorae has been located. The most characteristic are Late Roman 1 type amphora body walls, Late Roman C red-glazed Asia Minor plates and local kitchen ware. The fragments date from the 5th – 6th centuries. The ceramic assemblage is one of the largest that has been recorded underwater along the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It marks the places of loading and unloading activities in the quietest part of the bay next to Cape Hristos.
If the hypothesis that a large Late Antiquity harbour functioned in the bay between the capes of Hristos and Agalina is true, it remains to discover the Late Antiquity structures that served it. In any case, to this day the described bay remains one of the places with abundant concentration of Late Antique underwater materials. This is hardly accidental. The research is at the very beginning and underwater excavations are forthcoming, on the results of which the answers to the questions posed in the article, depend.
structures of a supposedly fortified late antique
settlement located on Cape Kaba Burun in the
Burgas Gulf, as well as to propose a reconstruction
of the ancient coastline of the headland with the
help of modern non-destructive scientific methods.
The need for such a paper is justified by the real
danger that the promontory will “transform” into
an island, due to the detachment of huge unstable
land masses caused by the work of the sea waters
.
The results yielded by the geophysical, geological
and underwater research of the cape and its water
area undertaken in the summer of 2022 will
be introduced for the first time in this paper. The
surveys were initiated and financed by the Burgas
Regional History Museum
AD 249. It was found in 2021 in the area facing the main gate of the castellum of Sostra, close to the findspot of a milestone of AD 244 for Emperor Philip the Arab. Its erection by the city of Nicopolis ad Istrum confirms the existence of a road Sostra – Nicopolis, as shown in the Peutinger Map, and suggests that the administrative territory of the
city extended as faras Sostra to the west.
strategos of the thema of Thrace) discovered in the autumn of 2021 in the Kaleto site, land of Dolno
Ezerovo, Burgas M1 unicipality.
The fortress in the Kaleto site is located 5 km to the southwest of the Burgas quarter of Dolno Ezerovo.
The fortress is situated in the western part of an elongated low hill with pronounced northern and
western steep slopes and an average altitude of 80 m. According to the preliminary data, it occupies
an area of 20 decares, currently not cultivated with agricultural machinery due to the huge amount of
stones with different sizes and level of processing.
The two Bulgarian seals are among the rare cases of discovering Bulgarian molybdobullae of Tsar Petar
in the territories of the Bulgarian kingdom to the south of Haemus. As to the third seal described in the
article, it can be explicitly written that it is synchronous with those of the Bulgarian ruler and fits well
in the supposed correspondence between the representatives of the Bulgarian kingdom and the strategos
of the Byzantine thema of Thrace, the closest to the Erkesiya border wall. Alexander probably held the
honorary position of protospatharios and manglabites. The name of this strategos for the first time reads
on a seal originating in the territory of present-day Bulgaria.
It is still too early to express definite opinions on the nature of the site from which the seals originate,
but it is obvious that an active correspondence with the capital Pliska and Byzantium was carried out
in this fortification.
We should not forget the fact that the fortress near Dolno Ezerovo is located in close proximity to
the route of the so-called Little Erkesiya. It is an addition to the Erkesiya rampart, the largest and
most famous earthen fortification to the south of the Danube, within the vast territory of the 8th-10th
century Bulgaria. It is well known that besides its military defence function, the Erkesiya was also a
well-regulated customs border, through which trade and cultural connections with Byzantium took
place. The extension of the great border wall between the two medieval states begins from the area of
the present-day village of Debelt, stretching for approximately 11 km in the direction of Lake Vaya.
The construction of the Little Erkesiya can definitely be referred to the period after 812-813, when the
Bulgars established themselves permanently in this part of Europe. Although today there are no visible
traces on the ground of the said earthen fortification, it can be written that the fortress near Dolno
Ezerovo was in close proximity to the Little Erkesiya in the Bulgarian territory.
On the other hand, we have to take into account the fact that it is located very close to Lake Vaya, which
in the Middle Ages had a connection with the Black Sea, and it is very likely that sailing vessels could
enter it from the sea as is the case with Lake Mandra.
104
През есента на 2021 г. в Националния исторически музей постъпват като дарение
предмети, открити в м. Калето – две медни
римски монети и три оловни средновековни
печата1
. Обектът се локализира в землището
на кв. Долно Езерово, Община Бургас.
Значимостта на предметите и тяхното относително точно местонамиране ме задължават да ги публикувам и изкажа хипотеза
относно тяхното присъствие в територия,
1
Монетите и печатите ми бяха предадени безвъзмездно от жител на Бургас, пожелал да остане анонимен
дарител. Приети са с акт за примане № I8303 и №
I8304. Според откривателя през последното десетилетие в крепостта са били открити около 20 подобни печата Взети са мерки от страна на РИМ-Бургас
обектът да бъде обозначен с табели като археологически. Изпратено е писмо до областния управител на
Бургаска област за разрешение за провеждане на спасителни теренни проучвания.
която през втората половина на X век е в пределите на Първото българско царство.
Описание на крепостта
Крепостта в м. Калето е разположена на 5
км югозападно от центъра на кв. Долно Езерово на Бургас (обр.1). В административно
отношение тя попада в землището на кв. Долно Езерово, но част от южната й периферия и
близко разположени синхронно функциониращи структури днес се забелязват на терен,
попадащ в землището на с. Полски Извор,
Община Камено (обр. 2). Крепостта е разположена е в западната част на продълговат нисък рид с изявени северни и западни стръмни склонове и средна надморска височина от
80 м. По предварителни данни заема площ от
20 дка, която в момента не се обработват от
селскостопанска техника поради наличието
If we assume that at the Kale site near Dolno Ezerovo there was a customs point, then it is logically to
have inherited the functions of the one at Debelt. During the archaeological excavations in 1984-85 in
the Kostadin Cheshma locality near the village of Debelt a church of a basilican plan was uncovered,
built in the late 9th century. Forty lead seals (molybdobullae) were found inside the church and in the
church yard, owned by prominent Bulgarian and Byzantine dignitaries and high clergy; three of them
belonged to the Bulgarian rulers Knyaz Boris I Mihail (aer his conversion) and Tsar Simeon. e
kommerkiaria established in Develt, played for a century (from 815 to 913, with some interruption) the
role of one of the most important customs points between Bulgaria and Byzantium. Aer 913, this role
was probably taken over by the site in the vicinity of today's city of Burgas
in 1854 with the focal point of the work being the depiction and representation on the map of the ruins
and the outlying area of the fortress on the peak of Budzhaka at the Atia Peninsula..
The map subject to this article is entitled ‘Gulf of Pyrgos or Burghaz’. As a prototype, it was drafted by
Cap. Thomas Sprat and originally published in 1854. supplemented by Charles Hartley in 1889. In fact,
the map was republished many times in the following decades, not only by the British Admiralty, but
also by other countries.
The biographical notes about Admiral Thomas Sprat listed in the article show his rich culture and
interest in the natural sciences, history and archaeology.
Atiya Kavo and Hellenic Fortress are marked on the commented map in the highest and middle parts
of the peninsula.
A fortress oriented with its long walls north-to-south, is marked with a dashed thick contour.
Characteristic bends on the western and eastern walls of the fortification are also indicated.
At the western foot of the fortress, the author of the map has drawn separate walls, part of an unexplored
suburb of the fortress.
By the way, the antiquities on Cape Atia are the second archaeological site that we see as archaeological
sites on the map of the Burgas Gulf, together with the so-called Ruined Fort near Nesebar.
All the details on the map correspond to later photographs and excavations on Atia. First of all, I will
comment here on a German aerial photograph from 1918 (Archive of the Shkorpil brothers. Scientific
Archive, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). It was taken from German planes in 1918 based in Constanta
on a scale of 1: 10000. The contours of the whole fortification are clearly visible on it. It has an oval shape
elongated in the southwest-northeast direction. Best preserved are parts of the eastern and southeastern
walls. The presumed entrance to the fortification, as shown on the photograph, is from the east. It was
probably flanked by two towers, judging by the very obscure outlines of the photo.
The next, albeit later, photograph of the ancient fortress was taken in the spring of 2017 by a team of the
National History Museum, together with geodetic surveyors from the Military Geographical Service of
the Bulgarian Army.
If we assume that the marking on the 19th century map of the ruined Ancient Greek fortress on the
Atia Peninsula are the work of Capt. Thomas Sprat then he will turn out to be the first researcher of
archaeological monuments in the Burgas Gulf long before the French consul Alexandre Degrand started
surveys and excavations on the island of St. Cyricus near Sozopol. The marked walls and suburbs on the
map are an important reference point for the outlay and the state of the structure, which unfortunately
in the 20th century has suffered greatly from the modern construction activity.
History Museum has conducted systematic archaeological
excavations at some of the best-preserved
Roman roadside complexes located on the
Oescus-Philippopolis road, now part of the Troyan
villages of Lomets and Dalbok Dol (Fig. 1). The
complex includes the fortified camp (castellum)
and the Sostra roadside station, a civilian settlement
(vicus), necropoleis and sanctuaries1. The
early Christian basilica in the Gergyuva Cherkva
site, land of the village of Dalbok Dol stands out
among the significant monuments in the southern
periphery of the complex. This article summarizes
the results of the excavations of both the basilica
and the remains of a pre-Christian sanctuary situated
in the specified area. The researched structures
are analysed in vertical plan starting from the
"upper" contexts associated with the church and
continuing in depth to the preserved areas and materials
from the 2nd – 3rd centuries.
Period discovered on the Hrisosotira Peninsula near Chernomorets, Sozopol
Municipality, finds that enrich the information about the early Greek
settlements in the Burgas Bay area.
The first find dated from the Archaic Period was discovered in the 2009 digs
carried out by the team of K. Popkonstantinov. It is the so-called arrow-coin
found in trial trench No 2.
In 2017, another bronze arrow-coin was discovered in trench No. 51 below
the floor level of the late-antique building No. 14.
In 2019, a bronze arrow-coin was also found within the building No 22 in the
southern sector of the site.
It is known that such coin-like signs are found along the entire western and
northwestern Pontic coast (Berezan / Pontic Olbia, along the Dobrudzha
coast - Histria, Orgame and between Odessos and Apollonia Pontica in the
south) and date back to the 6th century BC. Their presence on the peninsula
is a prerequisite to search for a temple dedicated to some Greek deity - for example to Apollo the Healer, because arrow-coins were also left as gifts at
the altar of the gods.
The 2019 discovery of the remains of a pit of alleged cultic purpose in the
southern sector of the site affords interesting data about the earliest human
occupancy on the Hrisosotira Peninsula. The pit was found next to the inside of
the western wall of the late antique building №18 and the northern periphery
of a dug-in cellar. It has a preserved size of 0.40 / 0.50 m and a depth of
only 0.15 m. During the excavations discovered were about 50 fragments of
amphorae and bowls of the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Greek ceramics
from the Archaic era, fragments of monochrome Greek ceramic vessels, large
amounts of sea shells, fragments of animal bones, charcoal and a bronze
arrowhead with spike.
The discoveries of the National Museum of History team shed light on the
earliest history of a multi-layered archaeological site, where traces of the
Classical and Hellenistic periods have been discovered.
Luxury archaic ceramic pottery, with elaborate figural and floral
ornamentation, is an important source of information about the earliest
period of the settlement‘s existence on the peninsula. The intricately decorated
fragments of vessels are evidence of the intense trade contacts with the major
centres of West Asia Minor. From the end of the 7th to the third quarter of
the 6th century BC the main importers of ceramic pottery in Apollonia and
its closest satellite settlements, as in the case of Hrisosotira, were the major
production centres such as Rhodes, Miletus, Samos and Klazomenai, which
completely dominated the imports into the West Pontic market.
The spread of Eastern Greek painted pottery throughout the territory of the
peninsula of Sozopol proves that when Apollonia was founded at the end of
the 7th century BC, the Milesian colonists conquered the entire territory of
what are now St. Kirik Island and the Skamni Peninsula. With the finds from
Hrisosotira, the perimeter increases and apparently the entire coastal area
between Atia and Apollonia in the 6th century BC and beyond, was under
Hellenic control.
of 2019 during the rescue archaeological digs of the late antique and medieval
fortress on Cape Emine, on the land of the village of Emona, Nesebar
Municipality. The medallion bears the image of Emperor Gordianus III (238
- 244) and is issued in Marcianopolis. It is 3.6 cm in diameter and weighs
24.22 g. On the obverse is the bust of the emperor with a radiant crown to the
left. In his left hand he holds a globe, his right hand is raised for a salute. The
circular legend reads: AV T K M A N T Γ ΟΡΔ | Ι | A N O C AV T. Reverse:
Emperor on the right and the city goddess on the left, standing, facing each
other and shaking hands. Between them is a burning altar. Circular legend:
VΠ TERTYΛΛIANOV MAPKIANOΠOΛΠΩ. Exergue: OMONIA.
The medallion was discovered in trial trench No 1 on the southeastern flat
terrace next to the lighthouse on the cape, in a layer with material from the
3rd century.
Gordianus III’s medallions from Marcianopolis were made in 242 AD or
soon after and were intended to commemorate the emperor’s victories and his
eventual visit to Lower Moesia and the city.The discovery of a coin in a layer prior to that associated with the time of the
construction of the fortress wall on the cape in the 5th century is a prerequisite
for the assumption that a temple of pagan deity existed on Cape Emine in
the 3rd century. A kind of a sanctuary of the ancient Greeks also functioned
during the Hellenistic era and the proof of this is the discovery context of pits
backfilled with materials from the 3rd century BC.
was discovered during levelling with
a caterpillar machine an old road connecting the
Koman hut with the Vasilyov hut in the Troyan region.
The terrain is in the territory of the village of
Terziysko, municipality of Troyan1. Subsequently,
the coins were handed over to the National
Museum of History. In this article, we present the
hoard and a detailed catalogue, an analysis of similar
finds and interpretation of the hoard.The hoard discovered in the area of the village
of Terziysko has no published analogue in the
Bulgarian numismatic literature.The hoard from Terziysko consists of two
components: original and imitation coins. It contains
original coins from the time of Alexander III
to the middle of the 3rd century BC.
there are still places that can be marked as
insufficiently researched and where the data on
the ancient settlement system are unsatisfactory.
One such area is the land of the village of Emona,
Nesebar Municipality.Among the most
interesting in archaeological terms is a Hellenistic
building located in Palyura, a site 1.7 km to the
southwest of Emona. Here we present the terrain
information about the site and a detailed description
of the Greek building ceramics found within
its boundaries.
discovered in the open courtyard of late antique
Building № 18, located in the southern sector of
the Early Byzantine city of Hrisosotira. The lamp
underwent conservation and is now one of the
valuable exhibits composing the NHM main collection.
This article aims at describing in detail the
bronze lamp as well as at comparing it with other
known lamps from the 6th – 7th centuries.
at the castellum of Sostra. It was erected on a small paved alley (possibly a kind of a
sacred area) connected to the road and facing the eastern wall of the castellum. The
inscription on the milestone is in honour of Emperor Philip the Arab, who bears the
rare titles of Persicus Maximus and Parthicus Maximus, and his son Philip Caesar; the
date can be set to August – December AD 244. In late AD 249, the names of the two
Philippi were subjected to damnatio memoriae, and, shortly afterwards, most probably
during or immediately after the Gothic invasions of AD 250-251, this section of the
road was abandoned and the milestone was pulled down.
The part of the periplus we are interested in, mentions the term λιμήν, which means a place where ships are drawn ashore.
What were these two ports of Sozopol and where were they located?
It is known that the first and oldest port of the city was located in the water area to the west of the island of St. St. Cyricus and Julita.
The impossibility of building a port on the eastern side of the Skamni Peninsula is obvious, since the small bay between the old town and the Akrotiri Peninsula (Harmanite) is perfectly exposed to all the dangerous winds of the Black Sea. The next so-called Paradise Bay is also too small and exposed to the north and northeastern winds. Despite the recorded anchor finds in it, I believe that it does not correspond to the idea of an area where a large port would exist. To the south, the well-protected bay next to the Budzhaka Peninsula remains the only possibility to have been part of the large harbour zone of the ancient polis.
The bay is bounded by Cape Hristos to the north and Cape Golyama Agalina to the south.
During the two underwater campaigns conducted by the National History Museum in 2022, various items related to shipping, loading and unloading activities in the bay were discovered.
An area with a large assemblage of fragments of Late Antique vessels and amphorae has been located. The most characteristic are Late Roman 1 type amphora body walls, Late Roman C red-glazed Asia Minor plates and local kitchen ware. The fragments date from the 5th – 6th centuries. The ceramic assemblage is one of the largest that has been recorded underwater along the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It marks the places of loading and unloading activities in the quietest part of the bay next to Cape Hristos.
If the hypothesis that a large Late Antiquity harbour functioned in the bay between the capes of Hristos and Agalina is true, it remains to discover the Late Antiquity structures that served it. In any case, to this day the described bay remains one of the places with abundant concentration of Late Antique underwater materials. This is hardly accidental. The research is at the very beginning and underwater excavations are forthcoming, on the results of which the answers to the questions posed in the article, depend.
structures of a supposedly fortified late antique
settlement located on Cape Kaba Burun in the
Burgas Gulf, as well as to propose a reconstruction
of the ancient coastline of the headland with the
help of modern non-destructive scientific methods.
The need for such a paper is justified by the real
danger that the promontory will “transform” into
an island, due to the detachment of huge unstable
land masses caused by the work of the sea waters
.
The results yielded by the geophysical, geological
and underwater research of the cape and its water
area undertaken in the summer of 2022 will
be introduced for the first time in this paper. The
surveys were initiated and financed by the Burgas
Regional History Museum
AD 249. It was found in 2021 in the area facing the main gate of the castellum of Sostra, close to the findspot of a milestone of AD 244 for Emperor Philip the Arab. Its erection by the city of Nicopolis ad Istrum confirms the existence of a road Sostra – Nicopolis, as shown in the Peutinger Map, and suggests that the administrative territory of the
city extended as faras Sostra to the west.
strategos of the thema of Thrace) discovered in the autumn of 2021 in the Kaleto site, land of Dolno
Ezerovo, Burgas M1 unicipality.
The fortress in the Kaleto site is located 5 km to the southwest of the Burgas quarter of Dolno Ezerovo.
The fortress is situated in the western part of an elongated low hill with pronounced northern and
western steep slopes and an average altitude of 80 m. According to the preliminary data, it occupies
an area of 20 decares, currently not cultivated with agricultural machinery due to the huge amount of
stones with different sizes and level of processing.
The two Bulgarian seals are among the rare cases of discovering Bulgarian molybdobullae of Tsar Petar
in the territories of the Bulgarian kingdom to the south of Haemus. As to the third seal described in the
article, it can be explicitly written that it is synchronous with those of the Bulgarian ruler and fits well
in the supposed correspondence between the representatives of the Bulgarian kingdom and the strategos
of the Byzantine thema of Thrace, the closest to the Erkesiya border wall. Alexander probably held the
honorary position of protospatharios and manglabites. The name of this strategos for the first time reads
on a seal originating in the territory of present-day Bulgaria.
It is still too early to express definite opinions on the nature of the site from which the seals originate,
but it is obvious that an active correspondence with the capital Pliska and Byzantium was carried out
in this fortification.
We should not forget the fact that the fortress near Dolno Ezerovo is located in close proximity to
the route of the so-called Little Erkesiya. It is an addition to the Erkesiya rampart, the largest and
most famous earthen fortification to the south of the Danube, within the vast territory of the 8th-10th
century Bulgaria. It is well known that besides its military defence function, the Erkesiya was also a
well-regulated customs border, through which trade and cultural connections with Byzantium took
place. The extension of the great border wall between the two medieval states begins from the area of
the present-day village of Debelt, stretching for approximately 11 km in the direction of Lake Vaya.
The construction of the Little Erkesiya can definitely be referred to the period after 812-813, when the
Bulgars established themselves permanently in this part of Europe. Although today there are no visible
traces on the ground of the said earthen fortification, it can be written that the fortress near Dolno
Ezerovo was in close proximity to the Little Erkesiya in the Bulgarian territory.
On the other hand, we have to take into account the fact that it is located very close to Lake Vaya, which
in the Middle Ages had a connection with the Black Sea, and it is very likely that sailing vessels could
enter it from the sea as is the case with Lake Mandra.
104
През есента на 2021 г. в Националния исторически музей постъпват като дарение
предмети, открити в м. Калето – две медни
римски монети и три оловни средновековни
печата1
. Обектът се локализира в землището
на кв. Долно Езерово, Община Бургас.
Значимостта на предметите и тяхното относително точно местонамиране ме задължават да ги публикувам и изкажа хипотеза
относно тяхното присъствие в територия,
1
Монетите и печатите ми бяха предадени безвъзмездно от жител на Бургас, пожелал да остане анонимен
дарител. Приети са с акт за примане № I8303 и №
I8304. Според откривателя през последното десетилетие в крепостта са били открити около 20 подобни печата Взети са мерки от страна на РИМ-Бургас
обектът да бъде обозначен с табели като археологически. Изпратено е писмо до областния управител на
Бургаска област за разрешение за провеждане на спасителни теренни проучвания.
която през втората половина на X век е в пределите на Първото българско царство.
Описание на крепостта
Крепостта в м. Калето е разположена на 5
км югозападно от центъра на кв. Долно Езерово на Бургас (обр.1). В административно
отношение тя попада в землището на кв. Долно Езерово, но част от южната й периферия и
близко разположени синхронно функциониращи структури днес се забелязват на терен,
попадащ в землището на с. Полски Извор,
Община Камено (обр. 2). Крепостта е разположена е в западната част на продълговат нисък рид с изявени северни и западни стръмни склонове и средна надморска височина от
80 м. По предварителни данни заема площ от
20 дка, която в момента не се обработват от
селскостопанска техника поради наличието
If we assume that at the Kale site near Dolno Ezerovo there was a customs point, then it is logically to
have inherited the functions of the one at Debelt. During the archaeological excavations in 1984-85 in
the Kostadin Cheshma locality near the village of Debelt a church of a basilican plan was uncovered,
built in the late 9th century. Forty lead seals (molybdobullae) were found inside the church and in the
church yard, owned by prominent Bulgarian and Byzantine dignitaries and high clergy; three of them
belonged to the Bulgarian rulers Knyaz Boris I Mihail (aer his conversion) and Tsar Simeon. e
kommerkiaria established in Develt, played for a century (from 815 to 913, with some interruption) the
role of one of the most important customs points between Bulgaria and Byzantium. Aer 913, this role
was probably taken over by the site in the vicinity of today's city of Burgas
in 1854 with the focal point of the work being the depiction and representation on the map of the ruins
and the outlying area of the fortress on the peak of Budzhaka at the Atia Peninsula..
The map subject to this article is entitled ‘Gulf of Pyrgos or Burghaz’. As a prototype, it was drafted by
Cap. Thomas Sprat and originally published in 1854. supplemented by Charles Hartley in 1889. In fact,
the map was republished many times in the following decades, not only by the British Admiralty, but
also by other countries.
The biographical notes about Admiral Thomas Sprat listed in the article show his rich culture and
interest in the natural sciences, history and archaeology.
Atiya Kavo and Hellenic Fortress are marked on the commented map in the highest and middle parts
of the peninsula.
A fortress oriented with its long walls north-to-south, is marked with a dashed thick contour.
Characteristic bends on the western and eastern walls of the fortification are also indicated.
At the western foot of the fortress, the author of the map has drawn separate walls, part of an unexplored
suburb of the fortress.
By the way, the antiquities on Cape Atia are the second archaeological site that we see as archaeological
sites on the map of the Burgas Gulf, together with the so-called Ruined Fort near Nesebar.
All the details on the map correspond to later photographs and excavations on Atia. First of all, I will
comment here on a German aerial photograph from 1918 (Archive of the Shkorpil brothers. Scientific
Archive, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). It was taken from German planes in 1918 based in Constanta
on a scale of 1: 10000. The contours of the whole fortification are clearly visible on it. It has an oval shape
elongated in the southwest-northeast direction. Best preserved are parts of the eastern and southeastern
walls. The presumed entrance to the fortification, as shown on the photograph, is from the east. It was
probably flanked by two towers, judging by the very obscure outlines of the photo.
The next, albeit later, photograph of the ancient fortress was taken in the spring of 2017 by a team of the
National History Museum, together with geodetic surveyors from the Military Geographical Service of
the Bulgarian Army.
If we assume that the marking on the 19th century map of the ruined Ancient Greek fortress on the
Atia Peninsula are the work of Capt. Thomas Sprat then he will turn out to be the first researcher of
archaeological monuments in the Burgas Gulf long before the French consul Alexandre Degrand started
surveys and excavations on the island of St. Cyricus near Sozopol. The marked walls and suburbs on the
map are an important reference point for the outlay and the state of the structure, which unfortunately
in the 20th century has suffered greatly from the modern construction activity.
History Museum has conducted systematic archaeological
excavations at some of the best-preserved
Roman roadside complexes located on the
Oescus-Philippopolis road, now part of the Troyan
villages of Lomets and Dalbok Dol (Fig. 1). The
complex includes the fortified camp (castellum)
and the Sostra roadside station, a civilian settlement
(vicus), necropoleis and sanctuaries1. The
early Christian basilica in the Gergyuva Cherkva
site, land of the village of Dalbok Dol stands out
among the significant monuments in the southern
periphery of the complex. This article summarizes
the results of the excavations of both the basilica
and the remains of a pre-Christian sanctuary situated
in the specified area. The researched structures
are analysed in vertical plan starting from the
"upper" contexts associated with the church and
continuing in depth to the preserved areas and materials
from the 2nd – 3rd centuries.
Period discovered on the Hrisosotira Peninsula near Chernomorets, Sozopol
Municipality, finds that enrich the information about the early Greek
settlements in the Burgas Bay area.
The first find dated from the Archaic Period was discovered in the 2009 digs
carried out by the team of K. Popkonstantinov. It is the so-called arrow-coin
found in trial trench No 2.
In 2017, another bronze arrow-coin was discovered in trench No. 51 below
the floor level of the late-antique building No. 14.
In 2019, a bronze arrow-coin was also found within the building No 22 in the
southern sector of the site.
It is known that such coin-like signs are found along the entire western and
northwestern Pontic coast (Berezan / Pontic Olbia, along the Dobrudzha
coast - Histria, Orgame and between Odessos and Apollonia Pontica in the
south) and date back to the 6th century BC. Their presence on the peninsula
is a prerequisite to search for a temple dedicated to some Greek deity - for example to Apollo the Healer, because arrow-coins were also left as gifts at
the altar of the gods.
The 2019 discovery of the remains of a pit of alleged cultic purpose in the
southern sector of the site affords interesting data about the earliest human
occupancy on the Hrisosotira Peninsula. The pit was found next to the inside of
the western wall of the late antique building №18 and the northern periphery
of a dug-in cellar. It has a preserved size of 0.40 / 0.50 m and a depth of
only 0.15 m. During the excavations discovered were about 50 fragments of
amphorae and bowls of the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Greek ceramics
from the Archaic era, fragments of monochrome Greek ceramic vessels, large
amounts of sea shells, fragments of animal bones, charcoal and a bronze
arrowhead with spike.
The discoveries of the National Museum of History team shed light on the
earliest history of a multi-layered archaeological site, where traces of the
Classical and Hellenistic periods have been discovered.
Luxury archaic ceramic pottery, with elaborate figural and floral
ornamentation, is an important source of information about the earliest
period of the settlement‘s existence on the peninsula. The intricately decorated
fragments of vessels are evidence of the intense trade contacts with the major
centres of West Asia Minor. From the end of the 7th to the third quarter of
the 6th century BC the main importers of ceramic pottery in Apollonia and
its closest satellite settlements, as in the case of Hrisosotira, were the major
production centres such as Rhodes, Miletus, Samos and Klazomenai, which
completely dominated the imports into the West Pontic market.
The spread of Eastern Greek painted pottery throughout the territory of the
peninsula of Sozopol proves that when Apollonia was founded at the end of
the 7th century BC, the Milesian colonists conquered the entire territory of
what are now St. Kirik Island and the Skamni Peninsula. With the finds from
Hrisosotira, the perimeter increases and apparently the entire coastal area
between Atia and Apollonia in the 6th century BC and beyond, was under
Hellenic control.
of 2019 during the rescue archaeological digs of the late antique and medieval
fortress on Cape Emine, on the land of the village of Emona, Nesebar
Municipality. The medallion bears the image of Emperor Gordianus III (238
- 244) and is issued in Marcianopolis. It is 3.6 cm in diameter and weighs
24.22 g. On the obverse is the bust of the emperor with a radiant crown to the
left. In his left hand he holds a globe, his right hand is raised for a salute. The
circular legend reads: AV T K M A N T Γ ΟΡΔ | Ι | A N O C AV T. Reverse:
Emperor on the right and the city goddess on the left, standing, facing each
other and shaking hands. Between them is a burning altar. Circular legend:
VΠ TERTYΛΛIANOV MAPKIANOΠOΛΠΩ. Exergue: OMONIA.
The medallion was discovered in trial trench No 1 on the southeastern flat
terrace next to the lighthouse on the cape, in a layer with material from the
3rd century.
Gordianus III’s medallions from Marcianopolis were made in 242 AD or
soon after and were intended to commemorate the emperor’s victories and his
eventual visit to Lower Moesia and the city.The discovery of a coin in a layer prior to that associated with the time of the
construction of the fortress wall on the cape in the 5th century is a prerequisite
for the assumption that a temple of pagan deity existed on Cape Emine in
the 3rd century. A kind of a sanctuary of the ancient Greeks also functioned
during the Hellenistic era and the proof of this is the discovery context of pits
backfilled with materials from the 3rd century BC.
was discovered during levelling with
a caterpillar machine an old road connecting the
Koman hut with the Vasilyov hut in the Troyan region.
The terrain is in the territory of the village of
Terziysko, municipality of Troyan1. Subsequently,
the coins were handed over to the National
Museum of History. In this article, we present the
hoard and a detailed catalogue, an analysis of similar
finds and interpretation of the hoard.The hoard discovered in the area of the village
of Terziysko has no published analogue in the
Bulgarian numismatic literature.The hoard from Terziysko consists of two
components: original and imitation coins. It contains
original coins from the time of Alexander III
to the middle of the 3rd century BC.
there are still places that can be marked as
insufficiently researched and where the data on
the ancient settlement system are unsatisfactory.
One such area is the land of the village of Emona,
Nesebar Municipality.Among the most
interesting in archaeological terms is a Hellenistic
building located in Palyura, a site 1.7 km to the
southwest of Emona. Here we present the terrain
information about the site and a detailed description
of the Greek building ceramics found within
its boundaries.
discovered in the open courtyard of late antique
Building № 18, located in the southern sector of
the Early Byzantine city of Hrisosotira. The lamp
underwent conservation and is now one of the
valuable exhibits composing the NHM main collection.
This article aims at describing in detail the
bronze lamp as well as at comparing it with other
known lamps from the 6th – 7th centuries.
at the castellum of Sostra. It was erected on a small paved alley (possibly a kind of a
sacred area) connected to the road and facing the eastern wall of the castellum. The
inscription on the milestone is in honour of Emperor Philip the Arab, who bears the
rare titles of Persicus Maximus and Parthicus Maximus, and his son Philip Caesar; the
date can be set to August – December AD 244. In late AD 249, the names of the two
Philippi were subjected to damnatio memoriae, and, shortly afterwards, most probably
during or immediately after the Gothic invasions of AD 250-251, this section of the
road was abandoned and the milestone was pulled down.
Territorially, the new study covers a relatively small coastal area locked between the mouths of the Batova and Dvoynitsa rivers, which area is the eastern coastal border of the province.
Structurally, the book contains separate chapters that deal with issues related to the southeastern, northeastern, and eastern borders of the province of Moesia Secunda; the modern geographical division of the territory, the features of the investigated coastline and the shallow water (coastal) zone; the description of fortresses, settlements, temples and harbour zones.
In the concluding part, some problems and trends in the study of both land and underwater sites are presented. The book, in addition to a summary of already known data yielded by the written sources and conducted archaeological surveys of the sites, includes also new unpublished data and materials from the author’s own surveys carried out in the 2023-2024 period. What I have in mind here refers to the underwater surveys in the water area of Cape Killik to the mouth of the Kamchia River; the geophysical surveys at Cape Killik and the sunken island at the mouth of the Kamchia River; the underwater research in the Eski Baalak Bay at Cape Galata; the underwater surveys in the harbour zone of the Kastritsi fortress and the field-walking in the area of the villages of Kranevo, Bliznatsi, Shkorpilovtsi and the town of Byala.
The book also contains descriptions of archaeological materials stored in the depositories of the museums in Byala and Varna an
site on the Hrisosotira Peninsula near the town of Chernomorets is to summarize
the results achieved by its comprehensive study between 2014 and 2023. The research
work was funded by the Ministry of Culture and the National Museum of History as a part
of a large scientific project of the museum, aimed at analyzing the archaeological and historical
data on the seaside fortresses and ports in the province of Haemimont for the 5thand-
7th century time period. The expeditions were undertaken with the assistance of the
Ministry of Defence (the Defence Infrastructure Main Directorate) as well.
The book is a continuation of the previously published three volumes representing the
archaeological excavations of the early Byzantine fortress that took place from 2014 to 2018.
Descriptions and catalogues of all moveable cultural artifacts, which were recovered
from the excavated archaeological strata, are also included in the present monograph in addition
to the detailed presentation of the stages of the excavations. The unpublished results
yielded during the campaigns undertaken in the period between 2019 and 2024 are for the
first time presented in the book. The aim is to introduce the undeniably interesting archaeological
material into scientific circulation, thereby enriching our understanding of the history
and archeology of the hinterland around the vast Burgas Bay at the transition between
Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.
The second chapter is a catalogue of all anchors recovered from the Bulgarian Black Sea coast waters until the summer of 2023. It includes a description of the ship's artifacts, location and presumed connection to harbour zones used in certain historical periods.
The conclusion consists of a summary of the data, information on chemical analyses performed on some samples and a detailed archaeological map of the finds. The book uses materials recorded in the collections of the museums in Kavarna, Varna, Nesebar, Ahtopol, Sozopol, Kiten, Primorsko, Tsarevo, Ahtopol and the National Museum of History in Sofia. It also contains archival information provided by the first planned underwater expeditions in Bulgaria from the second half of the 20th century as well as by accidental underwater discoveries.
archeology of the West Pontos. More specifically, it is related to the water
area of Cape Hristos near the town of Sozopol and to the adjacent hinterland
of the Kavatsite Bay. I believe that the water area in question was an
important harbour zone in close proximity to the large ancient and medieval
urban centre. Its importance was determined by the exceptional
geographical location: a bay protected from the north and north-easterly
winds, good depth measured maximum close to the shore.
Although the bay remained unattested in Antiquity, it was part of the
Apollonia/Sozopol harbour system and possibly that “second” port mentioned
by an anonymous 6th-century author. In the Late Middle Ages, the
waters of Cape Hristos were marked on West European maps under the
name of Port Baglar. The existence of a ‘port’ is also confirmed by some
Western European and Russian travellers and diplomats.
However, the true significance of the harbour zone to the south of Sozopol
is determined by the archaeological finds recovered from the seafloor.
For the most part, they were found underwater without any context.
Now they are part of the National History Museum collection and some
private ones. Another group of archaeological materials fortunately found
its way into the largest Bulgarian museum after two underwater expeditions
undertaken in the area in 2022. It is the results of these surveys that
form the basis of the present research work.
research on the west littoral of the Black Sea over the past ten years.
In this particular case, the focus is laid on the coastal area locked between the
Metoha Peninsula (Cape Chukalyata) and the Foros Peninsula (Cape Foros) in the Gulf
of Burgas. This area has not been accidentally chosen. It is a kind of white spot on the
archaeological map of t he Burgas region. What I mean is t hat t he archaeological excavations in the coastal zone at the border between the municipalities of
Sozopol and Burgas are limited to the Atia Peninsula in the east and to the coastal sites at the Foros Bay in the west.
The research contributes to the improvement and supplementing of the archaeological
map of the Burgas Gulf through the detailed information it has provided about
sites that until the summer of 2020 had remained almost unknown or little known. I should also add that for the first time in scholarly circulation we introduce the results of the underwater survey undertaken in the vast area locked to the north by the island of St. Anastasia, to the west by Cape Kaba Burun and to the east by the Chukalyata Cape. As to its structure, the book consists of seven parts. The results yielded by the archaeological digs at a Hellenistic fortified site on Cape Chiroza and the undertaken surveys in the Chengene Skele Bay in 2020 – 2022 are presented in detail.
Western Black Sea coast. It is a natural continuation of the book "Mare
Ponticum, Coastal fortresses and harbour are-as in the province of Hemimont 5th – 7th century" published in 2018. In this case, the text focuses on the ancient history of the islands of St. Thomas (Sv. Toma), St.John (Sv. Ivan), St. Peter (Sv. Petar), Sts.Cyricus and Julitta (Sv. Kirik and Yulita),St. Anastasia and Leuke. Little-known smaller islands in the Bulgarian territorial waters are also described. Notes have also been added on the appearance and disappearance of islands of which there is no visible trace today. In conclu sion, I offer examples
of theirreversible processes that have begun and that would lead to the
emergence of new islands in the sea. The topic of the book fits into the issues
of the Island Archeology.
The aim here is to present thematic groups of archaeological monuments by introducing the reader into the archaeological environment of their discovery. The historical angle is the leading one and introduces the reader to the main historical periods: Prehistory, Antiquity and Middle Ages.
The focus is only on the Late
Antiquity and namely on the history
of the fortresses in the coastal
zone of the province of Hemimont.
Harbour zones have also been added
because these forts could hardly
exist without their contact with the
sea through the Byzantine fleet.
At first glance, the coastal area
is the relatively narrow coastline
marked with fortresses and larger
fortified urban centres situated on
peninsulas jutting out into the sea.
This strip is limited to the northern
and southern periphery of the province
by the mountainous massifs of
Haemus and Strandzha. The coastal
zone goes inland up to an average
of 20 km. Eastwards to the sea it
should be viewed differently, as the
area there is open to active navigation
and business development depending
on the sea.
account of the results achieved
in the study of the early Byzantine and
medieval fortress located on the Black
Sea cape of Emine. It is in addition to
the already published results of the surveys
in the area of the Emona village,
Municipality of Nesebar by teams of
the National Museum of History.The study has three main parts.
In addition to the facts presented and
the description of the cultural values unearthed during the excavations on
Cape Emine, the book also provides an
overview of the preserved sources of
the ancient history of the area and the
history of the archaeological researches
from Felix Kanitz onwards.In chapter three, the main focus
is on the description of all localized
archaeological sites in the land of the
village of Emona and the contact area
with other settlements near the Black
Sea coast. In fact, an attempt has been
made here to fill the so-called “white
spot” in the archaeological map of the
West Pontic area between the village
of Sveti Vlas in the east-northeast to
Cape Kochan (Herkulente Fortress?);
from the Black Sea coast in the north
to the road through the Pomorie Pass
(Emonski Prohod).