The main reason of the archaeological excavations at the Middle Age town Cherven is taking much more clean notion for the erect buildings and division into periods of the inhabitance at the saddle back between the two parts of the external town- the fortified and the unfortified, has told the director of the studies Stoyan Jordanov.
Continue reading Stronghold Cherven

At the excavations of the middle age stronghold Kostrici near Evksinograd archaeological team with director of the studies Valentin Pletniov has found well preserved skeleton of woman at the narthex of single-hull church. It is for first time that is found archaeological testified denture. That denture is embracing six front teeth at the upper jaw and probably has been made from some kind of ceramic, because the material does not react to metal. Doctor Pletniov adds that the denture has been used for years, because it is knit with the bone together and has been calcifyed. The tomb, where the skeleton hass been found is dating to the end of 14th and the beginning of 15th century. It can be supposed that the woman has been from illustrious descent.
The archaeologists has found also the foundations of big building at the Kostrici stronghold, probably port warehouse with dimensions 15 meters to 8 meters. That’s the fourth year of continuing archaeological excavations at Kostrici stronghold near Evksinograd, which has been built at Vth century and the name of the stronghold from this period is unknown. The stronghold is demolished at 614th year when are the Avar-Slavic invasions. She has been repaired at the beginning of XIV century and goes popular with the name Kostrici.

At small stronghold near Boroviza village were found from the archaeologists three churches one up above the others. At the lowest stratum is with a nave and two aisles Byzantium basilica from 4-6 century before Christ. Up on her basement there were built second one-big with a nave and two aisles church. At some later period, 13-14 century the same church has been destroyed and is replaced as single-hull, as the thoroughfares to the lateral parts are just build in. These three churches, accommodateа one at each other have been used for the period between 4th- 14th century.

The “Ostrusha” tumulus is situated between Krun village and Shipka town, near by 200 meters left sode from the way. By the archaeologists this tumulus has been built 480 years before Christ. Any funeral is missing here. The main camera has monolithic boulder and lid (roof), there is door at the southern side. The tumulus is placed right at the place of an old sanctuary. The ceiling is carved with cimetric rectangles and sides, parallel to the sides of the ceiling. At the center there are placed two squares, where he walls of the inside placed one are turned threw the outside one to 90 degrees.Inside this one is signed ring. It is plastic workmanship.The outstanding wall,built at the east west direction are cultivated in precious way, probably consistent with the main purpose of this tumulus. The existing of this treatment is dazzling example for activity, totally unnecessary for the her aims as funeral camera only, because immediately after the tegument with soil become pointless. This one is the first and only one found ever ceiling with carvings among the Thracian finds.

The medieval fortress is situated northwest of the village of Slaveevo. The fortress was built directly over the Arda River.

The fortress is assumed to be part of a fortification system, situated along the Arda River. During antiquity, one of the main roads leading from the Edirne plain towards the interior of the Rhodopes passed along its river bed. The fortress most probably was built during the Late Antique Epoch as a part of the so-called Limes Rodopica, built by Emperor Justinian I (527-565) to protect the Byzantium Empire from the barbaric invasions, which became regular during the epoch of the great migration of peoples.

The fortress is situated on the plateau of a ridge, orientated southwest-northeast. The ridge is surrounded by steep slopes on the north and south sides. The fortress walls follow the configuration of the terrain. The north wall is partly preserved, and the south wall is in better condition, preserved up to six meters high. The angles of the fortress are rounded. Piles of stone (most probably traces of buildings) can be seen in the interior of the fortress. In the center of the ridge, there is huge rectangular building orientated north-south with walls of 15×25m length. The building was built of local stones without soldering.

The fortress is one of the best preserved in the Eastern Rhodopes.

A 1983 study of the Neutzikon Fortress near the village of Mezek discovered unknown elements of its plan and corrected its dating. Its walls, surrounding an area of seven decares, were built from shattered stones soldered with white plaster. On the front side of the walls are three panels made up of four rows of bricks used for decorative purposes, which therefore do not cover the whole length of the wall, unlike in the earlier fortresses. The fortress is most inaccessible from the north due to the steep incline and, because of that, the wall there has the smallest thickness, 1.9m, and is reinforced with only one tower. The weak spot of the fortress is the southern wall because of the leveled terrain in front of it. Its thickness is 2.6m and it is reinforced with five towers. The thickness of the eastern and the western walls is 2.3m and they are reinforced, respectively, with one and two towers. The main entrance of the fortress is situated in a turn of the western wall. It is set up in a way that the attackers fall into a trap on a small platform that is being shot with arrows from two sides. The approach to the entrance passes along the whole length of the western fortress wall. Attackers were forced to move towards the entrance with their right-hand side turned and unprotected by a shield against the defenders of the fortress, who were firing arrows at them.
Continue reading Neutzicon Fortress near the village of Mezek, Svilengrad municipality