2024-08-17 13:14:54
This is an archaeological blow, an inscription was also found at the beginning of the excavation
More than 500 coins from different eras and gold ingots for making jewelry were discovered by the team of archaeologist Desislava Davidova during rescue excavations in a private property in the center of Plovdiv. An investor will build there, and before that a study must be done.
The object is in the historical zone “Filipopol – Trimontium – Plovdiv”, which is a group cultural monument. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the Eastern Gate of Philippopolis at the foot of the Three Hills.
This is a real blow for the researchers, because an inscription was also discovered there earlier, which the epigrapher Nikolay Sharankov associated with the Northern Age.
It is assumed that in Roman times and Late Antiquity there were commercial, and before that, craft premises. There is no data on residential buildings, Desislava Davidova, the head of archaeological research, announced in an interview with Radio Plovdiv.
“Parts of two chain rooms were found on the site, which are connected to the ancient street, which is exposed to the Eastern Gate. There are also earlier cultural layers and finds, which are connected before the arrival of the Romans in the Balkans and before the organization of the province of Thrace she explained.
The coins found are mostly bronze and prove that the terrain has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years.
“The coins are subject to restoration and I cannot say whether they are only bronze, because sometimes the silver coins have a thick patina and are difficult to identify in the field,” added the archaeologist.
The gold ingot was found in a secondary excavated pit and is yet to be assayed as the site has multiple layers.
“The billet was definitely not for the production of coins. It was probably intended for beautification and making some kind of jewelry,” Davidova believes.
A lot of ceramic material from different eras was also found.
“We have ceramic vessels from the end of the 3rd – the beginning of the 4th century. We also found an iron lamp, which surprised me, since iron is an unstable material and is rarely preserved,” said the head of the excavation.
During the field work, the archaeologists went down to a depth of 6 and a half meters. Outbuildings from different periods have been discovered. The most are between the 2nd and 6th centuries.
“There are many additions, then there are repair works, remodeling of the spaces. In the later eras, there are also two burials. The space was used according to what historically befell the city in different eras, because there were quite a few attacks,” Davidova explained.
She recalled that an inscription was found at the very beginning of the excavations. It is supposed to be from a statue plinth dating from the time of the emperor Septimius Severus.
Work on the site has been difficult because the modern embankment is unstable and archaeologists have been careful not to undermine the houses that are nearby. The research activity lasted 25 days.