Ten archaeological sites found on route of railway line in Bulgaria
Ten archaeological sites from different eras were discovered during the preparation of the route before the start of construction work on the Volujak-Dragoman railway line, Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport said on August 17.
Of the 10 sites, a preliminary study has been carried out at nine, while one has been fully surveyed, the ministry said.
Finds include a necropolis from late antiquity (V-VI centuries), 15m of a route of an ancient road, walls of ancient buildings, mediaeval dwellings and what a media statement termed structures related to long-term occupation.
The finds also include lime kilns, similar to those found in leading sites in Western Europe.
Structures from the transitional period between the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages (XII-X centuries BCE), Late Antiquity (IV-VI centuries) and the Middle Ages have been documented.
Items from the Late Hellenistic (II-I centuries BCE) and Roman (I-III centuries) eras were also found, the ministry said.
“The conclusions of the experts are that the archaeological structures discovered have great scientific potential and significance for the study of culture in the area, which in antiquity was part of the territory of Serdika.” the statement said.
A full rescue survey of the entire site is pending, which will last five months.
To reduce the delay in construction of the line, the National Railway Infrastructure Company and the Bulgarian Academy of Science’s archaeological institute are preparing a plan to divide the archaeological survey into two stages, which will be synchronised with the contractor’s work programme.
Part of the rescue survey is to be carried out this year, and the second stage during the 2023 archaeological season, the statement said.
(Photo: MTITC)
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