Archaeology: 13th century gold coin found during dig in Bulgaria
A gold coin (Perpera) from the time of John III Doukas Vatatzes, Emperor of Nicaea 1222 – 1254, was among the first finds discovered during the archaeological season in Cherven, Bulgaria’s Rousse Regional Historical Museum said in a Facebook post on September 10.
The find was found at the southern foot of the Intermediate Fortress Wall in the western part of the mediaeval city.
The coin adds new aspects to the knowledge and already established chronology of occupation of the western hill of Cherven, the museum said.
The efforts of the archaeological team during the 57th consecutive archaeological season of the mediaeval city of Cherven have been focused on uncovering a new sector of the Intermediate Fortress Wall on the western hill of the fortress.
Over the past week, rock cuttings south of the fortification have been explored, as well as the foundations of buildings along the northern face of the wall, the museum said.
Finds so far include coins (14th – 15th centuries), arrowheads, parts of ornaments, table and kitchen ceramics.
The existence of the fortification was confirmed archaeologically in 2023, when a 20m long sector was discovered, located southeast of Church #16.
Based on the 462 items found (coins, ceramics, weapons, everyday objects) it was established that the Intermediate Fortress Wall was built in the first years after the Ottoman conquest of Cherven in 1388 and was functional during the first two decades of the 15th century – a time of strife in the Ottoman state, the uprising of the Bulgarians to reject foreign power, as well as the military campaigns of the Wallachian voivode Mircea I Stari south of the Danube.
The very building of Church No. 16, located along the main street of Cherven, was included in the structure of the fortification, the museum said.
(Photos: Rousse Regional History Museum)
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