The fortress near the picturesque village of Debnevo in the region of Troyan, dating back to the Late Antiquity, has been studied for years. Archaeologists have unearthed fortress walls, residential, well-preserved production facilities and farm buildings.

The findings on the territory of the fortress date back to the period of Late Antiquity and the Second Bulgarian Kingdom /12-14 century/. The fortification system of the former fortress consists of two parallel-concentric walls, equipped with rectangular towers, two gates for carriages and one for pedestrians. At the northeastern part of the fortress the team of Chief Assistant Professor Dr. Stilian Ivanov discovered the foundations of 17 separate residential and farm buildings, as well as buildings for military garrisons.

A Christian necropolis with 145 graves from the time of Tsar Ivan Alexander /1331-1371/ and Tsar Ivan Shishman /1371-1395/, as well as graves from the 16th-17th century, have also been discovered on “Kaleto”.

A Chalcolithic stone axe /5th millennium BC/, a round hearth plastered with clay from the Late Iron Age /IV - III BC/, as well as pieces of vessels and clay spindles were among the latest finds in the summer.

The foundations of the late antique buildings of the fortress lie directly on the layer of the Late Iron Age. Their walls are 0.70 - 0.80 meters thick, and the pottery and copper coins found on the site date back to the end of the 4th - 5th century. The team of Chief Assistant Professor Dr. Stilian Ivanov has found traces of an old Bulgarian house from the 9th - 10th century, as well as artifacts from the late Middle Ages.

The artifacts are currently being cleaned by restorers, after which they will be handed over to the Archeology Fund at the Museum of Traditional Crafts in the town of Troyan so that they could be seen by the general public, BTA has reported.

Compiled by: Veneta Nikolova

English: Alexander Markov