site.btaWell-Preserved Sixth Century Fortress Discovered in Ancient City of Moesionis in Northeast Bulgaria

A well-preserved fortress dating back to the sixth century AD, the era of Eastern Roman emperor Justinian the Great, has been discovered at the ancient town of Moesionis near Targovishte in Northeast Bulgaria, Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, the archaeological site's scientific consultant told BTA.

In Prof. Ovcharov's words, some of the fortress remains are preserved at a height of at least three metres and the excavations continue. "It is unique, because we have an incredible opportunity to understand what a fortress looked like during the time of Justinian the Great. Furthermore, it is important that it [the fortress] encloses a sixth century bishop's residence, which shows us the tomb importance of Moesionis at that time. We know that this is largely when the cult of St. Andrew, Northeast Bulgaria’s baptizer, started", Prof. Ovcharov explained.

Details on the progress of work during the 2024 archaeological summer of the late antique and medieval city of Moesionis will be given at a news conference on Tuesday. In 2024, the head of the excavation work is yet again Stefan Ivanov, archaeologist from the Targovishte Regional History Museum.