Excavations in Bulgaria reveal Roman settlement destroyed in 4th century

A late Roman settlement that had been hidden for centuries under farmland near the village of Borimechkovo in Bulgaria’s Pazardzhik region has come to light thanks to recent rescue excavations. The discovery came during the construction of a transit pipeline, necessitating an archaeological investigation of a 4,400-square-meter area located on a natural terrace next to a small stream.

The site’s location, in the western part of the Sredna Gora mountain range, has historically favored settlement due to the presence of natural resources, including copper ore although the landscape underwent significant changes during the twentieth century, with terracing and planting that altered the archaeological layering. Despite the difficulties, excavations have made it possible to reconstruct the history of a community that lived in the 4th century AD, abruptly interrupted by a fire.

A fire and the collapse of a community

Stratigraphic analyses revealed that the settlement consisted of a single level of habitation, which ended abruptly following a fire dated no earlier than 347 CE, thanks to evidence provided by the coins found. The remains of the buildings, which were never reconstructed after destruction, allowed archaeologists to study the organization of the living space in detail. The structures were mainly identified in Trenches A20, A21, A22, B21, B22 and Trench W. Two distinct buildings, with different orientations but located in close proximity to each other, emerged from the searches. Their foundations, made of medium-sized stones bound with mud, supported walls built with mud bricks. Fragments of tiles and imbrici confirm the use of brick roofing. Internally, the dwellings featured storage pits for large containers, the pithoi, intended for storing provisions.

Building I, only partially excavated, included at least three rooms, while Building II had two. Among the artifacts found in the burned layer were seven coins, two of them dating to the reign of Constantius II (347-355 CE), which helped establish the chronology of the site. In addition to the coins, a small deposit of six silver denarii and some jewelry, dating to AD 249, was discovered near the modern surface in an area disturbed by agricultural activities.

Objects of daily use and links to Thracian culture.

The recovered artifacts, though not numerous, offer a glimpse into the daily life of the settlement’s inhabitants. Metal objects include arrowheads, fibulae, buckles, sewing needles, knives, rings and chains, as well as a silver lunula, a typical Thracian traditional pendant. Among the stone artifacts, a fragment of a manual millstone was identified, while the ceramic pottery includes amphorae, jugs, cups, bowls, pots, lids and strainers.

The presence of loom weights and spindle whorls indicates that textile activities played a role in the community. The handmade pottery shows strong links to the Thracian tradition, suggesting that the inhabitants belonged to this ethnic group and maintained continuity with local craft practices. Although the excavated area is limited, evidence of later intrusions, including the activity of treasure hunters, suggests that the site continued to attract interest in later centuries. The discovery of coins dating back to the 5th century and an older iron fibula shows that the area was not completely abandoned after the 4th century fire.

Excavations in Bulgaria reveal Roman settlement destroyed in 4th century

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