Archaeologists discovered antiquities from different eras during rescue excavations around the “water project” in Stara Zagora

Archaeologists discovered antiquities from different eras during rescue excavations around the “water project” in Stara Zagora. That’s what he said about “Focus” the director of the Regional History Museum in Stara Zagora Petar Kalchev. The finds are placed in an exhibition at the museum, which will remain for another month and can be viewed by citizens and guests of the city of lime trees.

The objects were found during excavations in Stara Zagora, related to the renovation of the city’s plumbing infrastructure. The exhibition is entitled “Archaeological seasons 2022-2023. Rescue excavations – Reconstruction of the plumbing network in Stara Zagora”. The exhibition was opened within the framework of “Night of the Arts”, on the IV exhibition level in the Regional History Museum under Lipite.

Visitors will be able to see a bronze “pyxide” or antique jewelry box, glass and clay vessels, ornaments, marble architectural elements. A skeleton with an artificially elongated skull from the Eastern Necropolis of Augusta Trajan is also on display. Boards with photos and information can be viewed about the most interesting archaeological structures discovered during the surveys.

“We are currently excavating almost the entire city, where sewage, water and rainwater are being laid. Many interesting things have been discovered – the Eastern Necropolis with a tomb and facilities, fortress walls and many other interesting finds. Over 500 artifacts have been discovered so far from these studies. There are many interesting photos, panoramic photos, so in the exhibition you can look at what has been studied so far. The funding is under an operational program for environmental protection, and we have a contract with VK Stara Zagora, which is a state-owned company . They are a beneficiary under this program and finance these activities, as per the Law on Cultural Heritage,” said Kalchev.

and the city of Stara Zagora, in connection with the implementation of a large-scale project “Construction of water supply infrastructure in a designated territory, served by “Waterworks” EOOD, the city of Stara Zagora. They cover the excavation works for the implementation of the routes of water pipes and sewerage in the security zones of Archaeological reserve “Augusta Traiana-Vereia-Stara Zagora”, as well as in the entire rest of the city.

During this period, 131 sites on the sewage system and 332 sites on the water supply network of Stara Zagora were monitored. The sewer lines are laid at a depth of around and above 3.00 m, which coincides with the level of the sterile terrain, which in different parts of the city has a different structure and characteristics. Water pipeline routes are laid at a depth between 1.60 m and 2.80 m, not reaching the level of the sterile terrain. To a large extent, the new routes duplicate the old ones, as in this case, no archaeological structures are found, but only materials re-deposited during the old excavations – both modern and fragments of ancient building ceramics, marble architectural elements, etc. In several cases, the complete destruction of ancient walls, fortress walls and ancient streets was found during the laying of the old routes, which are now established only in the profiles of the excavations. During their laying in the previous years, no archaeological observations and studies were carried out.

During the observations, traces of fortress walls were found in four sections; a significant part of the Eastern Necropolis and single burial facilities in five sections were studied; routes of ancient streets in two sections and walls in two sections, with more than 500 items from different eras entering the museum’s collection.