Byzantine seals and 46 coins were discovered this summer during archaeological excavations at the Markeli Fortress near Karnobat, Southeastern Bulgaria, the Karnobat History Museum said on Wednesday. The finds include 6th-century Early Byzantine coins, mainly from the reign of Emperor Justinian I, as well as anonymous coins from the 10th–11th centuries.
The excavations, carried out in July and August, were led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dimcho Momchilov, with Dr. Rositsa Hristova, the museum director, as deputy. The project was funded by Bulgaria’s Ministry of Culture and represents the first state-funded archaeological investigation of the fortress.
Archaeologists examined around 30-40 metres of the southeastern section of the fortifications, uncovering part of the southeastern corner tower and the southern fortress wall. Other finds include decorative appliques, two well-preserved Old Bulgarian examples dating to the 9th-10th centuries, Early Byzantine and 11th-12th-century domestic pottery, fragments of candleholders, decorated Old Bulgarian pottery, and sgraffito ceramics. For the first time, fragments of Roman pottery were also found within the stone-and-brick fortifications.
Additional eastern fortifications were uncovered near the southeastern tower, while substantial destruction was identified along the inner side of the southern wall.
During the First Bulgarian Empire, Markeli was an important site in Bulgarian-Byzantine military and political relations, particularly during the 8th-9th centuries. The 2026 excavations mark the revival of systematic archaeological research at the fortress, 40 years after investigations first began here in 1986.
Archaeologists Uncover 46 Coins, Byzantine Seals at Markeli Fortress THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-30 14:24:51
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