Balgarianovinite.com A fragment of the tombstone of a centurion of the Legio I Italica was uncovered during salvage excavations in the Western Necropolis of the Roman military camp of Novae near Svishtov, archaeologist Marin Marinov of the Svishtov Historical Museum said on Tuesday.
The rescue dig targeted a 2nd-3rd century necropolis after a local resident reported finding a tomb while uprooting a tree on his property in the town’s villa zone, Marinov said. The excavations are co-led by Dr Kalin Chakarov of the Regional History Museum in Veliko Tarnovo; Simeon Angelov, an archaeology graduate of Veliko Tarnovo University’s Faculty of History, also worked on site.
Archaeologists identified five burial structures: two cist graves formed of limestone slabs, a brick-and-stone-built grave, a simple burial pit and a stepped cremation pit, Marinov said. Four of the five were inhumation burials.
The partially preserved tombstone of centurion Gaius Valerius Verecundus was reused in one of the cist graves, together with other Latin-inscribed monuments reused in the structure, including the tombstone of Legio I Italica veteran Marcus Marius Patroclus from Iconium in Asia Minor. The second cist grave has an east wall built from the largely preserved tombstone of Gaius Alpinius Secundus, a native of Colonia Agrippina (modern-day Cologne, Germany). Another slab includes part of an epitaph of a veteran who served 25 years and died at 60, Marinov said.
Three of the tombstones are decorated with wreaths, ivy leaves and branches. The monument dedicated to Patroclus also depicts signa, a type of military insignia, Marinov said. All five graves appear to have been robbed in antiquity or in modern times; the few finds include a bone needle, a spindle fragment and two bronze fibulae.
The skeletal remains were found disturbed and will be examined by anthropologist Nadezhda Atanasova. Senior Assistant Professor Nikolay Sharankov of Sofia University is working on the Latin texts and will provide a full analysis, Marinov said. Archaeologists in Svishtov Discover Five Burial Structures, Fragment of Centurion’s Tombstone 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-24 17:58:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law