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PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN RESEARCH CENTER IN SOFIA
Volume 3

SANDANSKI AND ITS TERRITORY

DURING PREHISTORY, ANTIQUITY
AND MIDDLE AGES
CURRENT TRENDS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Proceedings of an International Conference at Sandanski
September 1720, 2015

Edited by
Emil Nankov

Veliko Tarnovo
2017
 The authors, 2017
Emil Nankov editor, 2017
The American Research Center in Sofia, 2017
Faber Publishers, 2017

ISSN 2367-5640

This volume was published

with the financial support of the
American Research Center in Sofia

All rights reserved

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced

in any form without permission from the publisher.
Exceptions are made for brief excerpts used
in published reviews. For information, contact
the American Research Center in Sofia

Editors note: The views and ideas expressed in this

volume are exclusively those of the authors.

American Research Center in Sofia

75 Vasil Petleshkov St.
1510 Sofia, Bulgaria
www.arcsofia.org

On the cover: Floor mosaic from Basilica No. 2 at Parthicopolis, 5th c. AD.
Photo: Archaeological Museum-Sandanski
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction................................................................................................................................................7

Maps...........................................................................................................................................................11

PREHISTORY

Magorzata Grbska-Kulow, Ilia Kulov, John Gorczyck

Cultural Traditions from the Prehistoric Settlement at Damianitsa,
Osmanitsa, Municipality of Sandanski.........................................................................................17
Appendix 1
John Gorczyk
A Faunal Analysis of the Osteological Data from
Damianitsa-Osmanica, Municipality of Sandanski.............................................................32

Ilia Kulov
Bronze and Early Iron Age Settlements from
the Sandanski Municipality, Southwest Bulgaria.......................................................................40

Stefan Alexandrov
The Bishops Basilica Before the Basilica......................................................................................66

Stoiko Shatov, Velichka Kostova

Preliminary Analysis of the Pottery from the Rescue Excavations
in the Atrium of the Episcopal Basilica at Sandanski...............................................................75

ROMAN PARTHICOPOLIS AND ITS TERRITORY

Angelos Zannis
Society, Religion and Culture in the Middle Strymon Valley..................................................87

Georgi Mitrev
The Data for Paroecopolis/Parthicopolis and the Problem on the Name
of the Ancient Town at Sandanski...............................................................................................106

Hristina Tsoneva, Vladimir Petkov

The Emergence and Development of the Antique City
at Present-Day Sandanski (1st3rd c. AD).................................................................................113

Dan Dana
Inscriptions de la valle Du Moyen
Strymon rcemment publies: quelques corrections..............................................................120
 Ilian Boyanov
Veterans and Society in the Middle Strymon Valley...............................................................135

Philip Kolev
The Road Communications in the Middle Strymon Valley
During the Roman and Late Antique Periods.........................................................................144

Svetla Petrova
Quarries and Workshops in the Territory of Parthicopolis (1st6th c. AD).......................152

Emil Nankov
Sekoma: A Volume Standard for Liquids from Parthicopolis...............................................170

Marina Koleva, Vladimir Petkov

Towards the Roman Provincial Art: A Female Statue from Sandanski..............................185

Rumjana Milcheva
Representations of Roman Soldiers on Funerary Stelae
from the Middle Strymon Valley.................................................................................................191

EARLY CHRISTIAN PARTHICOPOLIS

AND MEDIEVAL SVETI VRACH

Vladimir Petkov
History of the Archaeological Research
at the Episcopal Basilica in Sandanski (19892015)...............................................................219

Andreas Plz
Some Considerations on the Relief Panels from the Bishops Basilica
(Basilica Nr. 4) in Sandanski, Bulgaria.......................................................................................231

Zdravko Dimitrov, Vladimir Petkov

Analysis of the Architectural Details and Decoration
in the Peristyle Courtyard Complex Near the Bishops Basilica
in the Town of Sandanski..............................................................................................................242

Ivo Topalilov, Vladimir Petkov

New Data on the Bishops Complex at Parthicopolis..............................................................255

Vania Popova
Late Antique Glass Workshop in Parthicopolis .......................................................................267

Alexander Sultanov, Kitan Kitanov

Petrographic and Mineralogical Analyses of the Frescoes
of an Early Christian Tomb in Sandanski..................................................................................285

4
 Metodi Zlatkov
The Town of Sandanski During the Middle Ages According to
Written and Archaeological Data................................................................................................301

Tsvetana Komitova
A Marble Relief of a Saint from the Archaeological Museum in Sandanski......................330

COINS AND COIN CIRCULATION

IN PARTHICOPOLIS AND ITS TERRITORY

Nina Hadzhieva, Marina Doychinova

Silver Coins from Sandanski Region and Its Territory (6th4th c. BC)................................337

Vladimir Petkov, Sotir Ivanov, Ilya Prokopov

Numismatic Collection of the Archaeological Museum Sandanski.
Bronze Greek, Macedonian, Roman Republican, Imperial and
Provincial Coins of the 4th c. BC until the Middle of the 1st c. AD......................................344

Svetoslava Filipova, Vladimir Petkov

Coin Circulation in Sandanski in the Period 2nd5th c. AD..................................................356

Margarita Andonova
Early Byzantine Collective Coin Find from
the Village of Velyushets, Strumyani Municipality.................................................................375

PARTHICOPOLIS AND ITS NEIGHBORS

Dragomir Garbov
Territorium Parthicopolitanum et Tristolense:
Reconstructing the Administrative Landscape of Northern Sintica...................................389

Emil Nankov, Alexandrina Tsoneva

Some Observations on the Pergamene Appliqu Ware from Heraclea Sintica.................411

Emil Nankov, Alexandrina Tsoneva

Addenda and Corrigenda to the Black-Slipped Pottery from Heraclea Sintica............419

Vane P. Sekulov
Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in
the Middle Strymon Valley in the Roman and Early Byzantine Periods............................435

LIST OF AUTHORS............................................................................................................................461

5
 INTRODUCTION

I t is a great privilege to present the third volume of the Papers of the American Research
Center in Sofia which was inaugurated in 2014. The PARCS has already established itself
as an essential venue for the publication of current research on the archaeology and history of the
Balkans and Bulgaria, in particular.
The vast majority of papers (26) in the current volume stem from the international confer-
ence Sandanski and Its Territory during Prehistory, Antiquity and Middle Ages: Current Trends in
Archaeological Research, organized by the American Research Center in Sofia, in collaboration
with the Archaeological Museum in Sandanski, and held on September 1720, 2015 in the town
of Sandanski. Financial support was provided by the Municipality of Sandanski, the Archaeo-
logical Museum in Sandanski and the American Research Center in Sofia.
The conference provided a forum for 30 scholars from Bulgaria, Republic of Macedonia,
Greece, Austria and USA to discuss their latest research on the archaeology and history of the
Sandanski region. It was a great honor to the forum, as well as an official recognition of our schol-
arly endeavor to have received a congratulatory address from the Deputy Minister of Culture
Assoc. Prof. Boni Petrunova (see next page). This is a clear sign that international collaboration
in the field of Bulgarian archaeology continues to be held in high esteem.
The main theme uniting most papers presented during the conference had to do with the
attempt to synthesize the available sources for the study of the Roman predecessor of present-
day Sandanski Ulpia Parthicopolis. Using this relatively little known Roman town, nestled in
the corner of Southwest Bulgaria, as a case study, the aim was also to provide a holistic view
of the complex history of the Sandanski region, from prehistory until the middle ages. In that
the current volume builds on, and diverges from, the previously held symposia in Blagoevgrad
(September 2024, 1977) and Sandanski (October 14, 2002), which were defined by overarch-
ing themes while celebrating particular anniversaries; 2050 and 2075 years since the Slave Re-
volt led by Spartacus and 2000 years since the establishment of Christianity. Released from the
ideological charge of the 20th century scholarship, the current volume faces the daunting task
to weave organically the often disparate papers informed by theoretical paradigms of different
scholarly traditions.
The volume is divided into five sections to provide more visibility of particular topics, but
also to articulate better the research results of a wide range of specialists archaeologists, histori-
ans, epigraphers, art historians, numismatists and conservators. Four additional papers (D. Dana
[in French], I. Boyanov, D. Garbov, E. Nankov & A. Tsoneva) were solicited after the conference
in order to attain a better cohesion of the volumes structure.
Since navigating through the sometimes inconsistent designations of excavated plots with-
in the present-day Sandanski can be a challenge, the volume includes two maps showing the
locations of major sites discussed in some of the papers. The reader is invited to refer to them
whenever they are in need of topographic information regarding a particular site. I am indebted
to Metodi Zlatkov (National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, BAS) for his openness to
collaboration and for adapting the maps to the needs of the current volume. The quality of the
volumes illustrations and graphic drawings were substantially improved by Alexandrina Tso-
neva (Shumen University Episkop Konstantin Preslavski) to whom I am grateful.

7
 Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest gratitude to the warm
hospitality of our hosts at Sandanski, and particularly to the Director of the Archaeological Mu-
seum, Vladimir Petkov, the Staff, as well as to all colleagues for the willingness to share their
ground-breaking and, in some cases, lifelong research on the archaeology of Parthicopolis and
the Sandanski region.

Emil Nankov
Sofia, December 29, 2016

8
9
10

Conference participants and guests: (top row, from left to right) Marina Doychinova, Sotir Ivanov, Ilia Kulov, Vasilka Valerieva; (middle row, from left
to right) Angelos Zannis, Marina Koleva, Christopher Mielke and Zlatina Boganova (ARCS Fellows), Andreas Plz, Georgi Mitrev, Vladimir Petkov,
Tsvetana Komitova, Antonia Kocheva, Velichka Kostova; (first row, from left to right) Margarita Andonova, Svetoslava Filipova, Nikolay Sharankov,
Jasmina Filyanova, Vane P. Sekulov, Philip Kolev, Metodi Zlatkov, Alexandrina Tsoneva, Malgorzata Grebska-Kulova, Emil Nankov, Nina Hadzhieva;
Sandanski, September 19, 2015 (photo: Roska Notskova).
MAPS

11
12
 Map 1. Location of archaeological sites registered on the territory of Sandanski
on a topographic map; scale 1:5000 (author: M. Zlatkov)
1. The Early Christian Complex, Basilica No 1 14. Starata Militsia
2. Johns Basilica, Basilica No 2 15. GUM
3. Partizanska street, Basilica 3, Basilica No 3 16. The sanctuary of Theos Salenos
4. The Episcopal Basilica, Basilica No 4 17. Hunting lodge, Late Antique necropolis
5. The Steps 18. St. Kliment Ohridski School, Late Antique for-
6. Gotse Delchev 37, Basilica No 8 tification wall
7. DZI 19. 119 Pirin Street, Late Antique mausoleum
8. DSK I, Late Antique Baths 20. House of Culture, Late Antique necropolis
9. DSK II, Late Antique Baths 21. Yane Sandanski High School, Late Antique
10. DSK III tombs
11. Partizanska 1988, Glass workshop 22. 9 Gorno Brodi Street, Late Antique tombs
12. Partizanska 1986, Pottery workshop 23. Ushite, Roman and Late Antique necropoleis
13. Macedonia 3941, Roman theater 24.Turlin bair, Roman necropolis

13
 Map 2. Location of
archaeological sites
excavated in the central
part of Sandanski on
the cadastral map of the
town, 1985 (author: M.
Zlatkov)

1. The Early Christian

Complex, Basilica
No 1
2. Johns Basilica,
Basilica No2
3. Partizanska street,
Basilica 3, Basilica
No 3
4. The Episcopal
Basilica, Basilica No 4
5. The Steps
6. Gotse Delchev 37,
Basilica No 8
7. DZI
8. DSK I, Late Antique
Baths
9. DSK II, Late Antique
Baths
10. DSK III
11. Partizanska 1988,
Glass workshop
12. Partizanska 1986,
Pottery workshop
13. Macedonia 3941,
Roman theater
14. Starata Militsia
15. GUM

14
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CRVENO POLE AND ITS RELATIONS WITH CITIES

IN THE MIDDLE STRYMON VALLEY IN THE ROMAN AND
EARLY BYZANTINE PERIODS
Vane P. Sekulov

A rchaeological site Crveno Pole is located on Ograzden Mountain, in the utmost south-
east corner of the Republic of Macedonia near the Macedonian-Bulgarian border, ca.
5 km to the east (Fig. 1). In modern geographical terms it lies 23 km north-east of the regional
center Strumica and 10 km to the north from the municipal center Novo Selo and 4 km to the
north from the village Barbarevo, to whose municipality it belongs.
Crveno Pole is microregion, a small plateau, situated on the south slopes of Ograzden
Mountain at 11491285 masl, covering 27ha, gently descending from north to south and south-
east (Fig. 2). Besides several springs and water fountains, the plateau is supplied with water by
two rivers: Belogazica which flows centrally, from north to south and then to east and northeast,
and river Rzdava which flows in northwest southeast direction, then sharply turning and con-
tinuing to southwest. These two rivers give life to the plateau, but are also crucial for the develop-
ment of the archaeological site. The closest area of Crveno Pole is densely overgrown by beech
and pine forests, with big clear spaces between them meadows and agricultural fields.
The establishment of a settlement was encouraged by all these natural resources and the
site existed peacefully for almost five centuries: from the end of the 1st c. to the middle of the
6th c. AD.
Residents of Crveno Pole built their settlement in the southeast end of the plateau on both
banks of Belogazica River. They erected beautiful big houses with average size of ca. 150m2,
adapting them to the natural conditions maximally, situated on a natural slope which falls down
to the south, well-sheltered from the northern winds and completely exposed to the sunlight.
Architectonically they are different, all of them being of different plan (Fig. 3), and with five
rooms each (Fig. 4). They were built in Bondruck technique lower parts were made of roughly
cut stone blocks, neatly founded onto the bedrock and carefully arranged in horizontal lines with
their smooth sides to the faces of the walls bound with mud.
The lower parts were built on foundations on stone and clay in opus incertum (Fig. 5). Walls
were founded upon the rock following its inclination to the south, hollowed into it, with a sub-
structure as deep as 0.50m. The maximum preserved superstructure of the buildings is 1.15m.
Thickness of walls is from 0.60 to 0.70m. For construction of the walls were used broken and
half-chiselled stones, river stones, stones split from rock and a small amount of quartz. Walls are
composed of middle-sized stones from the outer side, while filled with small stones on the inside.
Upper parts of the walls have wooden construction filled with plaster, which was also used
for inner sides of the rooms (Fig. 6). Some parts of the objects, probably those around doors and
windows, were built with adobe bricks (Fig. 7). The bricks are with dimensions of 0.22x0.14m
and thickness varying from 0.05m to 0.08m. On their wider surfaces all bricks have rectangular
sockets to get a better grip onto the adhesive layer. They were made of red clay mixed with chip-
pings of broken rock.

435
436 Vane P. Sekulov

All of the premises have a floor of hard-packed earth with width of ca. 5cm, except for the
premise designated as porch, where remains of a floor paved with stone tiles have been found.
Most probably, the roof was gable, covered with tegulae and imbrices of different size. Tegu-
lae are curved, most often with length ranging from 0.83m to 0.84m and width from 0.45m to
0.47m, with a standard thickness of 0.025m. Imbrices are most often with two dimensions: their
length ranges from 0.52m to 0.74m, and their width is from 0.20m to 0.21m, with thickness
equal to that of the tegulae. Each house, at least in the central room, had a tegula with a hole in-
side serving as a chimney, i.e. komina (Fig. 8).
Beside the central room, which no doubt was used as a living room, and bedrooms, each
house had at least two other rooms utilized as warehouses and workshops.
The residents of Crveno Pole were farmers, although the choice of agricultural products
was determined by the high altitude and climate conditions, growing cereals for food. Wheat
they could not, but the conditions were almost perfect for producing rye, which was stored in
big pottery vessels and pithoi, which preserved them in carbonized condition until nowadays.
If not for agriculture, the environment was very favorable for animal husbandry. According to
the big number of preserved bells and especially because of their dimensions, sheep husbandry
was dominant. They served milk in spouted bowls, cheese in bigger, also ceramic vessels. In each
house most frequently in one room, there was a big number of stone loom weights, even 70 to-
gether, which means that they produced wool products not only for their needs, but probably for
export, too. They were real householders and each one of them was master of his own, because
they had their own tools, mostly for woodcarving, e.g. adzes, augers, iron blades.
Almost all artifacts were found in the stratum of cinder and ashes, i.e. between the floor
and the layer of the collapsed roof. The strong fire and the collapse of the roof caused much
damage on the objects: metal items were badly burnt, while ceramic ones were squashed due to
the pressure caused by the collapsed roof. In any case, this was a good way to protect the entire
inventory since everything remained in situ for centuries. At the same time, according to the
material found in the premises, which is quite abundant in some of them, we can determine the
use of a given premise with great certainty.
As usual, pottery is the most numerous material. Ceramic objects are found in almost all
premises, although varying in concentration and shapes. The greatest concentration of pottery is
normally to be found near the wall or next to it, probably because there were wooden shelves on
the wall where the vessels stood. The shelves were burnt by the fire and the vessels fell next to the
wall. Then the roof collapsed upon them, inflicting substantial damage. Although fragmented,
the vessels have been preserved in their original shapes.
They are most often made on a pottery wheel (Fig. 9), but there are also some handmade
specimens. Most of the vessels are pots, various in form, color and quality of production. Among
pots, the most numerous are those with one vertical handle, a round or spherical body and a
wide rim most often projecting outwards. The color palette ranges from light brown to brown-
red, with visible patches of burning. The decoration is simple, with shallow engraving, usually
placed beneath the rim or across the body.
Second in number are the jugs. Their bodies are spherical or slightly elongated, while their
bases are flat or concave. They all have one handle and a wide, but short neck which sometimes
has a rim slightly projecting outwards. The decoration is very simple, with a ring-like thickening
beneath the rim and with incised parallel lines across the neck and the body.
Handmade pottery (Fig. 10) is found intact or in fragments across the nine completely
excavated buildings. Although made by hand, the vessels are nicely shaped made from medium-
purified clay, usually dark or sometimes black in color. They are of two types: jugs and pots.
 Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 437
Jugs have elongated, undecorated bodies, flat bases and short conical necks that end in tre-
foil expanded rims. They have one vertical handle which starts from the widest part of the body
and ends in the rim.
Pots have bodies that can be spherical, elongated spherical or even biconical. Their bases
are either flat or concave. The examples without necks have wide rims that are either flat or
slightly indented inwards. The specimens with elongated spherical bodies have conical necks
with a slightly projected ring-like rim. All types of pots have horizontal handles, slanted up-
wards. Most often they have no decoration.
Several types of lids have been found, differing one from another in terms of body shape.
Yet predominant are the lids with spherical, calotte or conical shape. Their rims are simple and
usually not projected. Lids have emphasized ring-like grips.
Large vessels are pithoi with smaller dimensions with a height up to 0.70m. One of the
pithoi was completely dug in the bedrock, while another was only partially dug in (Fig. 11).
The former had been covered by a massive circular stone plate. Pithoi have round or spherical
bodies with small, but massive toes at their bases additionally dug in the ground to function as
stabilizers.
Metal objects are the most numerous in artefact assemblage (Fig. 12). Certain premises are
characterized by several types of tools and utilitarian objects.
Farming tools are represented by a sickle and a mattock. The sickle is made of iron and has
a typical form that has not been changed over time. It has a crescent-like leaf narrowing toward
both ends. At one of the ends there is a long prick where the wooden handle was inserted. The
mattock is also iron and massive, trapezoidal in shape; it is 0.27m wide and has a long handle
with a rectangular cross section. Large massive shears are presented with several specimens.
Besides farming tools, other tools of different use have been discovered. First, there are
the small, but well-made iron pickaxes with trapezoidal cross section. Their length ranges from
0.17 to 0.29m. They are characterized by the fact that they do not possess an opening to insert a
wooden handle. Together with them, in the same premise there were several examples of chisels
and cutters.
Sheep bells were made of iron with length ranging from 0.08 to 0.13m and width of 0.08m.
All share the same form: slightly pressed trapezoidal cylinder.
Several sets of door locks have been preserved, made of iron, consisting of two parts, square
and rectangular in shape. They were put together by iron studs. They have key holes.
A considerable number of large iron nails, with length up to 0.16m, have been found in the
proximity of all entrances. They usually have round or calotte heads, often bent at a straight an-
gle, just like their ends. Some specimens have two-pronged ends. It is certain that they belonged
to the wooden doors construction, but a great number of them found all over the building
were used to keep together the roof construction, which is most certainly evident from their
dimensions.
There is also an abundance of stone objects (Fig. 12), including several hand grinders made
of stone. They were made of freestone rock, round in shape, with a conic diameter. In their upper
part there are two perforations: a central one, placed in the handle along its whole height, which
served as a link to the lower part and a smaller perforation which is usually placed at the side and
does not pierce the whole body. The latter was used to hold a wooden handle whose purpose was
to move the upper half of the grinder during the process of grinding the grains.
Loomweights are, without exception, made of stone with different forms, dimensions and
weight. They are of different size, form and weight. They weigh between 175 and 1500 g. Their
shapes are most varied: very rarely they have pyramid or conic shape and very often they are
elongated and elliptical with well smoothed sides. Some weights have anthropomorphic forms,
438 Vane P. Sekulov

which makes us think that they were not simply utilitarian objects, but had deeper and more
sophisticated dimensions. Some of the specimens have graffiti on them. In the later period resi-
dents of Crveno Pole have scratched all the loomweights with crosses and initials of Jesus Christ.
And yet, agriculture, animal husbandry, production of milk and wool could not sustain the
lifestyle the residents of Crveno Pole obviously had. They had to busy themselves with something
which brings more income, making them buy all those products which were found in the houses
and especially left as gifts in their graves.
Their basic avocation was, of course, mining, adaptation of ore and metallurgy. Almost in
every excavated house, in the rooms which served as warehouses or workshops, bigger quantity
of ore and slags were found. I attach the set of tools which are used in metallurgy as proof for this
theory (Fig. 14).
Excavations of the settlement itself have so far produced no stove for ore. They were prob-
ably placed out of the houses, but not so far from the settlement, by the bank of Belogazica River,
where remains of objects with a lot of cinder and ashes and bigger amounts of ore on several
positions were found. I hope that excavations of these areas in the future will confirm my hy-
pothesis about mining and metallurgy.
Residents of Crveno Pole were Christians from the middle of the 4th c. AD and therefore
they wanted to be blessed by Gods light and mercy, so they were using oil lamps with motives of
crosses (Fig. 15). In the North African type of lucernae, with elliptical body that continues into
an elongated massive nozzle, the shoulder is flat, decorated with a palm wreath framed in a plas-
tically profiled rim. The disk is elliptical and depressed, with a plastic representation of a cross
on it. The cross is decorated with circles which imitate the precious stones. There are two circular
openings in the disk. One is in the center, while the other is beside the cross representation, next
to the nozzle where a large egg-like opening is found. The lamp has a slightly pointed, ring-like
leg. It is 10.6cm long, 6,3cm wide and 3cm high.
But, they also wanted to drink like real hedonists from beautiful glass cups. They enjoyed
past time activities and most probably their favorite game was the so-called dama. On a table
used for that game scratched on the fragment of a tegula they have left a few words. Unfortunate-
ly, we still cannot understand what was written there. According to the experts, the only secure
fact is that forms of some letters indicate a date in the 6th c. AD.
Around the beginning of the second half of the 6th century a big disaster befell the settle-
ment. All nine houses excavated until now were burnt by fire, i.e. the settlement was devastated.
Inside all buildings there is a stratum of cinder and ashes even more than 0.50m thick. Moreover,
the vertical stratification is exactly of the kind that could be created only in a building wrecked
as a result of a strong fire. The layers are easy to recognize. Going from the top down, the first
layer up to 0.70m thick is composed of stones dislodged from the walls. Beneath the stones
there is another layer composed mainly of roof ceramics and larger chunks of burnt beams, while
further beneath, on the floor, there is the last, third layer composed of cinder. The roof ceramics
is most often concentrated beside the south parts of the north walls. When the roof caught fire,
the south part gave way first, while the beams of the north part stood for a bit longer. Under the
weight of the tiles the entire roof was destroyed, but first its south part was wrecked, following
the inclination of the land, which is proved by the fact that tegulae and imbrices are placed diago-
nally one over the other.
The inhabitants were properly informed about coming of the violators and they had enough
time to leave taking only the basic house supplies with them. It is interesting that in spite of nu-
merous ceramic vessels which were found in the houses, none of them had a single fragment of
tableware pottery no cup, no plate, no jug. Apparently, they left what they could not take with
them, taking only the necessary and never came back.
 Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 439
The residents of Crveno Pole buried the deceased in two necropoleis, situated immediately
to the east of the settlement. They have chosen eminent positions for eternal houses, the tops of
two hills, dominant and easily visible from all sides, perched above the south bank of Belogazica
River with a beautiful view to its valley.
The first burials in the necropolis at Gushterova Chukarka date from the end of the 1st c.
AD, as attested by a coin of Domitian. The necropolis comprises an area of ca. 5000m, of which
ca. 750m have been studies so far in the course of two excavation campaigns (Fig. 16). 186
graves have been excavated, of which there are 150 cremations and 36 inhumations.
Cremation pits are dug in the humus and most often in the bedrock which is the basic
feature of the entire hill. They are rectangular or elliptical in form with dimensions depending
on the age of the deceased: from 0.70 to 2.45m in length and 0.65 to 1.10m in width. Pits are
relatively shallow, with depth ranging between 0.15 and 0.42m. Although the pits vary in their
orientation, it is evident that there was a tendency to place the deceased on the pyre, in order to
overlook the sunrise or the solar eclipse.
The graves are of the bustum type, i.e. the funeral pyres were placed in the same pits where
the deceased were buried.
The closest family members left to the deceased objects that reflected their economical, so-
cial or even hierarchical status of during life on earth. They believed that the soul of the deceased
lived at the place where the grave was, that is why they left not only jewelry and weapons, but also
all life necessities, such as money, food and drink.
The most numerous are the ceramic vessels (Fig. 17). They can be found in all graves that
contain grave goods. They were probably placed as gifts which served to hold food and drink
intended for the deceased. They were descended into the grave after the rite of cremation was
over and the pyre cooled down. They are various in shape and type. Some of them were made
on a potters wheel, but there are also some hand-made specimens. There are small chalices and
glasses with one or two handles, plates of various depth and some larger pots. These small chal-
ices with two vertical handles are the most frequent grave offering, which makes us think that
during the burial ceremony people drank wine and then left the chalices into the graves after they
had filled them with the same drink again.
There is a considerable number of fragmented pottery found everywhere in the grave
from the top to the bottom which may imply that certain type of pottery did not serve as grave
offerings, but was used during the rite of cremation. The fact that the fragments are a bit burnt
by the fire confirms that the vessels were being broken during the cremation rite, i.e. they were
probably thrown directly onto the pyre while the deceased was being cremated (Brusi 1985,
143). In almost all cases this is hand-made pottery of rough facture. The breaking of vessels as
part of the burial rite is not an unknown phenomenon in the area around Crveno Pole in almost
all periods of history. Evidence for the oldest rite of breaking vessels in Macedonia was found
at the necropolis of Klucka Hipodrom near Skopje; namely, a great number of fragmented
pottery was discovered dating from the transition period between the Bronze and the Iron Age
( 1997, 34). This rite continued in the following period. Although with a somewhat
changed burial tradition the deceased were inhumed the rite of breaking the vessels contin-
ued in the Iron Age at the tumular necropolises near the village of Karaorman, the Stip region
( 1961, 55). Broken ceramic fragments were also found at the tumili in Dabici Sopot
near Veles ( 1997, 94), located in various places on the tumuli or grouped among
the graves and stones. We do not think it would be difficult to interpret the symbolic meaning of
this rite. The breaking symbolized the release of the soul from the body ensuring easier or faster
departure to eternal life.
440 Vane P. Sekulov

Very often there are vessels which were positioned with their bottoms up. These are usually
chalices with two vertical handles made on a potters wheel, but there are also plates, hand-made
glasses with or without handles, and hand-made pots. Regardless of how many of them were
placed in the grave, only one specimen is positioned with its bottom up.
Weapons were also placed as grave offerings very often (Fig. 18). Most numerous among
them are knives and spears. Spears go in a pair almost always, except in one case and always with
another type of weapon. They are always accompanied by battle knives and by axes and in one
case only by a sword. According to its position, it is very likely that the weapon was placed in the
grave after the cremation, although the physical condition of the specimens discovered in graves
No20 and No59 may lead us to think that the weapon was on the pyre together with the deceased
or was placed in the grave while the pyre was still hot. All the graves with weapons also contain
bronze rings which served to fasten the weapon, plus there are other parts of the waist set, most
often represented by buckles and saltaleones. The other sword of the Ringknaufschwert type was
found in grave No72 together with two ceramic loom weighs.
Weapons are characterized by the fact that they had been incapacitated before being placed
in the graves. This is especially the case with spears, battle knives and one of the swords. The
weapon was either bent or, when this action was impossible, its top part was simply cut off. The
message is obvious: those who had chosen Gushterova Chukarka for their eternal home believed
that they had departed to a better world. They believed in a peaceful life after death where weap-
ons would not be used.
Jewelry is very rare, most probably because it was worn by the deceased during the crema-
tion and did not survive the fire. The presence of melted pearls made of glass paste, which were
found in some of the graves, encourages this hypothesis. In some of the graves which belonged
to women we found knives as grave offerings. These are usually small arched knives, different
from the battle ones as they were neither bent nor had their tops cut off. The keys, which speak
of the right to the new home or protection in case of danger (Demo 1985, 123), although in small
number, were found in womens graves only. Fibulae, which are also very rare, but which were by
all means on the pyre, can be seen both in male and female graves.
Coins were found in most graves; their overall number is 21. Leaving coins as Harons
fee has already been treated and explained as a common practice in necropolises. The coins
are bronze and silver (Fig. 19). They were burnt together with the deceased, but also placed in
the grave after the cremation was finished, as part of the burial rite. The oldest coins date back
from the second half of the 1st c. AD they are silver denarii from the reign of Domitian; coins
from the reign of Hadrian, Antonius Pius, Julia Maisa, Julia Mamaia, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius
Severus, Probus and Aurelian are the evidence that this necropolis was also used during the 2nd
and 3rd c. AD.
At this stage of research, when scarcely 25% of the overall necropolis has been excavated,
it is difficult to speak about the social organization or the concentration of the graves. Neverthe-
less, just one look at the plan of the necropolis suggests that it did have its own rules upon which
it was organized. It is beyond doubt that the most appreciated burial spot was at the very peak
of the hill, particularly the space around grave No27, which is also the largest of all excavated
graves. There are densely arranged grave constructions with stone circles one next to another put
all around it. This is the place where the richest graves have been discovered, with abundance
of weapons. It is upon us to find out with our further investigations whether the members of
the military aristocracy were buried here. However, even now we can be certain that the several
graves whose circles are arranged in a row were the burial place of one and the same family, or at
least of very close relatives. There are few more similar situations, which is clear evidence about
the family principle (beside the hierarchical one) upon which this necropolis was organized.
 Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 441
The residents of Crveno Pole were very conservative concerning their sepulchral tradi-
tions. They continued to cremate the deceased well into the 4th c. AD. In grave No174 besides the
usual grave offerings, there were 75 silver coins of Constantine I dated around AD 330. But they
also were very tolerant for those who have accepted the new system of values. Several times we
found two graves, one with cremation and the other with inhumation, only 15cm distant from
one another. They have the same form in the same direction westeast and with the same grave
content. Graves still have stone circles. This time they are not round, but they follow the form of
the grave pit. The location of grave offerings was changed instead of the center of the grave the
gifts were put in the southeast corner of the pit. These graves also do not contain coins, which
makes the dating more difficult, but in two of them there are bulbar fibulae, which, according to
E. Keller (Keller 1971, 14), belong to the type 2 and 3 and are dated within AD 340380. But what
they did not abandon as tradition are hand-made vessels found in all graves until the end of the
4th c. AD, regardless of whether the deceased were inhumed or cremated. All these vessels have
the same form the difference is in their dimensions (Fig. 20). This type of hand-made vessel
was never found in the settlement but it was used only for burials.
Due to space shortage on the south slope and out of respect to the integrity of the older
burials, the necropolis continued to spread on a small, but dominant plateau on the north end of
the hill. Inhumation was practiced exclusively there. Grave architecture remained the same: rec-
tangular or ellipsoidal stone circles on the surface, big fine pits cut in a rock with smooth sides.
A new element is that they were furnished with carved chambers on their sides, which were used
as a place for wooden planks or beams for covering the pit (Fig. 21). There is a change regarding
the grave offerings only one ceramic vessel was regularly put in a shallow place at the eastern
end of the pit. Since this type of graves contained no coins, we use pottery for dating purposes,
according to which they should be dated in the 5th c. AD.
This marks the end of the burials at the necropolis of Gushterova Chukarka and a new
location for burials was chosen to be the neighboring hill, which lies immediately to the west
and closer to the settlement. Nine graves are excavated on the necropolis of Spasov Rid repre-
senting the last phase of the chronological and typological development of the grave types at
Crveno Pole.
All of them are oriented west east with very small deviations to north or south. The
graves are with grave markers with rectangular wreath in form of rough cist with two frontal
plaques at the ground. The length goes up to 2.30m with width to 0.85m. The pits are cut into
the rock with nicely cut sides and with slots along the northern and southern sides on the height
of about half a meter over the bottom of the grave pit and instead of wooden planks as in the last
type of graves on the necropolis of Gushterova Chukarka, here they are covered with nicely cut
stone slabs (Fig. 22). This type of graves is devoid of offerings. This lack is not a result of reduced
economic power on the part of the inhabitants. Having accepted the Christianity and following
its principles, they chose to meet God only with the fortune of their souls.
Ca. 3km north-northwest at 1510 masl positioned closely to each other there is a necropo-
lis with inhumations and thee tumuli. Since there is no settlement around the necropolis and
the tumuli, the closest one is that at Crveno Pole. The grave at Lakite has extraordinary dimen-
sions: 2.70m in length, 0.80m in width and 1.30m in depth with nicely cut pit in the rock (Fig.
23). Only the cranium and part of the right upper arm are preserved and according to the first,
unofficial anthropological analysis, the individual was rough, robust and very tall Mediterranean
man, at the age between 45 and 50 years. Unfortunately, the grave had no grave offerings, so I
am still uncertain whether he was in any relation to the settlement at Crveno Pole. There are
three tumuli at the Karovi site; two of which were robbed in antiquity and the third and the big-
gest one in 2013, just a few months before the start of our excavations. Tumuli are of relatively
442 Vane P. Sekulov

small dimensions: the basis is up to 26m in width and they are 2 and 4m high (Fig. 24). Only
one of them has a stone circle: in width it has one and in height it has three lines of stones with a
tendency for careful and precise alignment of stone blocks. Most probably, because of the lack of
any traces of cremation in situ, the deceaseds remains were collected in urns.
Having presented the most important specifics of the site Crveno Pole, I will elaborate on
its the relations with the neighboring city centers from the Roman imperial and early Byzantine
periods situated in the Middle Strymon Valley.
Again, if we look at the geographical location of Crveno Pole, we will see that it is situated
in a triangle formed by three big cities, being almost equidistant from all of them: 23km south-
west from modern Strumica, (anc. Doberos), 29km to southeast is Heraclea Sintica and 33km to
east is Parthicopolis (Fig. 25). It is situated as close as it is distant, on account of its mountainous
location deeply in Ograzden Mountain.
From which city center did traveling merchants come or where did the residents of Crveno
Pole go to sell their products and shop? To attempt an answer to these questions, we will use the
data from the settlement and the graves of Crveno Pole. While in the graves from the 1st until the
3rd c. AD there are ceramic shapes that are universal and can be found in a wider territory of Cr-
veno Pole, emphasizing the direction west of it, than for certain ceramic shapes from the 4ththe
6th c. AD there are no parallels from the available data of the Strumica region and beyond. This
concerns mainly bowls and pots with stamped ornaments and relief applications.
If they could not be found in the west, then, logically they could have come from east and
probably exactly from some of the centers along the Middle Strymon Valley.
Although these forms are rare, probably more as a result of insufficient studies, they can
be recognized in some examples from the Roman villa at Kralev Dol near Pernik (
1985, 63, fig. 28) and another bowl from Plana Mountain which is located to the north-east from
Middle Strymon Valley (- 2006, 186, . I/).
The spouted bowls have parallels more to the north, but they probably arrived along the
Middle Strymon Valley as well. The only known decorative patterns from the same period and
with identical shape known to the author to date are those of Castra Martis (present-day Kula),
situated in northwestern Bulgaria ( . 2005, 141142, . 139144).
We will return to the two small rivers: the first one, Belogazica, flows centrally and there
is settlement on its two banks and the second one, Rzdava, marking the west and the south
borders of the site. These two rivers were not only used as water source, but they served as main
communications through which the residents of Crveno Pole connected with the rest of the
world.
Nevertheless of its distant location, the settlement at Crveno Pole probably had the best
communication with Parthicopolis. Namely, Belogazica, leaving the settlement and wider region
of Crveno Pole continues to flow to the northeast, where in about 3 km it joins with a smaller
river thereby forming Lebnica River, which continues to flow to the east and debouches into
Strymon exactly near Sandanski (anc. Parthicopolis) (Fig. 26). Along the banks of this river was
the road that connected these destinations. I am almost certain that on the banks of Belogazica,
at the point of juncture with Lebnica River, there can be seen remains of this road. It is well
visible in several places, even though the area is heavily wooded and cut by the river. There are
several parts, nicely aligned up to 3 m wide. There are no contemporary settlements, neither is
there any reason for building new roads. Future excavations will confirm this theory, especially if
a complete research in the valley of this river communication is undertaken, up to the confluence
with Strymon River.
The second communication ran along Rzdava River, which after leaving the plateau in the
south part continued to flow to the southwest and at the bottom of the Strumica basin it emptied
 Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 443
into Strumeshnica River. By following this road and reaching Strumeshnica it was easier to com-
municate with Doberos on the west and with Heraclea Sintica on the east (Fig. 27). Regarding
the control of the road, a small fortress was built above the bank of the river lying at the entrance
in the tiny canyon which leads to the settlement at Crveno Pole.
Based on available data all changes and new features that form the identity of Crveno Pole
derive from the above mentioned communications which connected it with three big economic
and trade centers in its closest geo-political environment from the end of the 1st c. AD and es-
pecially within the 4th6th c. AD, when the settlement is best known. And, of course, these were
the most important communications which lead to Crveno Pole.

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Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 445

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Fig. 2.
446 Vane P. Sekulov

Fig. 3.
 Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 447

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 6.

Fig. 7.
448 Vane P. Sekulov

Fig. 8.

Fig. 9.
 Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 449

Fig. 10.

Fig. 11.
450 Vane P. Sekulov

Fig. 12.
Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 451

Fig. 13.
452 Vane P. Sekulov

Fig. 14.

Fig. 15.
Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 453

Fig. 16.
454 Vane P. Sekulov

Fig. 17.
Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 455

Fig. 18.
456 Vane P. Sekulov

Fig. 19.

Fig. 20.
 Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 457

Fig. 21.

Fig. 22.
458 Vane P. Sekulov

Fig. 23.
Crveno Pole and Its Relations with Cities in the Middle Strymon Valley in ... 459

Fig. 24.
460 Vane P. Sekulov

Fig. 25.

Fig. 26.

Fig. 27.