Средновековен некропол на улица „Tодор Балабанов“ № 1 в град Враца

Abstract

The article presents the results of the rescue archaeological excavations carried out in 2016 in connection with an investment intention in the central part of the town of Vratsa. 39 burials which yielded bones of 40 individuals were excavated in the construction area. 38 out of 39 burials can be dated back between the 11th and the 14th century. The cemetery was used by a Christian community inhabiting the territory of medieval Vratitsa or some of its suburbs. Most of the grave pits have yielded grave goods, such as personal ornaments, elements of clothing and coins. The artifacts are made of glass, copper alloy, iron, and some are silver plated. The information provided by the stratigraphic evidence, numismatic artifacts and the grave goods allow to develop a more precise chronology of the cemetery functioning, dividing it into several phases. The early phase between the 12th and the first half of the 13th century is documented by plenty of evidence. The upper chronological limit is set by burial № 22, which yielded a coin of Tsar John Alexander (1331-1371) and his son Michael Asen. Despite the fact that the cemetery on 1 Todor Balabanov Str. was not entirely excavated, it provided suf­ficient information to place it among contemporary cemeteries on the territory of present-day Bulgaria and its neighboring countries. The study of the cemetery allowed to gather more information about the territory of the medieval Vratitsa.

Keywords

• Middle Ages
• Second Bulgarian Empire
• Christian necropolis