Приноси към българската археология (Dec 2020)
On the origin of Late Antique materials discovered in a Medieval context according to data from the archaeological excavations of the settlement in Petrova Niva locality, “Sboryanovo” archaeological reserve
Abstract
The article analyzes the results of the study of a complicated stratigraphic situation excavated within a single grid square (grid sq. 34/23) of the settlement at Petrova Niva locality, “Sboryanovo” Archaeological Reserve. The best preserved structure in height is a Medieval utility building. The large number of finds from it, as well as the stratigraphic observations so far, allow dating its destruction in the period from the last third of the 10th c. to the first quarter or mid-11th c. Consequently it was built and inhabited in the 10th c. The presence of a utility building close to the excavated dwellings from the same period indicates advance planning and differentiation of zones with different functions in the arrangement of space in the researched household. The most significant feature, which was completely covered by the remains of the utility building, is a Late Antique dwelling. It has an almost regular oval shape, dug into the sterile soil. It can be dated to the second half of the 4th c. One of the structures that can be connected with the functioning of the dwelling is a pit (No. 3). This pit, as well as the nearby pit (in grid sq. 34/22), were probably used by the occupants of the dwelling for the storage of grain. The earliest documented structure is a Neolithic pit. The rest of the pits disturb the fill of the Late Antique dwelling and precede the construction of the medieval utility building. The situation uncovered in Petrova Niva locality offers a possible answer to the question of the presence of ancient materials in a Medieval context and opens the door to clarifying the nature of the early habitation of the site.
