Castra rubra
| Castra rubra | ||
|---|---|---|
| Creation time : | 5th or 6th century | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | Charmanli , district of Izvorovo | |
| Geographical location | 41 ° 55 '56 " N , 26 ° 5' 32" E | |
| Height: | 275 m | |
|
||
Castra rubra ( Latin for red camp ) was initially a Roman military camp (Latin castrum ; plural and proper names: castra ) on the Via Militaris , which was built in the 2nd century AD. In the early days of the Byzantine Empire , the place developed into a settlement with a fortress and road station.
The ruins of Castra Rubra are located in southeastern Bulgaria , about 8 km northeast of the town of Charmanli in the corridor of the village of Izvorovo in Haskovo Oblast . Built Castra Rubra than mutatio (way station), where the Roman state post ( cursus publicus ) changed their horses. Castra Rubra has buildings for a small garrison that protected the strategically important Via Militaris. There was also a hostel for travelers, a shop and other unexplored buildings. About every 25 Roman miles (25 × 1.48 km = 37 km) there were such military camps along the Via Militaris. The neighboring mansio was the not yet localized Pale, west of Charmanli , probably between the villages of Ovcharowo and Tyanewo .
From what remains of the place it can be concluded that the place was inhabited for a long time, probably since the early Middle Ages. Among other things, there are traces of a small colonnade .
In the early days of the Byzantine Empire , the place was a settlement with a fortress and a road station. The Castra Rubra fortress was captured twice, the last time by Khan Krum .
From the time of Emperor Maurikios (539–602) and Emperor Herakleios (575–641), inscriptions, tools, jewelry and seven gold coins were found in Castra rubra , which are exhibited in the Historical Museum of Charmanli.
Castra rubra is little explored and relatively unknown in Bulgaria. The fortress is to be restored as part of the EU's PHARE program.
Next to Castra rubra (800 m further east; 41 ° 55 ′ 53 ″ N , 26 ° 6 ′ 6 ″ E ) a short (10 to 20 m long), very well preserved section of the Via Militaris was exposed. In the municipality harmanli other sections of the Via Militaris relatively well preserved in the villages are Braniza ( bulg. Браница ) and Owtscharowo (bulg. Овчарово ) to find.
The General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts from Brockhaus-Verlag wrote in 1885 on the keyword Castra rubra :
- “ A night stop in the interior of Thrace , where the Itinerarium Antonini Subzupara has, 20 miles from Burdipla [= Burdista] . The Itinerarium Burdigalense has Castra Zobra [= mansio Castozobra] , 18 miles from Burdipla. "
Current situation
The Bulgarian government and Greece decided on the Via Diagonalis tourism project , the implementation of which began in 2008. The project includes in the Bulgarian part:
- Excavations in the Roman-Byzantine fortress of Castra Rubra
- Structural reconstruction of a short section of the Roman road Via Diagonalis
- Expansion and improvement of the infrastructure at the Chuchul stone (a cult stone) in the village of Ovcharowo
- Clearance and construction of a path to the Thracian dolmens in the village of Cherepovo
- Design of excursion routes along the main tourist road to the locations as well as construction of parking lots and information boards
- Construction of a tourist information center in Izvorovo
The excavations in Castra Rubra are being carried out under the direction of Professor Boris Borissow. So far they have produced the following results:
“The fortress walls enclose an area of about 11,000 m², the stones were walled up with a special mortar (with crushed stone and admixture of crushed bricks). During the excavation it was found that there was a tower with a rectangular floor plan at every corner of the fortress. The entrance to the fortress was protected by a mighty square tower. Large stone blocks, some more than four feet in length, were used in the construction of the buildings. The gate tower had two gates - an inner and an outer gate. Both were locked with two double doors each, the associated fishing stones were found, many are well preserved ... During archaeological research it has been found that the fortress was built at the end of the 5th century during the reign of Emperor Anastasius (491-518) or was built at the beginning of the 6th century during the reign of Justinian the Great . The fortress lasted until the beginning of the 7th century when it fell victim to a fire during the Slav and Avar invasions. This is evidenced by a thick layer of soot and charred parts, as is the discovered treasure in gold coins of the Byzantine emperors Maurikios (582–602) and Herakleios (610–641). The latter's coins were issued in the period from 616 to 625, which indicates that the fortress was most likely destroyed in the second half of the 20s of the 7th century. Soon after, the fortress was restored and the joints between the stones were carefully covered with red mortar, on which some scratched inscriptions (graffito) were found. The fortress existed in this form until the beginning of the 9th century, when it was destroyed during the campaigns of the Bulgarian Khan Krum against Byzantium and, like many Byzantine fortresses, was destroyed. Another, this time the last, pillage of the fortress followed, as evidenced by a further layer of fire and coins from Nikephorus I (801–811). A little later the place was inhabited by Bulgarians, but the fortress was not restored. "
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Johann Samuel Publication: General Encyclopedia of Science and Arts Brockhaus, Leipzig 1832, First Section AG; 22nd part; P. 344; Keyword: Castra 5).
- ↑ a b Ефтика Гeoргиeba: Възстановяват римски път и крепост край Харманли (German: Restored Roman road near Harmanli). (No longer available online.) November 17, 2007, formerly in the original ; accessed February 24, 2011 (Bulgarian): "Проектът" Via Diagonalis и българският Стоунхендж "е финансиран по програма ФАР - Трансгранично сътрудничество между България и Гърция" Насърчаване на културните, туристическите и човешките ресурси в трансграничния регион ". ... "