Karasura
Karasura ( Bulgarian Карасура ; Greek Καράσθυρα) was a late Roman road station ( statio milliaria ) in northern Thrace , a few kilometers south of the village of Rupkite in the direction of the village of Swoboda (Bulgarian Свобода).
location
Karasura was centrally located in what is now southern Bulgaria on the southern slopes of the Balkan Mountains in the Stara Sagora Oblast , 6 km northeast of the city of Chirpan , 500 m from the Burgas - Plovdiv motorway (Thrace motorway; Bulgarian автомагистрала "Тракия"). In addition to the Kaleto hill, the archaeological site also includes the Kajrjaka (Кайряка) hill further south.
Surname
The way station developed over time into a fortress, of which only the foundations remain today. The most important (northern) part of the fortress (citadel) was built on a prehistoric settlement hill. The fortress is divided into two sections by a small river (Стара река, Stara Reka, in German: Old River).
Since the fortress Karasura only represents a small temporal segment of the history of this place and there are not even written sources for the fortress, the place in archaeological writings is often called "archaeological object Karasura" or "excavation site near the village of Rupkite" or "excavation site bei Tschirpan ”(also“ CŠirpan excavation site ”). In the Internet, the “Roman military road Karasura” is often incorrectly referred to. The spelling Carassure (Greek Καράσθυρα) can also be found.
Since 2014, the station has given its name to the Karasura Glacier in Ellsworthland in Antarctica.
history
Karasura was on the Roman road ( Via Militaris ) Constantinople (today Istanbul) - Adrianapolis (today Edirne) - Karasura - Philippolis (today Plovdiv) - Serdica (today Sofia) - Naissos (today Nis) - Singidunum (today Belgrade). This road running diagonally across the Balkans was the shortest route between Europe and the Middle East in ancient times. As a Roman military road, it connected the most important and largest Roman cities in this region with the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople . Today the E75 and E80 run along these cities on the old Roman road, which are of similar importance for European transit traffic.
Stone age
Already at the end of the Neolithic (approx. 5000 BC), but not before the late Neolithic phase Karanovo IVb , the settlement of this place began. The favorable natural conditions, such as fertile soils, great abundance of water and the Mediterranean climate, offered favorable living conditions. The prehistoric settlement activity reached its peak in the period from the Eneolithic to the Early and Middle Bronze Age.
At first there was only one unfortified settlement. For protection, earth walls were raised. This was repeated a total of six times. Because of the earthfills and the long settlement, a settlement hill gradually formed up to the turn of the century . It was 19 m high and measured 150 × 170 m at its base. This hill is now called Kaleto (Bulgarian Калето). During deep excavations in this settlement mound, prehistoric fortifications were found, many everyday objects and also cult objects .
Antiquity
In the vicinity of the prehistoric settlement numerous Roman sanctuaries (temples) were discovered, which were dedicated, for example, to Asklepios , Pluton and especially the main god Apollo . Numerous fragments of them have been found. In these tampels the travelers could offer their offerings and worship their gods. A large number of relief representations of the Thracian rider , a cult figure of the Thracians , were also found.
In the Roman Itinerarium Burdigalense , one of the oldest known travel manuals ( Itinerar ) from the 4th century, this station on the military road is indicated under the name Karasura.
At around the same time, Greek sources mention the Karasura fortress on the Military Road and, in the 4th century, a certain Karstira fortress. There are many indications that Karasura was also the seat of a bishopric in the 4th to 6th centuries AD. In terms of location, Karasura can be assigned to the Roman province of Thrace in Roman times .
middle Ages
The incursions and looting of the Goths , Avars and Slavs led to a violent end of the fortress at the end of the 6th century. After that, Armenians and then Slav Bulgarians settled in Karasura. Until 971 the region belonged to the Bulgarian Empire. In the 9th century nomadic tribes of the Pechenegs and Kyptschaks plundered the settlement.
In the 11th century the settlement was expanded beyond the boundaries of the ancient fortress walls and then covered an area of around 100 hectares. The constant raids by enemy conquerors forced the residents to hide their treasures again and again. Since not every owner was able to recover their treasures after bloody raids, the archaeologists in Karasura found a treasure consisting of 49 Byzantine anonymous coins from the early 11th century, which was buried in a vessel.
The settlement existed for almost 6000 years without interruption until the 13th century. Its eventful history was determined by its location on the transit route, over which Roman legions passed, conquerors, crusaders, traders, robbers and always new settlers who were looking for good places to settle. That is why the settlement was marked by regular destruction and reconstruction.
Archaeological digs
As early as the end of the 19th century, the ancient ruins near Tschirpan - on the Kaleto hill (Калето, identical to the settlement hill) - were identified as Karasura. Although the archaeologists had long been interested in the site, the excavations did not begin until 1981. In a total of 18 archaeological excavation campaigns, fortress walls, 10 towers, bastions and three gates were excavated, so that the layout of the city is clearly visible. The fortress walls found so far enclose an area of around 4 hectares, with public buildings, sacred buildings, residential houses and farm buildings.
Necropolis
Archaeologists have found over 1000 skeletons in the graves in Karasura. The oldest of these necropolises date from the 4th to 6th centuries. One of the deceased was Teodoros from Philippolis (today's Plovdiv ), as can be read on his grave slab. Some graves are evidence of bloody raids, as the dead had numerous traces of injuries there and were not buried very deep.
In the early Middle Ages (8th – 9th centuries), deceased young girls were decorated as if for a wedding and buried in these clothes. Many gold-plated pieces of silver jewelry speak for the wealth of the local population.
Grain store
Large bricked-up grain stores were found in the excavation layer from the 12th century. They could be dated exactly to the time of the Third Crusade (1189–1192) under Emperor Barbarossa . They were probably created by order of the Byzantine emperor to supply the troops on their way through Karasura.
Red lacquer ceramic
But many traders also stored their goods in Karasura. The archaeologists found Chinese porcelain, a whole collection of luxurious dinnerware (30 pieces) made of ceramic from Persia in the 11th / 12th centuries. Century (red lacquer ceramic, the only find of its kind on the whole bar and in Asia Minor).
Columns with inscriptions were found, sculptures, cult monuments from the pre-Christian era, everyday objects, coins and ceramics from different eras. 250 of the ceramic vessels could be restored.
Churches
Three churches have been found from the Middle Ages. An early Christian basilica was discovered outside the fortress walls; it is one of the largest of this era in Thrace. A walled up grave of a high cleric - probably a bishop - was discovered near the altar niche. Corpses were found in most of the graves under the church floor and were buried in clothing made of gold brocade . Rheumatic changes were found in other skeletons .
A second basilica, also from this period, is located on the highest point of the Kaleto hill. A third church is located in the northern suburb of the settlement.
German excavation group
Archaeological excavations were carried out on the site of the former fortress from 1981 to 1991 by a German-Bulgarian group ( Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Central Institute for Ancient History and Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR , including the German archaeologist Lutz Martin ). The local excavation manager was Michael Wendel (now Halle University) and the Bulgarian excavation group was headed by Christo Bojukliew (Христо Буюклиев, Museum Stara Zagora). The focus of research on the German side was the late antiquity and medieval settlement history.
The finds from these excavations are in the historical museum in Tschirpan . The results of the excavations are processed in several monographs .
Open questions
Since the beginning of the excavations in 1981, the historical scientific knowledge has changed, which also led to a partial reassessment of the finds in the context of the improving knowledge of the overall picture of history in the Balkans (for example at a scientific conference on Karasura in 1996 on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the beginning of the excavation).
It is still unclear whether Karasura is identical with Diocletianopolis. According to historical sources, Diocletianopolis is the seat of a church sub-province ( Suffragandiocese ) near Philippopolis (today Plovdiv ) in Thrace. In general, the question of the church provinces of Thrace remains unanswered.
Carassura Association
The excavation was funded by the Association for the Promotion of German-Bulgarian Archaeological Excavations, Carassura eV Halle, at the Institute for Prehistoric Archeology at the University of Halle .
Ceramic engravings
Independently of the archaeological excavations, two amateur archaeologists (the former mayor of the city of Tschirpan and his adult daughter) came to the public with their knowledge that very filigree engravings can be seen on many small ceramic finds, which can only be seen when looking against the light and have to testify to a previously unknown craftsmanship.
literature
- Germans and Bulgarians excavate Karasura . Research on the history of Ancient Thrace, Scientia halensis 2/97, 20–21
- Michael Wendel (Ed.): Karasura. Studies on the history and culture of Ancient Thrace .
- Part 1: Karin Rührdanz (edit.): 15 years of excavations in Karasura: International Symposium Čirpan / Bulgaria 1996 . Langenweißbach 2001, ISBN 3-930036-59-2
- Part 2: Jan-Krzysztof Bertram: The prehistoric finds and the coins: (Excavations 1981 - 1997) (Translated from Bulgarian into German: Elena Dačevska), Langenweißbach 2002, ISBN 3-930036-74-6
- Part 3: Michael Wendel: The transport links in early Byzantine times: (4th - 8th century AD) . Langenweißbach 2005, ISBN 3-937517-17-0
- Medieval red lacquer ceramics from Karasura, Bulgaria , Old European Research NF 1, Weissbach 1997, 105–132.
Web links
- German homepage of the project , University of Halle
- all way stations on the Roman road - list and map
Coordinates: 42 ° 14 '24.4 " N , 25 ° 23' 0.8" E