YURTA – STROYNO

Excavation of Roman Settlement in the Province of Thrace, Bulgaria

Introduction

In 2014 doctoral students of the Charles University started an excavation in cooperation with the Regional History museum in Yambol at a Roman site called Yurta. Yurta is located in the Elhovo district, 1.5 km NE from the village of Stroyno, in the Yambol region. Despite being known for more than a hundred years, the site has never been systematically excavated. In the past, more than 50 finds were randomly discovered in its vicinity. The most spectacular finds include a hoard of 29 silver coins, a fragment of a bronze military diploma of the veteran of Moesian fleet and a marble relief with the depiction of Thracian horseman. All of these finds have been dated to the second half of the 1^st through the beginning of the 3^rd century AD.

The intrinsic value of the finds and difficult accessibility of the site, placed far from main road and out of sight of residents of the Stroyno village, led to illegal excavations of the settlement by treasure hunters. Their interventions have revealed several stone structures and left accumulations of pottery in their vicinity. The illicit activities aroused the attention of the Regional Historical Museum in Yambol and led to rescue excavations in years 2006 and 2007. Insufficient financial support put a stop to archaeological investigations at the site until the year 2014.

Based on previous finds and investigations, Yurta was identified as a Roman military veteran foundation. Its beginnings are dated into the second half of the 1^st century AD while its decline is observed in the 3^rd/4^th century AD.

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