Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Cuman settlement discovered near fortress of Ryahovets in Gorna Oryahovitsa

Photo: Zdravka Maslyankova, BNR correspondent

Archaeologists from the Historical Museum in the town of Gorna Oryahovitsa have discovered a settlement of the Cumans this summer during the excavations of a medieval necropolis east of the Thracian fortress of Rykhovets near the town of Gorna Oryahovitsa, reports BNR correspondent Zdravka Maslyankova. 

The archaeological site was found accidentally in 2021 during the works for the reclamation of a municipal waste dump in the town. 

Nearly 70 archaeological structures have been uncovered. Among them are dwellings, hearths and pits dating back to the 13th century. Fifteen graves were also recorded, indicating some departure from Christian burial rites. 


According to the archaeologist prof. Hitko Vachev, scientific consultant of the archaeological team, it is a Cuman settlement. 

"The Cumans were an ally of all Bulgarian kings. Several Cuman princesses were Bulgarian queens. We have rich sources in this regard, but until now we have not had the material traces of where the Cumans were settled," he explained. Among the interesting finds are several cult pits with horse skulls laid inside, as well as one with a whole horse skeleton, coins from the first half of the 13th century, bone objects, copper bracelets, and a large furnace. 


Children volunteers and their parents took part in cleaning the latest finds.

The archaeological team hopes to be able to join a project to carry out a full survey of the site.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

We pay homage to Saint Andrew considered the patron saint of the ancient Bulgarians

On November 30, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Apostle Andrew . In Bulgaria the saint is known as Saint Andrey and the folk holiday as Andreevden . Saint Andrew’s Day gives the start to the series of winter holidays..

published on 11/30/24 6:05 AM

The head of the statue of Tyche has been discovered in the Episcopal Basilica in Plovdiv

The head of the statue of Tyche, the goddess of Philippopolis, has been discovered in the Episcopal Basilica in Plovdiv, said the head of the excavations Lyubomir Merdzhanov. According to him, this is an extremely rare artefact that has been awaited..

published on 11/28/24 5:54 PM
Signing the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, 27 November 1919

The elegy for the Western Outlands fades out as a requiem

105 years ago, on November 27, 1919, a treaty was signed in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, officially ending Bulgaria's participation in World War I (1914-1918). Historians define the document as "another national..

published on 11/27/24 7:45 AM