Archaeologists unravel the secrets of Castra Martis Fortress

After nearly half a century of hiatus, this archaeological season saw the resumption of archaeological work at the Roman fortress of Castra Martis in the center of the northwestern Bulgarian town of Kula. This is the third largest and most important Roman archaeological site in the region of the city of Vidin, after Ratiaria and Bononia, says Assoc. Dr. Zdravko Dimitrov from the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the BAS, quoted by BTA.

The team has started research at the eastern fortress wall. Four deep drillings were made and more than 30 valuable finds were discovered, showing that the fortress walls of Castra Martis were built on the remains of other ancient settlements - prehistoric and Thracian ones.

During the archaeological works, many coins from the III - IV centuries were discovered. This was the time of Emperor Constantine and his successors. According to Assoc. Prof. Dimitrov, it has been confirmed that Castra Martis was one of the big fortresses, part of the entire system of strongholds in this region of the Danube.