Kastra Martis: Quadriburgium and Castellum (Excavations and Research, vol. 33)
Кастра Мартис: Квадрибургий и кастел (Разкопки и проучвания, кн. XXXIII)
Language: Bulgarian with a summary in English

    The archaeological excavations in the town of Kula gave an opportunity to study a fort, which was closely connected with the defense of the modern Bulgarian lands in the Late Antiquity and the Early Byzantine period (4th—6th centuries AD). After the loss of Dacia in the end of the 3rd century, the Roman provinces of Moesia and Thrace went through important changes in the course of the total reorganization of the Empire under Diocletian and Constantine I. As a result of the reforms, new administrative units came into being instead of them. The lands between the Timok and Vit River already formed the territory of the new province of Dacia Ripensis, one of the five provinces which belonged to the dioecesis of Dacia. The large-scale construction of fortifications in those times aimed at creating a more effective and adaptable defense not only along the Danubian border, but also in the interior parts. New forts were erected at places of strategic importance. One of those was Castra Martis. The construction of the fort is connected with the intensive building activities in the Danubian lands in the time of Diocletian and Constantine I. The purpose of the fort was to guard the Vrashka Chuka Pass and the Roman road which ran through it. Together with the other nearby fortifications, it took part in the defense of the region in the troubled times of barbarian invasions during the 4th—6th centuries AD. The quadriburgium of the fort is one of the characteristics and best preserved fortification of the type along the European limes of the Roman Empire.   

Table of contents /summaries/

Write a review