The shrine, also known as the martyrdom, dates back to the 3rd century AD, but the tomb believed to belong to a Christian is estimated to be from the 2nd century.
A unique tomb and shrine of a martyr of the early Christian period during the time of Augusta Traiana, as the Roman emperor Trajan had named the city, was discovered by the archaeologists of the Regional Museum of History in Stara Zagora. On Thursday the tomb was opened for the first time.
The shrine, also known as the martyrdom, dates back to the 3rd century AD, but the tomb believed to belong to a Christian is estimated to be from the 2nd century.
On Thursday, the bones of several people were found in the ancient building, and the recesses inside the tomb have not yet been studied, said Petar Kalchev, head of the Regional History Museum. According to Kalchev, the tomb was first opened in ancient times but closed and covered with stones.
On Friday an anthropologist arrived at the site to study the bones.
Such ancient buildings are known to exist in Palestine and Rome but not in the Balkans, Kalchev said.
The deputy mayor of Stara Zagora, Milena Zeleva, said the site will be protected as excavations continue.
A unique archaeological find in my hometown of Stara Zagora. During excavations in the center of the city, archaeologists discovered a covered tomb dated to the 3rd-4th century AD. Coins and gold ornaments were found in the burial facility pic.twitter.com/Kf7xN9bwXi
— Tatichamp (@tatichamp) July 24, 2022
The mayor of Stara Zagora, Zivko Todorov, said that the local authorities will provide funding for the exploration and maintenance of the site and that they will develop a project to make the site a tourist destination.
The shrine was discovered several days ago during rescue excavations along the route of a major water supply project in Stara Zagora. Salvage excavations are mandatory archaeological investigations carried out by archaeologists before any private or public technical project in order to protect the material remains of the past from possible destruction and to scientifically document the existing layers.
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