Roman Military Remains discovered in Bulgarian Town

The discovery includes walls and ditches of Roman defensive structures, located at a depth of approximately 7.5 meters. The excavation was led by Ch. Prof. Dr. Vladislav Zhivkov from the National Archaeological Institute with a Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who shared the findings on the Bulgarian National Radio.

According to Zhivkov, the earliest Roman presence in the region is linked to a fortress wall with three surrounding moats, part of a military camp established by a Roman legion in the first half of the 1st century. Over time, a new camp was built in the latter half of the 1st century, likely serving as a barracks or stable. A small room, possibly the home of an officer, was also uncovered. Among the finds in the barracks were imported ceramic vessels, primarily from southern Gaul, as well as bronze artifacts and coins. Zhivkov explained that the military camp was destroyed in an attack around the year 1980, when the area of modern-day Lom was situated on the Roman Empire's border with Dacia.

Following the Roman conquest of Dacia in the 2nd century, Lom ceased to be a frontier settlement and evolved into an internal settlement and a port along the Danube. The fortress walls underwent multiple phases of destruction and rebuilding, particularly during the First and Second Bulgarian Kingdoms. These walls later enclosed the Turkish neighborhood during Ottoman rule. Zhivkov emphasized that such Roman-era defensive structures, especially from the first half of the 1st century, are rare finds in the lower Danube region.

Main Image: Copyright BNR