PLOVDIV, BULGARIA—The site of an opulent medieval building in southern Bulgaria has yielded a lusterware plate made in Egypt, fragments of colorful murals, and ancient roadways, according to a report in Archaeology in Bulgaria. The pottery, decorated with a human form and a metallic glaze, has been dated to the twelfth or thirteenth century A.D. The cellar in which the plate was recovered had been decorated with murals painted in red, green, and blue. “Pieces which haven’t been pieced together yet show floral motifs as well as scenes,” said archaeologist Kamen Stanev. “We hope to find more pieces from the murals, which were laid on wooden planks.” Coins, belt appliques, weights, and fragments of glass bracelets have also been recovered during the rescue excavation. The building was found near six layers of a roadway that had been reused over the centuries. Stanev explained that in antiquity, the road had been paved with large stone slabs, but during later periods, it was covered with fragments of ceramics, small stones, and bits of mortar from ancient buildings. During the city’s poorer periods, its roads were just “a river of mud,” she added. To read more about archaeology in Bulgaria, go to “Iconic Discovery.”
