Village Dated to First Bulgarian Empire Discovered

GRADISHTE, BULGARIA—A previously unknown village dated to the ninth century A.D. was discovered in northeastern Bulgaria by a team of researchers led by Stanislav Ivanov of the Shumen Branch of Bulgaria’s National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia, according to an Archaeology in Bulgaria report. The site, which is situated in the path of a planned highway, consists of some 80 dugout dwellings constructed during the time of the First Bulgarian Empire. During this period, the people of the empire converted to Christianity and adopted the Bulgaric alphabet. The rescue excavation will offer researchers information about the lives of villagers during this turbulent time. For more on Bulgarian archaeology, go to "Thracian Treasure Chest."