site.btaArchaeologists Uncover Large Settlement from Bulgaria’s Golden Age near Velino Village

Archaeologists have uncovered a large settlement from Bulgaria’s Golden Age (889-927) near the village of Velino (Northeastern Bulgaria). Among the discoveries is a building with rounded corners, which is a rarity in Bulgarian medieval architecture, the National History Museum (NHM) reported on Friday.

The 9th-10th century settlement spans 4 hectares and was inhabited during the reigns of medieval Bulgarian rulers Boris, Simeon, and Petar. Excavations have revealed streets, fortress walls, a probable church, and valuable artifacts, including a bronze fork, a silver-plated fitting, a writing stylus, and inscribed tablets with graffiti, one depicting the extinct aurochs, the team said.

Excavations began in 2022 under the leadership of Konstantin Konstantinov from Shumen University and Ivaylo Kanev from the NHM.

The NHM noted that the teams are calling for greater state support to continue studying the site, which is considered key to Bulgarian identity.