Peristera Fortress Peshtera, Bulgaria

Late Antique and Medieval fortress Peristera is located 0.8 km from the city center of Peshtera. The hill on which it is located is known as Saint Petka, and the name Peristera means Dove or Dove Place. The walls have a length of 253 m and enclose a space of 2895 sq. m. The fortified area is oval-shaped, length 94 m and width of the castle 37 m. Displacement 5 m, and the highest point of the fort is 494.6 m. The fortification walls were built of large stones with mortar. There is an old set of stones probably Thracian sanctuary hewn rock steps. At the end of the hill, archaeologists found clay funerary urns in the shape of a sarcophagus, as it is difficult to find in most Thracian burial.

This finding lends another touch to the uniqueness of the complex. Citadel fortress extends over three acres, the second zone walls encloses 12 acres. There is a third outermost zone that has yet to be established. The dimensions of the church (turret) are: south wall-length 9,40 m, north face length 9 to m, apse-1,90 m, width at the north 1,60 m, and a corner tower are respectively 7,17 x 7,10 x 5,30 m. In clearing in the nave of the church, at a depth of 2,20 m from point 0 was the owner's room pitos. In one pitos carbonized grains were found. Laboratory analysis showed that it was contaminated with rye weeding barley. Rye is a culture that appears later in archaeological contexts, as in the early Byzantine era already sown everywhere. The so-called church turns to be south tower of the citadel. Later in the north tower was found the same church architecture. Such a combination tower church has an analogue in only two medieval castles, but they are outside Bulgaria. During the study in 2007 were found 44 coins, 14 gold, hidden in pitos during the burning of the fortress. Mint and other material findings give reason to be divided into three periods in the life of the castle. Continued in 2008 and the opening of the so-called eastern wall that is oriented northeast-southwest and between it and the facade of the church is one of the entrances of the fortress. 18.7 m from the wall were cleared from it, as the average height at which it is kept is 2.64 m. Highest recorded width is 2.10 m, which gives grounds to assume that the wall was high at least 14 m. In the design of the entrance is found arrangement such as the wall is further strengthened with white, very friable mortar. On the 17th meter of the gate there is an area that was destroyed, probably by treasure hunters. This alteration has been made much later than the sixth century.

/Wikipedia.org/

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