arcHaeological SiteS - HAEMUS - Center for scientific research and ...

MacedonianCulturalHeritageThis work has been published with the financial support of the UNESCO Venice Office – Regional Bureau for Science and Culturein Europe (UNESCO-BRESCE) and Cooperazione Italiana.The designations employed and the presentation of the material throughout this text do not imply the expressing of any opinionwhatsoever on the part of the UNESCO Secretariat concerning the legal status of any country or territory, city or area or of itsauthorities, the delimitations of its frontiers or boundaries. The author(s) are responsible for the choice and the presentation ofthe facts contained in this text and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do notcommit the organisation.Skopje 2008

ARCHAEOLOGICALSITESM a c e d o n i a n C u l t u r a l H e r i t a g e

and Asian/Persian cultures) represents one of therichest periods on European soil. Macedonia of thattime abounds in archaeological artifacts made of goldand silver, in riches open to the whole world as theyknew it; however, it was in this period that the so-calledMacedonian schism began, and somewhat later, withthe oncoming of Rome as the future world empire, the‘promised land’ became the first Roman province in theBalkans. In fact, this period marked the beginning ofthe so-called Macedonian partition. Macedonian soilwas being given away to those to whom it was promisedby history. In the Roman period, as the Roman valuesgradually took root in all spheres of life in the alreadyurbanized areas, the cities in Macedonia developed incircumstances of provincial peace and well being. Thisis evident from the excavations carried out in Stobi,Heraclea, Scupi, Syberra and Lychnidos. Stobi, which issituated at the heart of the Macedonia of this period, themouth of two rivers (the Axios/Vardar and the Erigon/Crna Reka) is one of the most important cities which,in the Roman period, had exceptional privileges andminted its own money, as did Lychnidos as well, whichwas situated in the then Upper Macedonia; the fact thatit stood on the shores of Lake Lychnidos (Lake Ohrid)and by the most famous Antique main road Via Egnatiamade it an exceptionally wealthy and sophisticated cityof that time. Scupi, the Roman colonial city of the periodbetween the 1st and 3rd centuries, was among thelargest in the Balkans, while Styberra near Čepigovo(Prilep region) was, at that time, one of the largerAntique centres with workshops for building marblesculptures.The region of the ‘promised land’ was especiallydensely populated in Late Antiquity. This can beconcluded on the basis of the presence of LateAntique grave structures made mainly of two-ridgedroof tegulae; it was also the beginning of the EarlyChristian period, i.e., the TIME OF BASILICAS,monumental Early Christian buildings with resplendentarchitectural features and mosaic floors. The basilicasin Lychnidos (Ohrid) and Heraclea, with their depictionsof cosmogony made with the magical multi-colouredpebbles, on subjects from the Christian faith, areespecially important for this period within the EarlyChristian Mediterranean world. The world-knownterracotta icons from Vinica, a collection absolutely rarein world religious art, also belong to this period. Thisis a period when Macedonia was ‘promised by history’to the Byzantine Empire, this is the time of EmperorJustinian who, interestingly enough, is believed tohave originated from a region in Macedonia, this isthe time of the long, ‘Argonaut-like’ Byzantine journeyacross the high Balkan ‘historical’ mountains, a timewhen, in the 10th and 11th centuries, nine emperorsfrom the so-called Macedonian dynasty sat on theimperial throne in Constantinople. Simultaneously,the Balkan regions were settled by Slavonic tribes (6thto 7th centuries) of whose material culture very littleremains. Nevertheless, the time of St. Clement (late9th to early 10th centuries) is the golden period of theSlavonic peoples in the ‘promised land’. It is the timeof the activity of St. Clement’s University and a timewhich, subsequently, resulted in the establishment ofSamuil’s mediaeval Slavonic empire. Samuil’s fortressin Ohrid is the profane monument which evidently, inarchaeological and historical sense, reflects this periodof the Macedonian Slavonic domination over the otherBalkan lands.The mediaeval cultural strata in the archaeologicalsoil in Macedonia abound in testimonies to theachievements of the mighty Byzantine spring, whichincludes jewellery, glazed painted ceramic ware, metalobjects and, especially, numerous individual and groupfinds of gold, silver and bronze coins unearthed onarchaeological sites. With the exception of Tsar Samuil,who is without doubt the only emperor in Europeanand world history who did not mint coins, since heprobably did not dismount his horse for forty years anddid not have time to organize the monetary system inhis empire, other rulers left their mark not only in thisdomain, but also within the entire socio-political andreligious life of the population of the empire.Finally, after a period of rule of Serbian kings in the14th century, towards the end of this period Macedoniawas ‘promised’ to the Ottoman Turks, in other words,it was part of the Ottoman Empire for more than halfa millennium. Bearing in mind that the distance fromthis period is constantly growing, especially with thebeginning of the 21st century, archaeological researchshould include the exploration and scholarly study ofthis period in a much more serious manner. This isespecially important since it was while it was part ofthis empire that Macedonia began its own battle, that is,it began to work in the direction of ‘promising itself toitself’ in the true sense of this phrase.***More than 4,700 archaeological sites have beenidentified on the archaeological soil of Macedonia.Only few of them have been explored or are sites withundergoing excavations. Here, we present twenty-eightof them which, in a certain way, reflect this country inits archaeological sense, a country which, regardlessof the circumstances, represents an archaeologicaloasis, both in Europe and as part of the Mediterraneancultural complex.Pasko Kuzman10 archaeological sites 11

site: Neolithic Settlement of Tumba Madžarilocation: SkopjeTUMBA MADŽARIThe site of Tumba Madžari, situated in the presentdaysuburb of Čento, represents the most importantNeolithic settlement in the Skopje Valley. Itwas discovered in 1961/2 during archaeologicalreconnaissance. The first archaeological explorationswere carried out in 1978 by the Museum of Macedonia.The results revealed that this is a Neolithic settlement,with three phases during which it was settled. Thestratigraphy of the settlement has a cultural stratum2.40 m thick, and the pits are 2.80 m deep.This settlement reached its economic and cultural peakin the period between 5800 -5200 BC, i.e., during thephase Anzabegovo-Vršnik II-IV.The explorations carried out in 1981 revealed the firststructure identified as a shrine. Thus far, seven moresuch structures have been unearthed. The housethat was discovered first was built in the traditionaltechnique, with poles stuck into the ground, often flankedwith stones/millstones. The patching shows that bighewn logs, whose imprints/traces are still visible, werebuilt into the walls. On the outside, the walls weredecorated with fingerprints in the shape of spiralsterminating as primitive volutes. The house covers anarea of 8 x 8 m and has a regular square form. The roof isdouble-pitched, made of straw and mounted on a woodenstructure supported by thick poles on the outside, whichstand on the front and west sides. The house interior ispartitioned by a thin, irregular parapet. It separates twofurnaces built next to it. For the first time in Macedonia,one small and two large painted amphorae have beendiscovered on a single site; their shape, texture anddecoration with stylized floral elements were made bythe hand of a highly gifted craftsman. A total of fortyfivefully preserved vessels and numerous fragmentshave been discovered in this shrine/house. They includevarious pots, pythoses with barbotine ornaments, largefrutaria with protruding ribs on the inside of the rim,plates, a small pyxis with plastic pintadera-like reliefon the bottom and various small vessels. The askoseswith their simple, but perfect form are especially112 archaeological sites 13

2characteristic of Tumba Madžari. Decorated with featherlikebarbotine, with four handles on the belly and one onthe back, they resemble water birds.In 2002, an earthen ‘bath tub’ was discovered as well,with finely smoothed walls and floor, and on it, saltcrystals.The terracotta figure of the Great Mother is the hallmarkof the site of Tumba Madžari and this house. Itsimpressive dimensions (0.39 cm in height), the classicalcomposed posture of the female figure rising above thehouse, watching over the house’s hearth and tranquillity,makes this terracotta figure an exclusive artefact. Laterresearch revealed other fragments of cylinders and ahouse with different dimensions and different hairstylesof the female figures. In general, the hairstyles speakof the exceptionally varied hairstyle fashion among theNeolithic women. Of special interest is an impressivelysculpted man’s head in natural dimensions. On the site ofTumba Madžari, specimens of anthropomorphic plasticart are numerous and greatly varied.A random find from this site is a ceramic head of a ram(bull), a bucranion, dated to the early Neolithic period.Other exceptional zoomorphic depictions include a goatand a centaur with receptacles on their backs.The tools discovered in Tumba Madžari include weightsfor a vertical loom, bi-conical weights (reels) for fishingnets, numerous bone spatulas standard in shape, awls/bradawls and needles. Flint artefacts include small flintknives, cutters, stone mortars and millstones.The analysis of animal and bird bones from this siteindicates that the Neolithic man provided his meatexclusively from his livestock, and very rarely by huntingand fishing.Dragiša Zdravkovski53 4Bibiliography: V. Sanev, Neolitsko svetili{te od Tumba vo Maxari, Skopsko,Maced. acta archaeol. 9, Skopje 1988, 9-30; A. Moskalewska, V. Sanev, Preliminaryanalisis of bone remnants of animals from the Neolithic Archaeological site TumbaMadzari near Skopje, Maced. acta archaeol. 10, Skopje 1989, 55-75; V. Sanev, TumbaMaxari, Arheolo{ka karta 2, Skopje 1996, 377-378; D. Zdravkovski, Sredenneolit vo Gornovardarskiot region (magisterski trud), Skopje 2003, 100-112.6 714 archaeological sites 15

site: Skopje Fortress – Kalelocation: SkopjeThe SkopjeFortress - KaleThe Skopje Fortress holds the most prominent position inthe central area of the city of Skopje. It stands on the longridge of sediment sandstone that stretches along the eastbank of the Vardar in the N/S direction, on its southern,most prominent part. The entire cultural and politicalhistory of the city is practically linked with this area.It was inhabited as a settlement as early as in prehistorictimes, more specifically, in the Eneolithic Age. Beginningwith this, the earliest settlement, and through certainperiods in the Bronze and the Iron Age, the intensity of thesettlement of this area varied, until the time prior to theestablishment of the Roman government in Macedonia.However, this area was settled with highest intensity as amediaeval fortress, more precisely, as the Upper Town ofthe mediaeval Skopje. As such, it was reconstructed in theperiods that followed, at the time of the Ottoman conquest,and remains in use to the present day.In prehistoric times, there were at least three settlements(Eneolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age), while in the Middle Agesand the Ottoman period, at lest three other settlementswere consecutively built (the first between the 10th and13th or 14th centuries, the second between the 14th and17th centuries and the third between the 18th and 20thcenturies).The earliest finds from the Skopje Fortress are the remainsof the very first settlement from the Copper Age (Eneolithic)or the 4th millennium BC. Various structures, mud huts orsemi-mud huts which served as dwellings, cult structuresor waste or storage pits were dug into clay subsoil.In the next period, the Bronze Age, i.e., during the 3rd and2nd millennia BC, prehistoric way of life continued, this timein a smaller area, limited mainly to the northeast parts ofthe Fortress. In addition to numerous movable finds andremains of dwelling structures, ceramic ware kilns andother remains of material culture from all the stages of theBronze Age have also been recorded in these strata.The latest prehistoric settlement, that from the IronAge (first half of the 1st millennium BC) marked thecontinuation of life, this time concentrated on a newsite, primarily in the southeast parts of the Fortress. The116 archaeological sites 17

exploration of this settlement revealed the customaryremains of prehistoric architecture or houses with arectangular floor plan, and a wooden construction of polesand wickerwork.No significant traces of life in the second half of the 1stmillennium BC have been discovered yet; however, certainfinds confirm the assumption that some activities did takeplace on the site of the Fortress during the 4th century BC.The remains of settlements from the phase that followedbelong to the mediaeval city. Its uninterrupted andturbulent historical development as a genuine urban centre(mediaeval Skopje) which continues to this day beganapproximately in the late 10th century or at the time ofSamoil.It was originally protected with ramparts that display highqualitymasonry, and which completely encircle the area,forming a unique fortification system built according to thehighest standards and with the best building techniquesof the period. The numerous coins from the 10th and 11thcenturies, burials made by the interior side of the southrampart, war axes and arrows, ceramic ware and othersmall finds which date from the same period suggest thatat that time, the Fortress probably functioned as a largemilitary castrum.Along the south rampart, remains have been discoveredof numerous wooden structures with waste pits, hearths,kilns and traces of metallurgical activity, warehousesand workshops, i.e., blacksmith shops where weaponswere made and repaired. Of special significance for thiscity was the south entrance to the fortress, with all theaccompanying elements. It continued to be used andwas repaired several times in the following centuries asthe main entrance, both to the later mediaeval and earlyOttoman fortress.Remains of a cobbled surface - a path, which ran alongthe interior side of the south rampart and led to thehigher parts of the hill on which the fortress stands werediscovered in the section which is a continuation of theentrance segment of the fortification.All the remains of this, provisionally termed Samoil phaseare accompanied with finds of coins known as anonymousfollises and of the emperors Basil II, Nicephoros III andMichael VII, all dating from the 10th and 11th centuries.The cultural strata of the settlement from the 12th and 13thcenturies, or from the time of the reign of the Comnenusdynasty, reflect the role of Skopje as a genuine centre ofthe wider Balkan region. The numerous finds of lead seals,coins, remains of developed metallurgical activities andmanufacture of ceramic ware, as well as a variety of findsfrom daily life testify to this. In this sense, the luxuriousdish ware decorated with painting, engraving and glazingstands out as superbly manufactured artwork. Some of thedishes discovered are genuine works of art, while the entirecollection of this ceramic ware is among the largest andmost valuable in the Balkans.In the course of the 13th century, life in Skopje’s UpperTown continued with the same intensity. The rampartswere reconstructed and surrounded an entirely new urbanarea, while the city was further fortified with surroundingwalls and the so-called Lower Town (suburbium). A churchwith a cross-shaped interior and a necropolis around itwas discovered on the highest and most dominant part ofthe Fortress, in the southeast part of the city. According towritten records, other churches stood there as well, insidethe Skopje Fortress, dated to the same period.In 1391, Skopje was captured by the Ottomans, whodestroyed the city and parts of the city ramparts. After theseevents, the Fortress was used for other purposes and servedas a military barracks. The buildings and the entire culturalinventory that have been discovered and which are datedto this period reflect activities customary for a fortress thatserved this purpose.2 3Dragi MitrevskiBibiliography: A.Deroko, Sredwevekovni grad Skopqe, Spomenik SANU 120,Beograd 1971; Mikul~i}, Staro Skopje so okolnite tvrdini, Makedonska kniga,Skopje 1982; I. Mikul~i}, Srednovekovni gradovi i tvrdini, MANU Kniga 5,Skopje 1996; Mikul~i}, Anti~ki gradovi vo Makedonija, MANU Kniga 8, Skopje1999; D. Mitrevski, Skopska Tvrdina-Revival, Muzej na grad Skopje, Skopje 2007.418 archaeological sites 19

site: Scupilocation: village of Zlokukani nr. SkopjeSCUPICOLONIA FLAVIASCUPINORUMScupi is one of the largest Roman cities in the Balkanswith the status of a colony. It is situated 5 km northwest ofSkopje, near Zlokukani, on the southwest slope of ZajčevRid, left of the site where the river Lepenec flows into theVardar. Its precise location was identified by Arthur Evansin 1883. Continuity of life on this site has been confirmedfrom the Bronze and Iron Ages to the 6th century BC. Thebeginnings of this city are linked with the incursions of theRoman legions in the late 1st century BC and the foundingof the province of Moesia in 15 AD. The question concerningits previous status, i.e., whether it was a civilian settlementor a legion camp, remains open. During the Flavian dynasty,probably during the reign of Domitian, in 84/5 it acquired thestatus of a self-governing deductive colony (Colonia FlaviaScupinorum) with the settling of veterans, mainly those fromLegio VII Claudia. The original settlement was transformedinto a complex Roman urban city with all the administrative,civilian and religious facilities and structures which the newconditions and circumstances required. It developed as animportant administrative, economic, cultural, religious andtransit centre of the province Moesia Superior. There is areference to Stobi in Ptolemy in the 2nd century. DuringMarcus Aurelius, in 170, the Dacian Costoboci passedthrough it during their incursions towards Aegea. In 268/69 itwas ravaged by the fierce hordes of Goths and Heruls/Eruli.In the late 3rd century it became the metropolis of the newlyestablished province of Dardania, and in the 4th century itexperienced once again great economic and urban growth.In the Tabula Peutingeriana (4th century) it is marked witha vignette as the province capital. During his stay in Stobiin 379 and 388, Emperor Theodosius I issued two imperialedicts. The city was probably not spared during the ravagingincursions of the Huns in 447. Between the 4th and 6thcenturies it was an episcopal and metropolitan see. In 518it was destroyed in a disastrous earthquake recorded in theChronicle of Marcellinus Comes. After the renewal in the6th century, urban life eventually ceased towards the end ofthe century, during Mauricius (582/3). It survived as a smallrural settlement until the 10th and 11th centuries.Its urban features, the infrastructure and the high level of120 archaeological sites 21

2563 47 8 9communal living (water supply, drainage system, developedstreet grid with paved streets, public baths, floor heating,floor mosaics, decorated walls, paned windows) placeStobi at the highest civilizational scale among the Romanprovincial cities.The surrounding walls are in the form of an irregularrectangle (738 x 590 m), covering a surface of 43 hectares.The city plan has an orthogonal design. The streets, pavedwith massive stone slabs, run parallel with the rampartwalls (SW/NE/NW/SE) and intersect at a right angle. Thepavements are separated with curbs and are covered withporticos. Under and by the streets there is a sewage systemfor waste water, as well as a complex grid of clay and leadpipes for the supply of clear water. Throughout its historicaldevelopment, the city preserved its basic urban plan, withthe same orientation of the building complexes and otherstructures, despite the fact that the dimensions and purposeof the city quarters changed in different periods. In terms ofits urban design, judging from the scope of its exploration,these urban features are especially characteristic of the LateAntique Period (late 3rd and the 4th centuries.)Several building complexes and structures have beencompletely or partially explored: the theatre (a grandiosestructure with the unearthed contours of the skena,the theatre building and the auditorium, with luxuriousarchitectural marble decoration) which belongs to theRoman type of theatres, built during Hadrian in the 2ndcentury; a horeum (a large-size public building which servedas a warehouse, built between the late 3rd and early 4thcenturies); a city villa/domus (a private house with wallsresplendently decorated with frescoes and private floorheating, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries); a civilianbasilica (a representative and monumental public buildingwith lavish architectural marble decoration and a mosaicfloor, built in the 4th century); a city bath (a public buildingwith floor heating and sections for hot and cold baths,built in the period between the 4th and 5th centuries); athree-nave Early Christian basilica with a baptistery on thesouth side, dating from the period between the 5th and 6thcenturies); a small housing complex (private houses fromthe 6th century); several structures of unidentified purposeand part of the street grid ( the cardo maximus, a crossroadswith two decumani, another cardo and a decumanus fromthe period between 4th and 6th centuries).The necropolises and other auxiliary buildings are outsidethe city walls. Approximately 1,000 graves from thesoutheast and northwest necropolises have been explored,which date from the period between the 1st and the 4thcenturies, as well as parts of the Antique bridge across theriver Vardar, a private villa and a Christian basilica in thevillage of Bardovci.Lenče JovanovaBibiliography: I. Mikul~i}, Skopje so okolnite tvrdini, Skopje 1982; B.Dragojevi} Josifovska, Inscriptions de la Mésie Supérieure (IMS), vol. VI, Scupi etla région de Kumanovo, Beograd 1982; D. Kora~evi}, SKUPI, Gradska teritorija,Skopje 2002.22 archaeological sites 23

site: Antique settlement of Tauresiumlocation: village of Taor nr. SkopjeTauresiumThe Antique settlement of Tauresium is situated in theimmediate vicinity of Taor, the village approximately 20 kmS/E of Skopje.Today, the village of Taor can be reached from twodirections. The first direction is from the south and itconnects it with the city of Skopje via the bridge across theriver Vardar and the village of Orešani, while the secondroute is 3.5 km long, and the village is connected on itssoutheast side with the main road E 75.In Roman times, these two directions from which thesettlement could be accessed represented the main roadalong the flow of the Vardar (Via Axia) that ran along thenorth side of the settlement, which stretched from Scupi,through Stobi and to Salonica.This Antique settlement was first recorded by the Englishexplorer, archaeologist and travel writer Arthur Evansmore than one hundred years ago. On that occasion, hevisited both Scupi and this settlement, identifying thelatter as Tauresium, the native town of Emperor JustinianI (527-565), to which the Antique writer Procopius alsorefers.Archaeological exploration of this site began in 2000 by theSkopje City Museum and has continued to this day. Today,this settlement is known as Gradište and is situated on thesoutheast periphery of the village of Taor, standing on ahigh hill that has an acropolis and two terraces, covering atotal area of 1.6 hectares.On the basis of archaeological exploration that has beencarried out, three cultural horizons can be identified:prehistoric, Late Antique and early mediaeval.The prehistoric cultural horizon belongs to the EarlyBronze Age and is dated to ca. 2200 to 1700 BC. Itsexistence has been confirmed with several finds of smallstone axes, short flint knives and a number of fragmentsof ceramic vessels, which were excavated in the Antiquelayers.The presence of a Late Antique cultural horizon hasbeen confirmed with numerous movable archaeologicalfinds and various buildings. Two phases can be clearlyidentified in the stratigraphy of this horizon. The first124 archaeological sites 25

3425 6phase lasted from the 4th century to the early 6thcenturies, that is, until the disastrous earthquake of 518,and the second phase, in the period after the earthquakeuntil the end of the 6th century.The exploration of the first phase revealed remains ofonly one structure built of stone and mud used as bindingmaterial. In this period, the settlement had no defensiveramparts.In the second phase, after the earthquake of 518, thesettlement was practically completely renewed, adefensive wall was built, as well as a water supply anddrainage system.As a consequence of the several raids of Avars and Slavsin the late 6th century, life in this settlement becameextinct.The early mediaeval cultural horizon marks only a shortperiod of existence. After a hiatus of two centuries, life inthis settlement was renewed in the 9th and 10th centuries.The explorations that have been carried out on this siterevealed a large number of movable archaeologicalfinds. They include numerous fragments of ceramicvessels, fragments of glassware, window panes, jewellery(earrings, fibulae, rings), bone artifacts, weapons, parts ofmilitary equipment, tools, objects from construction work,parts of locks and keys, about 250 coins, etc.In addition to these finds, fragments of architectural stoneelements, such as several marble columns with bases,capitals and capitals decorated with Early Christian motifshave also been discovered as part of the first building.In our opinion, the most significant find among thosethat have been discovered thus far is the fragment of themouth and neck of a pythos (storage vessel). The mouth ofthe pythos is decorated with the seal which is, in fact, themonogram of Emperor Justinian I.This monogram corroborates the one hundred years oldthesis of Sir Arthur Evans that the settlement near thevillage of Taor is the Antique Tauresium, the native town ofJustinian I.Kiro RistovBibliography: Evans A., Antiquarian Researches in Illyricum, Part IV, Scupi, Scopiaand the Birthplace of Justinian, Archaeology, Vol 49, 1, London 1885, 208-246;Mikul~i} I., Staro Skopje so okolnite tvrdini, Skopje 1982, 103-106; Ristov K.,Gradi{te-Taor, Preliminaren izve{taj od istra`uvawata vo 2000-2004 godina,Maced. acta archaeol. 17, Skopje 2006, 215-230.26 archaeological sites 27

site: Castel above the river Pčinjalocation: nr. SkopjeCASTELABOVE THERIVER PČINJAToday, the Castel above the river Pčinja is on the present-dayterritory of the Republic of Macedonia, 26 km southeast fromthe centre of Skopje, by the motorway Skopje-Thessaloniki.The settlement is situated on the orthographic line whichmarks the point where the mountain ranges of Mt.Šaraand the Rodopes meet; hence, its dramatic and disastrousgeological history persists to this day.The prehistory of the Castel is mystical and difficult todetermine; therefore, until recently, researchers have beenunable to unravel its genesis. The waves of the river Pčinjaand the conquerors who burned it down during their raidsoften changed its colours and the structure of its population.Around 3500 BC, the insignificant village with its namelessdwellers was forced to dig trenches and erect palisades inorder to protect themselves from the raiders who came fromthe north. The answer to the question whether the land tillersand goat breeders by the river Pčinja belonged to the Briguesor were culturally close to them remains illegible on thehistorical pages. The few fragments of ceramic vessels thathave been discovered, earlier in date than 1000 BC, come fromthe ceramic ware from which the members of the Paeoniantribes ate, vessel from which they fed, those Paeonians whofought on the side of the Trojans in the wars against theAchaians. As one of the northwest settlements which borderedwith Dardania, the Paeonian settlement was undoubtedlyadministratively dependant on the urban centre of Bylazorabuilt approximately 20 km from this site.Its Macedonian period, from the 4th century BC to the 1stcentury AD, as well as its Roman period and the period untilthe 4th century are still veiled in mystery. As a castellion,this settlement acquired its strategic importance and playedan important role in the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries due tothe control it had over the Antique and mediaeval road fromThessalonica to Scupi (Skopje). In the fortress, the Christianpopulation built a church in which it prayed until the early7th century, when it was conquered by the barbarian tribesfrom the north. The church site itself is impressive and aweinspiring,as it leaves the impression that it hovers above theriver Pčinja. The stone mobiliary that has been discoveredon this site testifies to the inventiveness, creativity and greatoriginality of the stonemasons’ feeling for artistic expression.At the same time, the local bakers, blacksmiths and tradersled their daily lives on the tall cliffs near the Acropolis. Itshould be noted that only 5 km north of the castellion standsBederiana, the native village of the Byzantine Emperor Justin I(518-527), the uncle of the great Justinian I (527-565).From the 7th to the 11th centuries this settlement andfortress fell into oblivion and was covered with the darknessof the Middle Ages. The revival of the Byzantine Empire inthe 11th century restored it to life and the castellion gainedin significance once again, a phase which persisted until theOttoman conquest in the late 14th century. It is highly probablethat once a monastery stood on this site, a fact recorded in theimperial documents kept today in he Russian monastery of St.Panteleimon on Mount Athos. According to a document whichdates from the 14th century, Jacob, metropolitan of Serres,was endowed with the monastery and the surroundingterritory and property as an imperial gift, and was in chargeof its administration. In all probability, he spent the last yearsof his life in a cell hewn in a cave under the steepest andsouthernmost cliffs at the foot of the castel.In the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of the castellion were buriedon the westernmost stretch of land above the river Pčinja, thesite where their graves have been discovered, as well as a2 3 4church in which the last rites for the deceased were performed.The kastrophylax had the best and most privileged view ofthe surrounding area, who administered the region from thehighest pirg (tower). The tower and the residential area arethe most impressive architectural complex which, today, canhardly be overlooked or ignored by the visitors; it is also verylikely that they included chambers for concubines.Kiril TrajkovskiBibiliography: С. Новаковић, Законски споменици српских држава средњег века,Београд 1912, 694, 701; Т. Томоски, Овче Поле во средниот век. Год. Зб. На Ф.Ф., 4 (30) Скопје 1978, 243-265; И. Микулчиќ, Летевци, Скопје, Археолошка картана Р. Македонија, Т. II. Скопје, 1996, 375. I. Mikul~i}, Staro Skopje so okolnitetvrdini, Skopje 1982, 91-92, 133-135; I.Mikul~i}, Srednovekovni gradovi itvrdini vo Makedonija, kniga 5, Makedonski civilizacii, Skopje 1996, 290-292.128 archaeological sites 29

site: Stobilocation: Gradsko, nr. VelesSTOBIThe archaeological site of Stobi is situated in the central partof the Republic of Macedonia, in the area where the river CrnaReka (the Antique Erigon) flows into the river Vardar (Axios).Since it was an important Antique crossroads, Stobi wasmarked on the Tabula Peutingeriana; therefore, in the middleof the 19th century, the European explorers easily establishedits position. Archaeological explorations began in World War Iand, with certain interruptions, continue to this day.Although in scholarly circles Stobi is primarily known as anAntique and Early Roman city, archaeological finds testify tothe fact that the site was settled continually since prehistorictimes. The deepest layers have yielded fragments of ceramicvessels with typological and stylistic characteristics of theLate Bronze and Early Iron Ages (13th to 9th centuriesBC). Specimens of ceramics and bronze jewellery fromthe advanced Iron Age (8th to 6th centuries BC) have beendiscovered on a number of locations, while certain graveofferings date from the Classical Antique period and thecenturies that followed.The earliest reference to Stobi in written records can befound in Titus Livius, the Roman historian, who records themilitary victory of the Macedonian king Philip V over theDardanian invaders “near Stobi” in 197 BC. According toLivius, Stobi was “an ancient city,” a claim that has beenconfirmed by modern archaeology.Immediately after the conquest of Macedonia by the Romansin 168 BC, Stobi became the centre of salt trade for the cattlebreeders of the northern regions. At that time, the city wasstill situated only on the highest point of the site, coveringa small surface of 3.5 to 4 hectares. At the time of OctavianAugustus, it rapidly spread, covering a surface of 20 hectares;now a fortified city, it acquired the status of an oppidiumcivium Romanorum, while as early as in 69 it already had theadministrative rank of a municipium, a fact confirmed by thecopper coins minted in the city itself, which minted coins aslate as in the 3rd century.During the Early Roman Empire and in its middle period,Stobi experienced rapid economic growth. It was in thisperiod that the most exquisite buildings were erected: theCity Gate with a triumphal arch, the resplendent houseknown as Casa Romana with coloured stucco decorationand frescoes, the monumental theatre built of white marblewith red veins, the mysterious Arched Building also known asthe Forum, in whose numerous niches stood gilded marblestatues of deities (perhaps a Pantheon), architectural andcult architectural marble decorations on temples and otherpublic buildings. The Jewish community in Stobi also builttheir synagogue. The overall prosperity and wellbeing wereviolently interrupted with the onslaughts and plunderingof the Heruls/Eruli and Goths in 267/269. The city slowlyrecovered, while its urban features changed in LateAntiquity, acquiring the urban characteristics of the East130 archaeological sites 31

2Mediterranean type, with the irregular grid of city quartersand large houses with interior peristyle courts decoratedwith resplendent fountains and mosaic floors. The housesof the collector Partenius, the Jewish rabbi Policharmosiusand of Peristerius, the buildings known as the Casino, theEpiscopal Residence and the North Palace, together with thepublic bath at the centre of the city, the street Via Sacra andthe renewed fortification characterize this period.Stobi became an influential city in the Early Christian periodas an episcopal centre which played an important role inthe establishment of the new state religion. Bishop Budioswas present at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, whileother church registers and inscriptions discovered in the cityreveal the names of six other bishops from Stobi. Four EarlyChristian churches have been discovered in the city andthree other churches outside the city walls. The majority ofthem have baptisteries. Among them, the largest and themost resplendent is the basilica of Bishop Philip from thefirst half of the 5th century, built above an earlier church,through two chronological phases. It is well known thatduring his stay in Stobi, Emperor Theodosius I issued twoedicts that strictly regulated religious issues; however, theteachings of the learned philosopher Joannes Stobaeuswho had still preached the old spiritual tradition have alsobeen recorded.During the 5th and 6th centuries Stobi was exposed todestruction several times. In 447 it was conquered andburned down by the Huns, in 479 it was looted by the hordes3432 archaeological sites 33

5 8of Theodoric the Great, king of the East Goths and it wasstruck by an earthquake in the early 6th century; it continuedto exist, but without its former urban features. A number ofhidden hoards with coins dating from the eighth and ninthdecades of the 6th century represent the last specimens ofmaterial evidence for the life in Stobi, whose fall into oblivionand cessation of life coincide with the incursions of theKutrigurs, Avars and Slavs in the Balkan region.Zoran Georgiev6 7Bibiliography: B. Saria, Iskopavawe u Stobi, Glasnik Skopskog nau~nog dru{tva I,Skopje 1925, 287-299; J.Wiseman and Dj. Mano-Zissi, Excavations at Stobi, 1970., AmericanJournal of Archaeology, Vol.75, Washington 1971, 395-411; J.Wiseman, Stobi, vodi~ nizanti~kiot grad, Ostin-Beograd 1973; Ivan Mikul~i}, Stobi, Magor, Skopje 2003.934 archaeological sites 35

site: Neolithic Settlement Vrbjanska Čukalocation: village of Slavej, nr. PrilepVRBJANSKAČUKAThe site of Vrbjanska Čuka near the village of Slavejwas discovered in 1977 and is famous for a monumental‘sacrificial altar’ discovered in a village house. Thesettlement, a fairly large, artificial mound rising 2.80 mabove the surrounding terrain, is situated approximately2 km south of the modern road Prilep-Kruševo.Archaeological research was carried out between 1979and 1989. It revealed a Neolithic settlement of themound type. A number of dwelling places and parts ofhouses were discovered, damaged by a large number ofmediaeval pits. Characteristic of the Neolithic period arelavishly manufactured vessels, red baked, crudely madevessels and a variety of cult objects/sacrificial altars.Of special interest is the vessel in the form of a tortoisedecorated with many geometrical, circular red andwhite ornaments. In the Neolithic circle of Pelagonia,the tortoise was a totem, venerated because it carriesits ‘house’ and always lives in it. This resulted with theemergence of the cult of the Great Mother, the basiccult of the Neolithic in Macedonia, with characteristicsacrificial altars.In House no. 1 in this Neolithic settlement, an objectwas discovered which is, according to scholarly opinion,a sacrificial altar of cult character. That is why it wasbelieved that the house was a shrine intended for theneeds of the population of the settlement, and that theobject represents part of a complex system of libationreceptacles.Its construction is complex, and consists of fivequadrangular structures. The larger quadrangularstructure (basin), 2 x 2 m in size, is built of massiveearthen walls, open on the front side, while the cornersare finely profiled, with prominent pilasters. On one ofthe lateral sides, a small plastic detail is connected withfour lateral shallow receptacles arranged in a row, asin the small sacrificial altars of the table type, whichresembles the capital letter M. This detail can be seenon the lateral side of the figure of the Great Mother ona throne with leopards from Çatal Höyük I, the ceramicsacrificial altar from Stenče (Gostivar) and otherspecimens. The four lateral receptacles stand on a jointbase, with their bottoms on only slightly different levels.Their total length is 2 m, and in some of them there aretraces of burning. Numerous shallow water vessels andshells have been discovered near these structures.Recent scholarly research, based on new archaeologicalevidence and analogies, maintains that the structurehad a utilitarian purpose. It is highly probable that thefour lateral recipients served as basins, used for thedesalinization of the water in which cooking salt wascrystallized. Similar structures from the site of TumbaMadžari and Stenče were used for the same purpose.The analysis of the crust from the basin on the site ofTumba Madžari indicates that it is composed of salts.Salt is irreplaceable in the life of people and domesticanimals and, perhaps, the owner of this structure inVrbjanska Čuka produced domestic salt.With certain interruptions, this site was also settledin the Roman and mediaeval periods. Numerousfragments of ceramic vessels and roof tiles (tegulae),metal objects and coins unearthed during theexcavations testify to this fact. It was inhabited from themiddle of the 3rd to the 7th centuries.The six graves without finds that have been discoveredon this site date from the mediaeval period. More than60 circular pits have been discovered which, judgingfrom the archaeological finds discovered in them,probably served for the storage of food. They are alsodated to the mediaeval period.The results from the exploration of the Neolithicsettlement of Vrbjanska Čuka that have been carriedout thus far include it among the most importantarchaeological sites in Pelagonia from the Neolithicperiod, that is, from the 6th millennium BC. Thearchaeological finds from this site are exhibited in theNational Museum in Prilep.Dragiša ZdravkovskiBibliography: J.Todorovi}, D.Simoska, B.Kitanoski, Osvrt vrz rezultatiteod arheolo{kite istra`uvawa na praistorijata vo Pelagonija, Zbornik natrudovi 6-7-8, Zavod, Muzej i Galerija – Bitola 1987; B.Kitanoski, Vrbjanska^uka, neolitskata naselba, Arheološki pregled 28 (1987), Ljubljana 1989, 47;Kitanoski B. Simoska D.Jovanović B. 1990 Die Kulturplatz auf der fundstatteVrbjanska Čuka bei Prilep, Vin~a i wen svet, Beograd, 107-111; A.Mitkoski,2005Vrbjanska ^uka kaj seloto Slavej, Prilepsko, Zbornik Arheologija 2, Skopje,.35-37; D.Zdravkovski,2006, Geneza i razvoj na Anzabegovo-vr{ni~kata kulturnagrupa,(doktorska disertacija), Skopje, 104.136 archaeological sites 37

site: Styberralocation: village of Čepigovo, nr. PrilepstYbeRraThe remains of the city of Styberra lie 16 km west of Prilep,at the mouth of the river Blato, where it flows into theriver Crna Reka (Erigon). The earliest reference to this citycomes from Polybius, and more detailed information isfound in Livy and Strabo, who says that Styberra stands atthe river Erigon and belongs to the Derrones. The ancientitineraria refer to the fact that Styberra is situated by theroad Stobi-Heraclea. In the Tabula Peuntigeriana, Styberrais not mentioned; however, in the Ravenna Geographerit is mentioned as Istubera, among the cities mentionedin the following order: Eristion, Ceramiae, Istubera andHeraclea.The first archaeological research was carried out byN. Vulić in 1924. More detailed data on the existenceof a large Antique settlement was obtained with thearchaeological research carried out in 1953 by theArchaeological Museum of Macedonia. Since the 1980s,the Institute and Museum in Prilep have been carryingout archaeological explorations of the open sites andconservation of the remains of the discovered structures.Archaeological research of the hill known as Bedemrevealed parts of a Hellenistic rampart, the temple of thegoddess Tyche and part of the complex of the Gymnasion.The Hellenistic city rampart, 3 m thick, whose remainshave been discovered in the north and west parts of thehill, is made of broken local stone and built with thetechnique of dry-stone wall building. The temple of thegoddess Tyche, the patroness of the city, stands on thewest side of the hill, on one of the terraces which steeplydescend from east to west. It is solid in structure, withmassive walls made of broken stone, bricks and limemortar, 10 x 10 m in size. The temple has a semicircularniche in the east wall and lateral niches in the southand north walls that bear inscriptions which refer to thedonors. Portrait busts of Orestes and Phyloxenes, fatherand son, the prominent citizens of Styberra and the cultsculpture of the infant Bacchus have been discovered inthe temple. The inscription in the central niche refers tothe renewal of the temple in the 2nd century, i.e., in 126 AD,with the donation made by Anthestia Fusca.On the lowest terrace, which gradually unfolds to the flatpart of Bedem Hill and towards the river Blato, part of theremnants of the Gymnasion, a public building, have beenexcavated. The structures that have been explored are theperistyle with the atrium, a semicircular exedra, a heroonand a temenos which cover the surface of ca. 1,000 m2.These structures are made of broken stone and brick, withlime mortar used as binding material and are covered withtegulae and imbrices. In the heroon and temenos which,on the east side, stand on the remnants of the Hellenisticrampart, the largest number of marble monuments andcult and portrait architectural stone elements has been138 archaeological sites 39

site: Markovi Kulilocation: PrilepmarkovikuliThe site of Markovi Kuli, the most visible remnant amongthe mediaeval monuments in the Republic of Macedonia,stands on the granite rocks on the north periphery of thecity of Prilep, above the suburbium of Varoš.Markovi Kuli and its suburbium Varoš were an importantmediaeval social, economic and cultural centre whosehistorical development can be traced through the materialevidence and historical records. The fortress and the nameof Prilep are first mentioned in written historical records inthe short history by Iona Skilica and in the sigillions of theByzantine Emperor Basil II in the early 11th century.The first archaeological explorations of Markovi Kuli andits suburbium, as well as of the area of the present-daysettlement of Varoš began in 1958; these excavationsrevealed that this site was settled without interruptionsover an extended period of time. Remains from thecultural strata from the Late Neolithic to the 19th centuryhave been discovered on the granite rocks of Markovi Kuli,its suburbium and Varoš.The most impressive material evidence from the mediaevalperiod on this site are the remains of the three rampartwalls that surrounded the fortress of Markovi Kuli, thestructure with which the present-day city of Prilep isidentified and whose hallmark it has become.It stands on several terraces made of natural granitemassif with four peaks: Čardak, Krupnik, Tapanče andGrebnik. The earliest traces of building, destructionand reconstruction have been recorded on the highest,northeast part of Čardak, which date from the 3rd and 2ndcenturies BC, the period linked with Roman-Macedonianwars. In the Middle Ages, it developed and expanded. Itacquired its present-day appearance with three rows ofdefensive ramparts with low walls and loopholes duringthe Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II. It lost its strategicimportance after the death of King Marko. In 1395, theOttomans conquered Prilep and positioned their smallmilitary unit on the acropolis. In the mid-16th century,the citadel was completely abandoned as a fortification,and some of its structures served different purposes. Thelast traces of construction work done on some of thesestructures date from the 16th and 17th centuries.The fortification walls follow the rocky configuration of theterrain and practically completely blend in with the relief,utilizing it and using the inaccessible massive graniterocks as support. The fortification has several towersrectangular, square and circular in form. Remains ofdwelling and other auxiliary structures have been recordedat all three levels within the surrounding rampart walls.The most impressive among them are the several cisternswhich supplied the fortress with water and the largerepresentative building near the Main Gate; this palacelikebuilding, which dates from the 10th century, hasseveral chambers and covers a relatively large surface.The remnants of a mediaeval settlement consisting ofwooden huts dating from the 10th and 11th centuries havealso been discovered on the granite rocks of Markovi Kuli.At the foot of this granite massif, a necropolis has alsobeen discovered, as well as a site that must have been acentre of social and political life, to which a throne carvedin stone bears witness.After the fall of Samoil’s state, in the 11th century andin the first half of the 12th century, the settlement fromMarkovi Kuli was relocated at the foot of the massifand to Varoš, in the area of and around the churches ofSt. Nicholas, St. Demetrius and St. Athanasius. Fromthe middle of the 12th century, under the influence ofByzantine style of building, in the settlement underMarkovi Kuli, the builders began to use stone, brickand sun-dried brick, with clay and lime mortar used asbinding materials. In the period between the 12th and14th centuries, feudal castles were built on its west andsouth terraces. Among these structures, one unit hasbeen explored, with remnants of a residential and an1 2auxiliary building, a stable , a blacksmith’s workshop anda castle chapel. The 12th and especially the 13th and 14thcenturies are characterized by intensive building of sacralstructures. In the area of the mediaeval Prilep and Varoš,several churches were built which testify to the fact thatthe city under Markovi Kuli was an important spiritualcentre in Macedonia.Markovi Kuli, the spacious terraces of its suburbium andthe settlement of Varoš reflect the life in the prominentmediaeval city of Prilep which reached its full bloom in thesecond half of the 13th century and the first half of the14th century. After the death of King Marko in the late 14thcentury, the life in the city under Markovi Kuli graduallyceased, and a new settlement was formed on the plain onthe northeast edge of the Pelagonija Valley.Liljana KepeskaBibiliography: B. Babi}, Materijalnata kultura na Makedonskite Sloveni vosvetlinata na arheolo{kite iskopuvawa vo Prilep, Prilep 1986; A. Deroko,Markovi Kuli - grad Prilep, Starinar V - VI, Beograd 1954/1955; K. Kepeski,Prilep i Prilepsko od elenisti~kiot do ranovizantiskiot period, Prilep iPrilepsko niz istorijata, kn. 1, del II , glava I - III, Prilep 1971; L. Kepeska, Prilepend Marko’s Towers, Macedonian newsmagazine- archeology in Macedonia, 1992.42 archaeological sites 43

site: Heraclea Lyncestislocation: BitolaHERACLEA LYNCESTISThe Antique city of Heraclea Lyncestis is situated on thesouth side of the city of Bitola, in its immediate vicinity.The antique ruins of Heraclea provoked scholarly interestin the early 19th century.Diplomatic representatives were especially active in thisdomain, and this site was an important part of their dailyactivity.The favourable geographic features and historicalcircumstances contributed to the superiority of Heracleaduring the Antique period.The city lies in a fertile plain, in the ancient region ofLyncestis, protected from the north by Mt. Baba andthe small river Siva Voda on the south. From timeimmemorial, a road (known as the road of Candavia) ledthrough it which, during the Roman period, substitutedthe most famous road of the classical epoch, the ViaEgnatia that linked the Adriatic and Aegean coasts. It wasrecorded as an important stop in a number of itineraria,such as Itinerarium Antonini and Itinerarium Birdigalense,while in Tabula Peutingeriana and the anonymousgeographer of Ravenna refers to it as a stop on the roadHeraclea-Stobi.The emergence of this, the most important city inAntique Macedonia, is linked with the name of Philip II ofMacedonia, in mid-4th century BC.Towards the middle of the 2nd century, the Romansconquered Macedonia and subdued its political power,turning it into a province and partitioning it into fourregions. Despite such a situation, Heraclea, whichbecame part of the fourth region, experienced a degreeof prosperity. In the first three centuries of the new era, itacquired the status of a Roman colony. This is confirmedby an inscription on a marble base dating from the 3rdcentury AD, which includes a reference to the name ofSeptimia Aurelia Heraclea.In terms of its physiognomy in the Roman period, severalstructures from the 2nd century AD have been discoveredthat convey the spirit of the times: the Thermae, thePortico of the Court House with an impressive framedinscription from Hesiod’s Works and Days, and the144 archaeological sites 45

2 34ingenious feat of Roman architecture, the Theatre, wherethe strict construction rules of Vitruvius are incorporatedto perfection. It is a relatively small structure (twenty rowsof seats) which could take in 2,500 spectators, with theNemesion above the uppermost row.Heraclea experienced its most glorious period andflourishing when it stepped on the path of the cross andbecame a prominent Episcopal See. The reference tothe bishops (Eugarius, Quintilius and Benignus fromthe period between the 4th and 6th centuries AD) andtheir participation in the church councils, as well as theensemble of the unique architectural achievements, theSmall Basilica, the Great Basilica, the Episcopal Residenceand the City Fountain built by Bishop John on the occasionof the 35th anniversary of the reign of the energeticEmperor Justinian clearly testify to this fact.Perhaps the most mystifying and most impressive featureof Heraclea are the floor mosaics done in a variety oftechniques (tessalatum and sectile), which cover thesurface of ca. 1,300 m2.All the mosaics in Heraclea possess unique beauty, but themasterpiece of Early Christian art is the floor mosaic in thenarthex of the Great Basilica. It is a genuine testimony tothe Christian faith; in its symbolic language we can identifythe ancient alphabet of the Christian religious system.The city of Heraclea did not enjoy long the fruits of itsGolden Age. The dark age of barbarism came about withthe onslaughts of Avars and Slavs. They did not settle it,but scattered around it and interrupted forever the city’surban life that had gathered all kinds of experiences overthe centuries.Anica Gjorgjievska5 6 7 8Bibiliography: Herakleja I, Naroden muzej Bitola , 1961; Herakleja II, Odbor zaHeraklea,Bitola 1965; Tome Janakievski, Teatar - monografija, Bitola 1987;Gordana Toma{evi} Cvetkovi}, Ranovizantiski podni mozaici, Beograd 1978;Vesna Kalpakovska, Anica \or|ievska, @ivotot vo Heraklea Linkestis prekuepigrafskite spomenici, monografija, Bitola, 2003; Anica \or|ievska, Patotniz vremeto na Heraklea Linkestis, monografija,Bitola 2007.46 archaeological sites 47

site: Golem Gradlocation: the island of Golem Grad on the Prespa LakeGOLEM GRADThe explorations of the old settlement on the islandof Golem Grad began in 1967. This extraordinary site,far from the ancient and modern roads, testifies to anextended period of time during which man either lived orstayed there, from the beginning of the 1st millenniumuntil the Middle Ages.The island, which covers a surface of 20 hectares, isa large cliff which rises 30 m above the surface of thewater. It lies at the junction of three borders betweenthe Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Greece. Theearliest artifacts, ceramic vessels and stone weapons,are indicative of the presence of the Neolithic man. Lifeon the island intensified later, in the Late Bronze andEarly Iron Ages, probably because of the abundance offish. However, it is evident that from Early Antiquity, i.e.,from the beginning of the 4th century BC, the island waspermanently settled. The small village settlement, whichbelonged to the Macedonian tribe of Orestes, was the siteof especially vivid everyday life in the period between the4th and 1st centuries BC. Burials with grave offerings ofgold and silver jewellery, coins from Tanagra in Boeotia,of the Chalcidice League and Histiaia from the island ofEuboea, of the Macedonian rulers Philip II, AntigonusGonat, Pyrrhus of Epirus and the cities of Pella, AdriaticApollonia and Durrachion date from this period. The richand varied numismatic assortment points to the strongeconomic and trading ties that the population from thissettlement had with the Balkans.The settlement which dates from the 3rd and 2nd centuriesoccupies the central area of the island, between themediaeval churches of St. Demetrius and St. Peter. Thehouses were built of wood and mud, i.e., the wall canvaseswere made of intertwined wild juniper twigs which grows inabundance in the region of Prespa, and were covered withstraw, a building technique that persisted until the mid-20thcentury in the settlements on the lake shores. The houseswere also covered with tegulae, which were discoveredduring the excavations, with the inscription and mark of thecraftsmen who made them, which reads KRITOLAOU andPREURATOU.148 archaeological sites 49

2In the Roman period, life continued with building housesof stone and mortar, especially characteristic of the 4thcentury onwards, which now stand on the south side of theisland. A cistern which leans on the cliffs on the southeastedge of the island dates from he same period. It is built ofstone and hydraulic mortar, while rainwater was collectedthrough canals that were built into the north wall of thestructure. Despite the abundance of water which surroundsthe island, it was obviously simpler to collect and use thewater on the plateau where the settlement stood.Two churches were built on the island in the EarlyChristian period. The abandonment of paganism and the3 45 6acceptance of the new faith reached this small island,too. It can be seen in the funerary customs and churchbuilding. In addition to the pagan custom of the cremationof the deceased that survived into the 4th century, burialsby inhumation are present as well. The large number ofgraves dating from the period between the 4th and the7th centuries indicates that the population on the islandincreased at that time.Among the sacral buildings, of special interest is thesingle-nave basilica with a narthex and lateral annexeswhich was decorated with a mosaic in front of the mainentrance to the altar. It is undoubted that the baptismalrites were held here. The small fragment of the mosaicis an indication of superiority: the donor, the memberof the congregation, obviously wished to replicate thebasilicas from the then great Christian urban centres. TheChristianized population began to bury their deceased inthe vicinity of this church.The entire Roman period can be traced through the coins,necropolises, gold and silver jewellery excavated on thissite, but the finds dating from the period between the 4thand 6th centuries are present in larger numbers.The settlement was not renewed in the Middle Ages. Thisperiod was a period of monastic life and intensive churchbuilding; thus far, six churches have been registered andstudies, including the two Early Christian ones as well.Burials continued in the vicinity of the two churches, thoseof St. Peter and St. Demetrius. Two more churches werebuilt in the 13th and 14th centuries, one on the southlake shore at Vlaija, and the other, above the cistern,where the altar space and the vestibule were formed. Allthe churches were decorated with frescoes in the 14thcentury. The best preserved are those in the Church of St.Peter. Among them, of special interest is the illustrationof the Akathistos, i.e., the Hymn to the Holy Mother ofGod, which depicts the earliest illustration of the Siegeof Constantinople by the Persians: by dropping the HolyRobe of the Holy Mother of God from the ramparts, thecity was saved. This impressive scene is depicted on thesouth wall on the exterior wall of the church. Burials of thedeceased from the surrounding settlements on the lakeshores also continued near the Church of St. Demetrius asa consecrated site until the late 14th century.Vera Bitrakova GrozdanovaBibiliography: Vera Bitrakova Grozdanova, Iskopuvawa na Golem Grad vo1980 (rés. franç.: Les fouilles de 1980 sur ľile de Golem Grad), Macedoniae actaarchaeologica 9; Skopje 1988, 203-210; Vera Bitrakova Grozdanova, Iskopuvawana Golem Grad od 1981-1986 (rés. franç.: Ľagglomération antique et médiévalede Golem Grad sur le lac de Prespa), Macrdoniae acta archaeologica 10, Skopje1989, 101-133; Vera Bitrakova Grozdanova, Golem Grad de Prespa, Spartakus II,Symposium 2002, Sandanski, Veliko Trnovo 2006, 11-20.8 910750 archaeological sites 51

site: Lychnidoslocation: OhridLYCHNIDOSOhrid, the city in the southwest part of Macedoniastanding on the north shores of Lake Ohrid (LakeLychnidos) is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Richmaterial culture has been recorded at the east footof Ohrid Hill, in the lower part of the city, by the lake,where a large palafitte settlement was discovered,which existed without interruptions from the Neolithic(Early Stone Age) to the Early Iron Age. It was built on amarshy land; today, together with the remains of thisprehistoric civilization, it is covered with 4 meters of clayand soil layers, over which the flat part of the presentdaycity of Ohrid stands. In the Late Bronze and EarlyIron Ages the hill was gradually settled on its higher,west side, the site of the part of the old city core of thepresent-day Ohrid, i.e., the area of Samuil’s Fortressand the site of Plaošnik. Namely, during the most recentarchaeological excavations, matte painted ceramicware and grave cists from the Early Iron Age (8th to 7thcenturies) from this settlement have been discovered;the finds also include artifacts known in scholarly circlesas the Macedonian bronzes. Remains of settlementsdating from this period have also been discovered in thewaters of Lake Ohrid: on the sites of Usta na Drim andVrbnik in the neighbouring city of Struga, one settlementnear Podgradec (Albania) and three other settlementson the east shores of the lake: Zalivot na Prčot (He-GoatBay) near the village of Trpejca, Zalivot na Koskite (Bayof the Bones) near the Gradište Peninsula and Zalivotna Bombite (Bay of the Bombs) near the village ofPeštani.In archaeology, the Archaic period (6th to 5th centuries)is one of the most important periods for Ohrid and itsimmediate vicinity since the famous gold ritual masksdiscovered in the necropolis of Trebeništa near thevillage of Gorenci northwest of Ohrid as early as in 1918date from this period; later, they were discovered in theperiod between 1930 and 1934; one such mask was alsodiscovered in the city of Ohrid itself, on the site of GornaPorta, during the large-scale archaeological excavationscarried out in 2002. In the graves from thesenecropolises, numerous other grave offerings made ofgold, silver, bronze, amber and ceramics that belongedto the aristocracy of the Enchelei/Enchelannes, the tribefrom the regions of Upper Macedonia, often mentionedin Antique written records, were discovered as well.At the time when the Macedonian king Philip II (358 BC)152 archaeological sites 53

2passed through Lichnida (the region near Lichnidos andLake Lychnidos), he must have noticed the strategicposition of the two hills north of the lake (Ohrid Hilland Gabavski Hill) and therefore ordered the building ofstrong ramparts/fortresses. The remains of the earliestOhrid fortress were discovered in 2001/2002 on thesite of the present-day Samuil’s Fortress, while visibleremains of ramparts built of megalithic (cyclopean)stone blocks still survive on Gabavski Hill, once themighty seat of the Enchelei/Enchelannes and later, ofother Macedonian kings as well.During the Macedonian-Hellenistic period in worldhistory (from the late 4th to the 1st centuries BC),Lychnidos was a wealthy urbanized city on the shoresof White Lake (Lake Lychnidos), near the famousAntique main road Via Egnatia. The necropolis at Deboj(the smaller east side of Ohrid Hill) and at Gorna Porta(Upper Gate, north entrance in the old part of Ohrid)explored in 1978/1979 and from 2000 to 2002, yieldednumerous archaeological artifacts made of gold, silver,bronze and ceramics, today housed as part of the goldcollection in the Robevci Museum in Ohrid. The AntiqueTheatre, which dates from the same period, is situatedat the east foot of the higher part of Ohrid Hill, nearGorna Porta; it was probably built in the 2nd centuryBC and adapted in the 2nd century AD to meet theneeds of the Roman society. Today, explored, conservedand presented to the public, it is used for spectacularperformances which are part of the cultural life of Ohridand Macedonia. West of the theatre, in its immediatevicinity, a typical ancient Macedonian tomb is fullypreserved, with steps leading to the entrance, a dromos,an antechamber and a chamber, which stood in this oldpart of Ohrid in the late 4th or early 3rd century BC. Thefirst references to the city of Lychnidos and the fortresscome from the Antique historian Livius in 209 BC, duringthe reign of the Macedonian king Philip V. This testifiesto the fact that in the late 3rd century BC the fortress5673 4854 archaeological sites 55

9 10 11had already served its purpose in all the decisivemoments in the history of the city of Lychnidos, thepresent-day Ohrid.During the Roman domination, Lychnidos was a liberagens, a city which, to a large extent, freely developed.The recently discovered mosaic floors at Plaošnik (1stcentury BC) with the depiction of a fortress with towersand various other images done in mosaic in resplendentpalaces also date from this period.The present-day appearance and scope of the fortresswere probably defined in the 4th century; today, it isevident in the opus mixtum building technique (four orin some places three rows of brick with lime mortarbetween the rows). Historical records also refer to thefact that the city fortified in this manner possessedstrong defensive power and therefore, Theodoric theAmal, king of the Goths, in 479, during his incursionsfrom Macedonia to New Epirus/Epirus nova, failed toconquer Lychnidos “because the city stood on a fortifiedpoint and abounded in water springs between itsramparts.”This was a time of basilicas as well. As in theHellenistic period, Lychnidos was now also rich inresplendent architectural structures. At Plaošnik only,on a relatively small site, ruins of three monumentalEarly Christian buildings have been discovered: atetraconch church with an atrium and a baptistery, athree-nave basilica with a narthex, an atrium and aspacious baptistery with floor mosaic depictions ofexceptional value. Another building has also beendiscovered; it is still being explored, but it can beassumed that this is an episcopal palace from theperiod when Lychnidos was, over a long time period,the episcopal centre of the province of New Epirus/Epirus nova. Today, there are five other basilicas inOhrid, a unique phenomenon at the time when EmperorJustinian I ruled the East Roman Empire.The next significant event in the history of Lychnidos/Ohrid took place in the 9th century when, for the firsttime, this city is mentioned in the historical records asAhrida. It ceased to exist as Lichnidos, and life continuedin this Slavonic-Byzantine environment under thename of Ohrid. From the time of St. Clement (late 9thand the 10th century), that is, from the time of the firstSlavonic bishop and educator, the great St. Clement ofOhrid and his outstanding educational mission, from thetime of the building of his thriconch/ trefoil church atPlaošnik, now rebuilt, and onwards, through the MiddleAges, Ohrid developed as and exceptionally importantecclesiastical centre with numerous sacral buildingswhose fresco paintings represent the peaks of the entireByzantine mediaeval art. Fresco and icon painting werethe principal treasure in the overall life of this city untilthe Archbishopric of Ohrid was abolished in 1762. Themediaeval sacral buildings, such as the CathedralChurch of St. Sophia of Ohrid (11th to 14th centuries),the Church of the Holy Mother of God Peribleptos (13thcentury) and others to this day stand as the hallmarks ofthe city of Ohrid and its glorious past.Pasko KuzmanBibiliography: F. Papazoglu, Ohridsko vo praistorijata i vo anti~kiot period,OHRID (monografija), Del vtori, Ohrid-Skopje 1985, 92 (zab.6 - Liv. XXVIII, 32, 9.);V. Bitrakova Grozdanova, Topografija i urbaniot razvoj na Lihnidos, Istorija,god. XXII, br. 2, Skopje 1986, 249-265; V. Bitrakova, Starohristijanski spomenicivo Ohridsko, Ohrid: Zavod za za{tita na spomenicite na kulturata i Narodenmuzej 1975; V. Malenko, Ranosrednovekovnata materijalna kultura vo Ohrid iOhridsko, Ohrid (monografija), kn.I, del VI, Ohrid-Skopje 1985, 269-339.12 13151456 archaeological sites 57

site: Engelanalocation: the site of St. Erasmus, nr. OhridENGELANA“Be that as it may, Philip went on his expedition andrecovered the cities I have named, and took besidesCreonium and Gerus in Dassaretis; Enchelanae, Cerax,Sation, Boei, round the Lychnidian Lake; Bantia in thedistrict of the Calicoeni; and Orgyssus in that of thePisantini.” (Polybius, 5, 108). This is the first referenceto Lake Lychnidos in written records and the firstreference to the city of Enchelanae (etymologically, thename derives from Enchelea, in ancient Macedoniantranscription, Engelana). Until recently, it has only rarelybeen identified with present-day city of Struga on theshores of Lake Ohrid. Thus, Philip II, the Macedonianking, riding with his warriors through the lands ofLychnidos in 358 BC, as a military strategist, could notbut notice the strategic positions of the two hills onthe north shores of Lake Lychnidos (Lake Ohrid), theone known as Volšeben Rid (‘Magic Hill’, present-dayOhrid) and the other, Gabavski Rid (ca. 5 km northwestof Ohrid.) Gabavski Rid rises steeply with its rusticcliffs above the site, the basilica and the Church of St.Erasmus. The strategic position of these two hills isexceptional: they both control the flat expanses by thelake and the distant horizons by the road of Candavia(the later Via Egnatia). The excavations at Samuil’sFortress/Citadel that were carried out between 2000and 2002 revealed the remnants of the earliest fortressin Ohrid, parts of the rampart and a tower built ofroughly hewn, large stone blocks that can be dated withcertainty to the 4th century BC, i.e., to the time of PhilipII. This discovery is part of the treasury of Volšeben Rid.The other treasure, Gabavski Rid, lies ca. 5 kmnorthwest of Ohrid and has yielded its cultural andhistorical past that is more than 2,4000 years old. Theposition of the steep hill with a fortress is, in fact, an‘eagle’ cliff with vistas opening to the city of Ohridand Ohrid Valley in the east, the city of Struga andthe Struga Plain in the west and to the blue waters ofLake Ohrid in the south. The remnants of the ‘stone’civilization are monumental. It was believed for yearsthat the Antique Lychnidos (present-day Ohrid) stood onthis hill, and not on its present-day site.On the basis of the results from the recentarchaeological research, it can be safely assumed thatthis was the tribal ‘capital’ of the Upper Macedoniantribe of Enchelanae/Engelanae and the ‘base camp’of the Macedonian kings of the 3rd and 2nd centuriesBC that was fortified with strong ramparts builtof megalithic blocks in the so-called Herculeanarchitectural technique. Wilhelm Unverzagt fromBerlin, Reischwitz and Keller, and Miodrag Grbićfrom the National Museum in Belgrade carried outarchaeological excavations on part of the cyclopeanramparts in 1931 and 1932, thus including this fortressin world archaeological literature. The results revealedthat in the central part of the fortress, at the highestpoint, a small acropolis-shaped space existed whichprobably served as a shelter to the ruler and his suite.In addition, the explorers discovered the space used forkeeping the pythoses, large ceramic vessels for storingfood. The west side of this cyclopic structure had thebest protection with a monumental rampart up to 2.10m wide and six impressive towers built with megalithicstone blocks among which the largest ones were 1.80by 0.90 m in size.We believe that this cyclopean structure represents oneof the most significant archaeological sites of this kindwithin the Mediterranean cultural domain. It is certain,in cultural terms, that more extensive conservationand restoration activities are required that wouldprotect, present and make functional this space. Suchexplorations would shed light on the dark archives of theancient times of Lychnidos, that Antique civilizationalexpanse by the waters of Lake Lychnidos within whosenatural borders rose Engelana, the seat of the northernMacedonian population.Pasko KuzmanBibiliography: M. Ricl, Polibije, Istorija I, Matica Srpska, Novi Sad 1988, 474(Polibij 5,108); V. Unverzagt, Die Burganlage uber dem Kloster Sv. Erasmo amOchridasee, Germania XXXII, 1954, 19-21, Taffel 9, 10, Beilage 1; Vlado Malenko-Pasko Kuzman, Hermeleja, Lihnid, Zbornik na trudovi, br. 6, Ohrid 1988, 96-99;P.Lisičar, O Lihnidskoj akropoli, @iva antika, IX god, 1-2 tom, Skopje 1959, 231-233.12358 archaeological sites 59

site: Bay of the Boneslocation: village of Peštani, Gradište, OhridBAY OFTHE BONESUnderwater archaeological explorations of the site ofPloča Mićov Grad in the Bay of the Bones, in the watersof Lake Ohrid, by the south shores of the Peninsula ofGradište, near the fishing and tourist village of Peštaniwere carried out every year between 1997 and 2005,and in 2007/2008, the pile-dwelling settlement on thewaters of Lake Ohrid was partly reconstructed. Thus,an attractive archaeological site situated on the watersof Lake Ohrid is now presented to the public. For thefirst time in Macedonia, these explorations officiallypromoted underwater archaeology as a branch whichstudies the remains, protection and presentation ofunderwater cultural heritage which, due to certaincircumstances, both in the past and today, remainsunder the waters of Macedonian lakes. From theinsights gained in this field, it is Lake Ohrid that aboundsin remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements, aswell as in artifacts from Antiquity and the Middle Agesthat were submerged in its waters, mainly due to theoscillations of the water level. The lake waters alsoconceal movable artifacts which, in the past, endedup on the lake bottom due to fishing activities or laketraffic in the past centuries. A prehistoric palafitte (piledwelling)settlement has been discovered on the siteof Ploča Mićov Grad dated to the Late Bronze and EarlyIron Ages; during the explorations, 6,000 remnants ofwooden piles have been discovered on the lake bottomat the depth of 3 to 5 m which probably supported asingle wooden platform on which approximately twentyprehistoric dwellings stood, also probably made of wood.With the underwater explorations that have been carriedout, the overall dimensions of the settlement have beendefined, an underwater quadrant grid has been outlinedand several research fields have been explored. Theunderwater exploration yielded numerous artifactsfrom the Bronze and Iron Ages, mainly fragmented orundamaged ceramic vessels, stone and flint objects, asmaller number of bronze artifacts and an exceptionallylarge number of animal bone fragments, includingthose which served as tools. Today, the site of PločaMićov Grad in the Bay of the Bones is an attractivemuseum complex that consists of several segments: thereconstructed palafitte/pile dwelling settlement abovethe lake waters, a Roman castrum, now conservedand restored, which stands on the highest plateau onthe Gradište Hill, an on-site museum and a facility forunderwater tourism.Pasko KuzmanBibiliography: P. Kuzman, Zaliv na Koskite, Plo~a Mi}ov Grad, praistoriskanadvodna naselba – Bay of the Bones, Plocha Michov Grad, Prehistoric PalafitteSettlement, Skopje-Ohrid 2008.314 56 7260 archaeological sites 61

site: Vardarski Ridlocation: nr. GevgelijaVARDARSKI RIDThe site of Vardarski Rid near Gevgelija is a space that wasintensely settled for approximately one thousand years,throughout the 1st millennium BC.It is centrally positioned, situated in a dominating andstrategically important area, above the Vardar Plain, thecity of Gevgelija and the valley of the Vardar. It consists oftwo rocky hills, one higher and steeper (Hill1) and the other,lower and less steep (Hill 2), joined with a slightly depressedsaddle, overlooking on the one side the river bed of theVardar, and on the other, the present-day city of Gevgelija.The site of Vardarski Rid has been systematically exploredsince 1995, at three main points/sectors, the Acropolis, theSouth Terrace and the East Terrace. A total of 16 culturalstrata which belong to 6 different settlements can beidentified in the general stratigraphic picture of this site.They also represent the 6 basic phases in its staging: VRI (Neolithic settlement); VR 2 (13th to 11th centuries BC);VR III (10th to 9th centuries BC); VR IV (8th to 6th centuriesBC); VR V (5th to 4th centuries BC); VR VI (3rd to 2nd/1stcenturies BC).With the exception of certain random Neolithic finds, it isevident that Vardarski Rid was first settled towards the endof the Bronze Age, on the east slopes of Hill 1. Remains ofa settlement dated to ca. 13th century BC (VR II) have beendiscovered directly on the rocky basis of the terrain. On theopposite side of this hill (Hill 1), burials from this settlementhave been discovered, with cist graves made of commonstone or in large ceramic vessels, with the inhumation of thedeceased in a contracted posture. After life ceased in thissettlement, it was not interrupted, but continued on anothersite, as new circumstances and conditions of life in the IronAge emerged, in the saddle between the two hills and alongthe entire length of the East Terrace (VR III).During the advanced Iron Age (7th to 6th centuries BC),life on Vardarski Rid continued with a new settlement (VRIV) with much greater intensity The inhabitants occupiedthe entire space on which life in a settlement could beorganized. In addition, numerous necropolises were formedaround Vardarski Rid itself (Milci, Suva Reka, Paragon, Raul),in which 200 graves have been discovered, all dated to the162 archaeological sites 63

7th and 6th centuries BC.The remains of the last two settlements (VR V and VR 6)reflect the way of life in Early Antiquity and culture onVardarski Rid. They represent an expression of genuineurban life in urban settlements.The first such settlement existed in the second half of the5th and during the 4th centuries BC (VR V): this was, in fact,the earlier Macedonian city on Vardarski Rid. The structuresfrom this settlement were mainly concentrated on Hill 2 andthe surrounding slopes. The settlement developed throughthree building phases. The most representative and, at thesame time, the most significant structure in this settlementis the monumental city stoa from the 4th century BC.It is highly probable that the city was destroyed during theraids of the Celts. The aggressively and simultaneouslydemolished structures bear witness to these events, aswell as the hoard with 51 silver tetradrachms discovered ina ceramic vessel built into one of the structures from layer5. Most of the coins (45) are tetradrachms of AlexanderIII, while the earliest in date are the two silver coins of2Seleucus (312-280).The last or the sixth settlement on Vardarski Rid is, in fact,the later Macedonian city from the pre-Roman period.Although it testifies to the fact that the life of the previoussettlement continued, it is nevertheless an example ofthe new urbanization in a fairly wider area, with newarchitecture and new cultural content, with coins from allMacedonian rulers after Alexander III, through the so-calledautonomous mints, and up to the period of the emergenceof the first specimens of Roman coins in Macedonia. Thissettlement is, in fact, one of the historically recorded centresof Antique Macedonia, the city of Gortinia.It was revived at least four times before it was finallydemolished and gradually abandoned some time in theperiod between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.The finest examples of housing quarters have beendiscovered in the sector of the East Terrace. The mostimportant structure discovered thus far in this part of thesite is a lavish private house from the 2nd century BC,known as the Collector’s House.The structures discovered in the sector of the South Terraceor above the remains of the Classical stoa indicate that thiswas the quarter of artisans and traders. An entire complexof structures has been discovered in this part (metallurgical,ceramic and craftsmen’s workshops, a storage house,shops, etc.), with characteristic inventory and rich and variedmovable finds.Life on Vardarski Rid ceased at some point in the 1st centuryBC, after certain major historical events that took placeduring the second half of the 2nd and in the 1st century BC,events which were linked with the Roman conquests and thecampaigns of the Scordiscs in Macedonia.Dragi MitrevskiBibiliography: D. Mitrevski, Staromakedonskiot grad na Vardarski Rid, Skopje2001; D. Mitrevski i drugi, Vardarski Rid -Tom 1, Skopje 2005; E. Slamkov,Umetnosta na Vardarski Rid (Katalog), Gevgelija 2004; B. Husenovski, Anti~kitemoneti od Vardarski Rid, Gevgelija 2004.35464 archaeological sites 65

site: The Town at Isarlocation: village of Marvinci, nr. ValandovoThe Townat IsarThe Valandovo Valley, also known as Bojmija, is a smallgeographic area in the southeast part of the Republic ofMacedonia by the lower course of the river Vardar. Thefirst archaeological information about Valandovo andthe region date from the time of World War I, when thisregion was explored by H. Dragendorf.One of the most impressive archaeological sites islocated on the southwest side of the village of Marvinci,on the peak of a small hill overlooking the ValandovoValley and the valley of the river Vardar. In 1961, theArchaeological Museum in Skopje began the excavationsled by the archaeologists Viktorija Sokolovska, RadmilaPašić and Cone Krstevski.The site of Isar covers an area of ca. 5 hectares andis divided into two areas: the acropolis, which is thesite of a pre-Roman settlement, and a town from theRoman and Late Roman periods on the slopes below theacropolis,. The castrum (quadriburgium) was built inlate 3rd century and is situated on the southeast slope,in the immediate vicinity of the acropolis.Four cultural horizons have been discovered on theacropolis. The stone road sign (stadion) discovered in1984, with a carved inscription in Greek on both sideswhich includes references the towns of Idomene andDober, supports the claims concerning the ubicationand name of the Antique town at Isar. The content of theinscription is characteristic, i.e., it indicates the distancebetween the two towns.In the Early Roman period, the town expanded all theway to the foot of Isar. It was most densely populated inthe 2nd and 3rd centuries AD; its settlement decreasedin later times, but traces of it can be followed untilthe 5th century. Following the invasion of the Goths in268/269 AD, the town was ravished; later, a castrum(quadriburgium) with defensive ramparts was built,covering an area of ca. 6,000 m2.Among the most characteristic architectural structuresin the castrum is the Graeco-Roman temple built in181/182 AD by a Macedonian office–bearer of high socialstanding who originated from this town. This informationcomes from the inscription on the architrave beam,which refers to the individual who built the temple inmemory of his town. In the castrum, large sections ofthe rampart walls and the entrance gate have also beendiscovered, where the northwest rampart intersectswith the shrine from the Early Roman period. Theoriginal function of the most monumental structure inthe central part of the castrum has been identified asthat of a thermal bath. Later, a principia (headquartersof a Roman fort), which had a marble floor, was built onthis site. It measures 13 x 10 m, and its arched wallsstill survive. When it became a military building itwas paved with multi-coloured marble tiles in the opussectile technique. The plinths of this impressive buildingsurvive in their entirety, while inscriptions in Greek arestill visible on some of them. Behind this building, morespecifically, to the northwest, there is a cistern whose4.5 m high walls survive, as well as a vaulted lagum(underground corriodor) which is 9 m long.Regardless of whether the town at Isar is Idomeneor Dober, its importance lies in the fact that in itsimmediate vicinity burials have been discovered,covering the period between the 8th century BC (IronAge) and the late 4th/5th centuries AD. The richfinds from these burials are exhibited in the Museumof Macedonia. Recently, an exceptional epigraphicmonument has also been discovered, which records thefact that the donor Marcus Aurelius has built the mainwater supply system in the town at Isar. The inscriptionon the other side records the visit of a five-memberdelegation to Rome, including their appeal to be exemptfrom tax payment for a certain period of time during thestay of the imperial military units in this town.Cone KrstevskiBibiliography: Borka Dragoeviħ - Josifovska, Izve{taj o arheolo{komiskopavawu kod sela Marvinaca, Godi{en zbornik na Filozofskiot fakultet -Skopje, Skopje 1967, 19; Viktorija Sokolovska, Isar - Marvinci i Povardarjetovo anti~ko vreme, posebno izdanie I, Muzej na Makedonija, Skopje 1986; ConeKrstevski-Laura Bofo, Gradot na Isar - Marvinci i rimskata administracijavo provincijata Makedonija, Folia archaeologica Balkanica; In honorem VeraBitrakova Grozdanova, Skopje 2006, 333-355.0001266 archaeological sites 67

site: Churches of the Fifteen Holy Martyrs of Tiberiopolislocation: StrumicaThe FifteenHoly Martyrsof TiberiopolisThe churches and graves of the Fifteen Holy Martyrs ofTiberiopolis are situated in the centre of the city of Strumica.Tiberiopolis is the name of the city one day’s walk north ofThessalonica, which was known in Antiquity as Astraionor Star City.The memory of the people of Strumica and their devoutnessand veneration of saintliness have persisted for 1,600 years;thus, in 1972, well-meaning amateurs discovered one of anumber of Early Christian tombs of the Fifteen Holy Martyrsof Tiberiopolis. Who were these martyrs? During the RomanEmperor Julian the Apostate (Renegade) who ruled between361 and 363, Christians suffered terribly or were persecuted.Thus, four men from the city of Nicaea in Asia Minor secretlyescaped, reached Thessalonica and proceeded from there toTiberiopolis (Strumica) to preach Christianity. Timothy, the firstof them, became bishop, Comassius and Eusebius becamemonks, and Theodore was one of the blessed fathers of theCouncil of Nicaea who was also honoured with the rank ofbishop.Soon, while they were preaching the holy Gospel to the virtuelovingpopulation of Strumica and the region, they were joinedby eleven men who became presbyters (Peter, John, Sergius,Theodore, Nicephorus), deacons (Basil, Thomas) and monks(Hierotheus, Daniel, Chariton). The fifteenth man whose namewas Socrates was a soldier of great riches and glory, whichhe renounced and joined the holy fathers. The vigorous andproductive Christian life of the fifteen fathers transformedthe entire population of Strumica into followers of Christ andsowed the seeds of monastic life in Macedonia. However, thecruelty and ferociousness of the authorities were so great andinconceivable that they arrested them and sentenced them todeath by quartering their bodies into pieces. They all perishedon 28 November and parts of their bodies were desecrated,scattered around and left to the dogs, beasts and birds. It wasonly after their executioners left that the Christians gatheredtheir remains with great honour and laid them to rest inTiberiopolis.The three-nave basilica with marble decorations and mosaicfloors that has been discovered, as well as most of the vaultedearly Christian tombs inside it decorated with crosses bearwitness to this event that took place in the 4th century. Inthe 7th century, the city was devastated by the Avars, and theholy temples were levelled to the ground; thus, the tombswere buried under them, as it was recorded in the mediaevalmanuscript of Teophylactus, Archbishop of Ohrid, in the 12thcentury. In the 9th century, the Bulgarian Prince Boris Michaelbuilt and restored many churches, especially in the regions ofStrumica and Bregalnica. One of these monuments built inthe spirit of the Macedonian renaissance was built above thetombs which cherished the memory of the Holy Martyrs ofTiberiopolis. In the central part of this church a crypt has beendiscovered in whose interior the fresco paintings of the figuresof the fifteen martyrs can still be seen today.In the 12th century the church was remodelled, while the threepartstructure was preserved. The faithful added a parekklesionon its southeast side.The veneration of the Fifteen Holy Martyrs, as well as the wishof the faithful to be near them, can be followed throughout themediaeval period, when it became the burial site of the peopleof Strumica. The cult of the Fifteen Holy Martyrs of Tiberiopolissurvives to this day, and to the Macedonian Christians, theyepitomize ultimate saintliness.Kiril TrajkovskiBibiliography: Teofilakt Ohridski, Mь~eni~estvoto na 15-te tiveripolski mь~enici,IBI, Grcki izvori, IX, ~. II, 42 - 79, Sofiя 1994; D. Koco - P. Milkovi}, Rezultatiteod arheolo{kite iskopuvawa vo 1973 god. vo crkvata“Sv. 15 tiveriopolski ma~enici“- Strumica, Zb.AM, Skopje 1978, 93 - 104; C.Grozdanov, Portreti na svetitelite odMakedonija od IX - XVII vek, Skopje 1983,127 - 138.2 3168 archaeological sites 69

site: Antique Bathslocation: village of Bansko, nr. StrumicaANTIQUE BATHSAt the north foot of Mt. Belasica, approximately 12km from the city of Strumica, a powerful spring of hotwater (72º C) gushes forth. The spring is in the villageof Bansko; the etymology of the name of the villagederives precisely from the presence of this spring andthe baths that were once built there.Archaeological excavations began at the spring ofParilo on this site thirty years ago and by now, alarge part of a Roman bath built in the 2nd centuryhas been discovered. The structures survive almostin their entirety; they cover more than 1,500 m2, thesize making these thermae one of the largest in theBalkan region. Most of the 11 chambers have differentfunctions and are built mostly of bricks combined withstone and mortar, which results in the achievementof a superior and harmonious polychrome effect. Theheating in the interior was designed and executed bymeans of a special system which used hot water to heatthe floors and the walls. The bath is designed as themajority of Roman structures and was built in the spiritof the needs of the Roman health cult.There was also an apodyterium (changing room)where the visitors undressed and left their garmentsbefore going into the bath. In the space known as thedypterium, both the ailing and the regular visitors oiledthemselves. The chamber known as the tepidariumwas between the hot bath (caldarium) and the cold bath(frigidarium).The main area of the thermae had a pool and tubswhich were ca. 1.5 m deep, with steps for entering thepool. The light that entered through the windows madethe interior private and intimate, and rose oil and ambergave the steam a distinctive, agreeable scent.The current archaeological research has shown that ithad existed even earlier as a sanatorium, a fact to whichthe newly excavated earlier structures bear witness.Built to meet the needs of the people in Antiquity, thebaths were also a centre of social life. Around them,gymnasiums and libraries were built, and there werealso temples dedicated to deities which were believed toensure good health.This bath with healing waters fell into neglect in the 6thcentury AD. However, the thermal springs remainedattractive to the population from this region untilthe late Middle Ages, as the toponym Turkish Bathsuggests; the second well-known toponym is Panagjur(Fair) which indicates that the Christian believers notonly came to pray in the vicinity of these springs, butalso entertained themselves and traded as well.This Roman thermal bath could be fully reconstructedwith only minor technical interventions, which wouldrestore its former function and the purpose it once had,more than 1,500 years ago.Kiril TrajkovskiBibiliography: J.Ananiev, Arheolo{ko iskopuvawe na lokalitetot “ Turska bawa“- Pana|ur“ selo Bansko kaj Strumica 1978 - 1981, Zbornik na trudovi, Strumica1989, 333 - 339; S.Taseva - V. Sekulov, Docnoanti~koto termalno le~ili{te vos.Bansko kaj Strumica, Kulturno nasledstvo, 28 - 29, Skopje 2004, 261 - 271; S.Taseva - V.Sekulov, The Hypocaust in the Sudatorium of the late roman thermalspa in the village of Bansko by Strumica, the lower Danube in antiquity (VI C BC- VIC AD), Sofia 2007, 235-246.170 archaeological sites 71

site: Carevi Kulilocation: StrumicaCAREVIKULICarevi Kuli is the most impressive archaeological site inthe city of Strumica, known as Tiberiopolis in the MiddleAges. It is a high hill that rises southwest of the mediaevaland present-day city. Today, under the city houses andyards in the central and old parts of the city remains of oldhouses, shops and churches from the period of Antiquity tothe Ottoman period are regularly discovered. Due to theirposition, Carevi Kuli has a defensive role, while the earliesttraces of life date from ca. 3,500 BC. In the Late Antiqueand Early Byzantine periods the hill was surrounded byramparts and towers that guaranteed the safety of aselected part of the population.In the 9th century, the city was conquered by theBulgarians because of its favourable position in terms ofits potential as a point of communication and its fame asa holy site: Strumica is the city of the Fifteen Martyrs ofTiberiopolis and as such, it was much desired by the firstBulgarian Christian ruler, Prince Boris Michael.As a city and a fortress, Tiberiopolis and Carevi Kuli playedan important role in the wars between Byzantium and theMacedonian Tsar Samuil until 1018.After its conquest, the Byzantines reorganized its defenseby constructing new ramparts and towers, thus dominatingover the region and the city as long as until the 14thcentury. Carevi Kuli changed its structure depending on thechanging warfare techniques and different military tactics.Today, the remains of the smaller and wider ramparts ofthe suburbium can still be seen, and part of the acropolisstill stands on the highest point of the hill. A gate stands onthe west side, supported by two towers. A deep trench wasdug in front of the entrance, across which a drawbridgewas lowered.A polygonal tower that partly survives stands on the mostdominating point of the acropolis, which was reserved forthe city and military elite. East of the tower there is a largewater cistern that was a necessity during the sieges.The pottery, tools and coins that have been discoveredreflect the mediaeval life in the fortress until the conquestof the Ottoman Turks. It happened in 1395, when PrinceConstantine Dragaš, who ruled in this region, died as aTurkish vassal in the Battle of Rovine. During the Ottomanperiod, the life in Carevi Kuli was obliterated and itsfunction ceased, while the city itself became the seat ofthe Ottoman kaaza (administrative region of the Ottomanempire).Kiril TrajkovskiBibiliography: М. Јовановиќ, Две средновековни тврдини во источна Македонија,ЗШНМ, II, Штип 1961; Ј. Ананиев, Археолошка карта на Р. Македонија, II,Струмица – Цареви Кули, 414 – 415,Скопје 1996.2 3172 archaeological sites 73

site: Isarlocation: ŠtipISARŠtip is the urban centre of the eastern part of the Republicof Macedonia with rich and impressive history. TheByzantines called it Στιπειον, and the Ottoman Turks, Istib.Astibos is the Antique name of the river Bregalnica thatflows through the city and, through history, served as anatural barrier to its enemies and conquerors.The city spreads across numerous hills; houses, churchesand other public buildings and towers were built belowand on them. However, the entire city cannot be seenfrom any of them, which is one of its specific features.Isar is the most imposing and, at the same time, the mostimpressive among these hills, whose cliffs rise over theriver Bregalnica. The surviving remains of the city’s citadelstand on the highest flattened point of the hill, where thecity administration and its elite had their residences.The walls which surround this space are massive andstrong, and the legend has it that the old master buildersmixed thousands of eggs with the mortar while buildingthe ramparts. Such is the main tower, too, which was alsothe residence of the city mayor and was the most difficultto seize. Today, in addition, one can also see the watercisterns; there must have also been buildings for foodstorage, a kitchen, a dining hall and other chambers for theproper functioning of a decent and, at times, opulent life.Under these ramparts, especially on the east and southsides, the second and larger city wall with towers alsosurvives, which customarily provided the lodging quartersfor the city and state officials and the military.The area at the foot of Isarot was also inhabited, and in theMiddle Ages it was known as Varoš.In 1018, the armies of the Byzantine Empire conquered thecity that had previously been ruled by Tsar Samuil. Thepeople of the city met the Byzantine emperor with songand hymns. The ruins which date from this period areheavily damaged and are still under the ground. Duringthe 12th and the 13th centuries, Štip was a Byzantine cityof crucial importance, and its rise was based on tradeand the crafts. Until the late 14th century, the mediaevalcity stretched around the east and south sides of thefortification and the small river Otinja.Around 1300, the city was under the Serbian Nemanjićdynasty. Despot Jovan Oliver, Hrelja, voyvoda DimitarDragaš, the feudal lord Ivanko and others are recorded asthe regional feudal rulers, who commissioned the buildingof several churches. Among them, the following churchessurvive: the Church of the Holy Archangels situated eastof Isarot; the church dedicated to St. John Glavato on thesouthwest slope of Isarot; the Church of the Ascension(Church of the Holy Saviour) that stands on the hill oppositeof Isarot and the river Otinja. At that time, there were alsochurches dedicated to St. Blachern, the Holy Archangel, St.Elijah and others.A number of facts and details from the city’s life and itsinhabitants originate from the Ottoman period whichbegan in Štip in 1395. Previously, the Ottomans hadcaptured the city, having discovered the secret corridorthat descended from the acropolis, down the steepesthillside, and led to the river Bregalnica. It was on this sideof the fortress and the city that the Ottomans establishedthe quarter for the guardians of the gorge called NovoSelo. The guardians defended and controlled access to thecity through the gorge and the bridge on the Bregalnica.The prosperity of Štip during the Ottoman period is visiblein several structures, such as the Husa Medin Pasha’sMosque, also known as St. Elijah, as well as the Covered1Bazaar, an architectural masterpiece situated at the heartof the city. In the 17th century, the travel writer EvliyaÇelebi noted in his writings that the beauty of the womenof Štip is known worldwide. Three ethnical, cultural andreligious components comprised the foundations andbrought about the prosperity of Štip. These were itsMacedonian, Turkish and Jewish citizens.Kiril TrajkovskiBibiliography: Византијски извори на територији народа Југославијe, III, Београд,1966, с. 112; С. Чирковиђ, Штип во XIV век, Зборник посветен на Генерал МихаилАпостолски, Штип с. 26-28; Б. Панов, Средновековна Македонија, том III, Скопје1985, с. 618; З. Белдедовски, Средновековен Штип низ историските податоци иматеријалните остатоци, Зборник VIII, Штип 1998; Т. Томовски, Македонија низвековите, градови, тврдини, комуникации, Скопје, 1999, с.206.2374 archaeological sites 75

site: Bargalalocation: ŠtipBARGALAThe Late Antique city of Bargala is situated 10 kmsoutheast of the city of Štip, at the foot of Mt. Plačkovica.Its name as a toponym has a Thracian component and,taken as a whole, it means overflowing water. In the 7thand 6th centuries BC this area belonged to the territorysettled by the Paeonian tribe of Derrones who wereamong the first tribes in the world that minted silvercoins.Astibos is the Antique name of the river Bregalnica inwhich, according to the Antique historiographer Polienus,the Paeonian kings took ritual baths at coronation.The first site of the city of Bargala was 1 km south ofthe river, near the location known as Hamče, near thevillage of Karbinci. On this site, remains of walls, axenodocheion (inn), a basilica and a huge stone datingfrom 371 with an inscription which refers to the buildingof the city gates of the city of Bargala in the Romanprovince Dacia Mediterranea.By the 5th century AD, the city had already been firmlyChristianized, and its Bishop Dardanius was a participantfrom Macedonia Prima; his name is recorded in the actsof the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451.The instability in the Late Roman Empire in the 4th and5th centuries caused by the barbarian onslaughts fromthe north forced the inhabitants of the city to withdraw4 km towards the south, at the foot of Mt. Plačkovicaand the site known as Kozji Grad, where they continuedliving their urban style of life. Here, the fortified EarlyByzantine city of Bargala, covering an area of 4.7hectares, additionally secured with 6 defensive towers,was built after the model of Late Roman castrums.The city was accessed through the double (dipilon) maingate (porta principalis) which was exceptionally wellguarded. It was built on the northwest rampart whichwas up to 12 m high; inside the city, there was a sewagesystem which supplied the more important buildingsand fountains with water that was brought from themountain.At present, several public buildings have beendiscovered, as well as shops and workshops that servedthe citizens in the period between the 5th and thebeginning of the 7th centuries. The most impressivestructure is the three-nave episcopal basilica whichwas accessed by a steep and high stairway; the threeentrances (tribelon) led to the lavishly decorated interiorof this temple. The skill of the local stonemasons andmosaic artisans is evident, especially in the manufactureof the architectural elements, church mobiliary and floormosaics panels.The artistic style is characteristic of the Early Byzantineand Christian art of the 5th and 6th centuries inMacedonia. On one of the capitals, Hermias, Bishop of176 archaeological sites 77

425 63Bargala, carved a prayer for salvation; he was probablyalso the donor of the church. A baptisterium with apiscina in which Christians were baptized has beendiscovered next to the north wall of this building. Asingle-nave chapel was added next to the south wallof the basilica. The episcopal residence stood on thenorthwest side; it had a small thermal bath, next towhich a larger one was built for a larger number ofvisitors. A series of chambers were built near thenorthwest and southeast ramparts, which are believedto have been used as workshops and shops, as well asdwelling places.The citizens carried out their funeral and spiritual ritesoutside the city walls (extra muros); therefore, 85 mnorth of the main gate, a basilica was used in the periodbetween the 4th and 6th centuries. The vaulted tombdiscovered east of this sacral building was also part ofthe citizens’ spiritual life.The section of the city that has been excavated (less than1/10 of the actual size) yielded several hidden hoards ofcoins, luxurious objects and complete artisan tool kits.In the darkest historical period that lasted from the 7thto the end of the 9th centuries, small groups of peoplesettled among the ruins of the city and the city ramparts.They led a rural life and their material culture is muchless significant than that of their predecessors, theRhomeioi.In the 10th century, a rural settlement known as Kozjakwas formed on the site near the Antique city of Bargalaand the river Kozjačka; it survived until the 19thcentury. A small church dedicated to St. George, whosearchitectural and artistic achievements hold a significantplace in Byzantine art was also built on this site.9Kiril Trajkovski7 8Bibiliography: I. Venedikovь , Bargala, RP INAM I. (n.s. Nº 1), Sofiя , 1948.,82-98; C.Mango B. Aleksova , Bargala: A Preliminary report, DOP Nº 25,1971,265-(277)-281; Z. Beldedovski , Bargala, Vodi~, [tip 2005.1078 archaeological sites 79

site: Morodvislocation: village of Morodvis, Kočani regionMORODVISMorodvis is the name of one of the most beautiful villagesin eastern Macedonia. It lies at the foot of Mt. Plačkovicawhose slopes glisten in more than twenty hues of green.Random finds from the Early Roman period (1st to 4thcenturies AD) have been discovered both in the villageand in its vicinity. They speak of the existence of a smallsettlement with an urban and luxurious style of life. Thename of the small town of Harmonia is recorded in EarlyByzantine documents (5th to 7th centuries AD); it wassituated in this part of Macedonia and it is very likely that itlies under the houses and yards of the present-day villageof Morodvis.It has been established with certainty that a Christiancommunity lived here in the 5th century, while the faithfulgathered in the temple discovered in the centre of thevillage known as Crkvište. This is a single-nave buildingwith a baptisterium on the north side and a monumentalunderground vaulted tomb with Early Christian insignia.Around 855, the area of the river Bregalnica and the villageof Morodvis was the site of the political and Christianmission of the Byzantine erudite and philologist Constantinethe Philosopher (St. Cyril of Salonica) and it was precisely inthis area that he composed the Slavonic alphabet.During the reign of the Bulgarian Prince Boris Michaeland his son Simeon, in the second half of the 9th century,Macedonia was annexed to the Bulgarian state; thismarked the beginning of the building of numerous churchesand monasteries. One such church was discovered abovethe Early Christian church in Morodvis whose foundationsindicate that it was a domed cross-shaped structure.In the underground tomb, on its south side, relics of fivesaints with miraculous powers have been found. These areprobably the remains of the five Early Christian martyrsfrom the city of Tiberiopolis (present-day Strumica). Theirrelics were transferred to Morodvis because of theirmiraculous properties, in order to attract pilgrims.During emperors Samuil (976-1014) and Basil II(976-10-25), the town was known as Morobisdos, i.e.,Morovisd. Morovisd was the most important administrativeand political centre of present-day eastern Macedonia andan episcopal see. A cathedral church dating from the 11thcentury, one of the most harmoniously built three-navechurches of the Middle Byzantine period in Macedonia,has been discovered on the site of Crkvište. The marblemobiliary and the surviving fragments of the fresco paintingthat have been discovered are indicative of the highlyceremonial character of this building and its meaningwhich, with certain reconstructions, survived to the endof the 13th century. In mid-12th century, the great Arabicgeographer, cartographer and botanist, Al Idrisi, recordedthis town on the maps as Murumizdus or Formendos. Healso wrote that it is “densely populated and stands on a hill.It has many vineyards and ploughed fields as far as the eyecan see.” This is true of the village of Morodvis even today.Various objects that the population used in their everydaylives, and especially jewellery, have also been found in theirgraves. Roman, Byzantine, ‘Latin’ and Bulagrian coinshave been discovered in this area, as well silver coins fromVenice, Genoa and Ragusa (Dubrovnik).In 1198, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius III issued aPrivilegium to the Dodge of Venice Enrico Dandolo, whichgranted the Venetian merchants free trade with theprovince of Morovisd.During the 13th century, in times of war, this region ofMacedonia and the city of Morovisd changed masters seventimes – Byzantium, the Latins, Bulgaria and eventuallySerbia. The agony of the town is also reflected in the ruinsthat have been excavated. On the site of the demolished1Episcopal church, towards the end of the 13th century asmaller and less lavish cross-shaped church with a domewas built.In the second half of the 14th century, Morovisd was part ofthe principality of the Dragaš family, until 1395, when theOttomans became its absolute masters. As local feudallords and Muslims, they prayed in the mosque by the “oldwater fountain” in the village then known as the village ofMorozda.Kiril TrajkovskiBibiliography: Й.Ivanovь, Sъverna Makedoniя, Episkopiitъ brъgalni{ka ivelbu`dska, Sofiя 1906, 72-100; K. Trajkovski, Srednovekovniot grad Morodvisvo Makedonija (Trud Ы V MUSA Kiev 1985) Moskva 1987, 89-93; K. Trajkovski,Kultot na mo{tite vo Bregalni~kata dolina, Folia Archaeologica Balkanica, inHonorem V.Bitrakova Grozdanova, Skopje 2006, 439-445.3 4280 archaeological sites 81

site: Viničko Kalelocation: VinicaVINIČKO KALEThe archeological site of Viničko Kale is situated southwestof the city of Vinica, on a fairly high hill which dominates overthe entire surrounding area. It was recorded for the first timein 1953. The fortification (castrum) is polygonal in form andcovers a surface of ca. 2,500 m2, stretching in the directionN/S; the structure is fortified with massive ramparts andsemi-defensive towers.It was the discovery of two intact and five fragmentedterracotta icons in 1977 and the several following yearsthat initiated the beginning of systematic archaeologicalexcavations. On the southeast part of the site, thus far,a number of discoveries have been made in the areacovering ca. 5, 000 m2; they include the following: parts of arampart, two towers, a square, one street, several chambers(storage houses) with pythoses dug into the soil, a piscina,a prefurnium (furnace) for a small bath, a porch, a smallsingle-nave church and a larger one in the shape of aninscribed cross, which is fairly damaged and around whichmore than a hundred graves dating from the period betweenthe 11th and 13th centuries have been discovered, as wellas a stone-built tomb vaulted with bricks, but opened andlooted long ago.At this stage of its exploration, it can be said that ViničkoKale had been continuously settled in the periods of theLate Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the classical Greekperiod (with imported pottery from the 5th and 4th centuriesBC.). Cultural horizons from the Macedonian-Hellenisticand Early Roman periods have not been recorded. The LateAntique and Early Byzantine periods significantly markedthis site with monumental architectural structures andmovable archaeological material. The mediaeval periodleft its mark with the necropolis dating from the 11th and12th centuries. The fortification (castrum) has two buildingphases, one from the late 4th and early 5th centuries, andthe second, which dates from the late 5th and 6th centuries.This site is especially important due to the fact that in 1985,a discovery was made of a hoard with terracotta iconsthat were discarded as classical rubble at the entrance ofthe east tower, more specifically, behind the fountain andthe small porch. This discovery opened a new page in the182 archaeological sites 83

2367 84 5domain of Early Christian art in Macedonia and the widerregion.The basic characteristics of these terracotta icons are thefollowing: their dimensions are 32 x 28 x 4 cm (square icons)and 32 x 20 x 4 cm (rectangular icons) made with a mouldand in high relief. Thus far, approximately 20 scenes havebeen identified, approximately 50 complete ones and about100 fragments, with a number of replicas. The icons weremade in a workshop that was part of the city complex thatspread across the nearby hills, more specifically, to the west,as far as the site of Oreovo in the village of Leski. It shouldalso be noted that they were mounted on the walls of sacralstructures (the original mortar can be seen on their backside), in tombs, martyriums, etc.On the basis of the iconographic analysis, they can beidentified as icons which depict scenes from the OldTestament, illustrations of psalms, Christological depictionsand depictions of figures of Christian saints, as well asdepictions of famous wars.Their stylistic features, and especially the high relief, conveythe exceptional plasticity of the style of the provincial artistsand the local stylistic expression formed under a strongOriental influence. All icons have texts in Latin carved ontheir edges; these texts, which convey a concise theologicalmessage, describe the respective scene or figure. In thissense, the general characteristic of these terracotta icons isthe message about the victory over evil and death and thetriumph over all the enemies of the faith.Hence, it can be concluded that the Roman iconographyand the presence of texts in Latin confirm the dominatinginfluence of the Church of Rome in the region of Bregalnicain the Early Byzantine period.In terms of comparison, we can mention the terracotta iconsfrom France, from the valley of the Loire, those from Italy, aswell as the famous terracotta icons in the Bardo Museum.In the past ten years, the terracotta icons from Vinica havebeen exhibited and attracted special attention in cities andmuseums worldwide, such as the Vatican, Zagreb, Moscow,Ljubljana, Belgrade, Munich, Würzburg, Weissenburg,Bregenz, Linz, Rome, Warszawa, Ankara, Lisbon, Paris,Sankt Petersburg, Aquilea, Sofia, Maastricht, Sidney,Canberra, Melbourne, Ohrid, Skopje, etc.Cone KrstevskiBibiliography: Elizabeta Dimitrova, Kerami~ki reljefi od Vini~ko Kale,\ur|a, Skopje 1993; Kosta Balabanov, Terakotni ikoni vo Makedonija,Tabernakul, Skopje 1995; Cone Krstevski, Makedonski hristijnski koreni,Muzej na Makedonija, Skopje 1998.84 archaeological sites 85

site: Gradlocation: village of Grad, nr. DelčevoGRADGrad is the present-day name of a village situated 6 kmsoutheast of the administrative centre Pijanec in Delčevoand several kilometers from the border with Bulgaria.The name of the village speaks of the existence of anurban settlement in the past, whose significance andprosperity came from its proximity to the rivers Strumaand Vardar which served as communication routesbetween civilizations.A high rocky hill called Grado rises over the northeastside of the village and the small river Pijavica flows byits north and east sides. Today, near it, stands part of theethno park with several architectural structures. A hugecave with traces of prehistoric life is naturally carved inthe cavern opposite the site of Grado.Around 3,000 BC, the inhabitants of this site led a calmand idyllic life: the numerous surviving ceramic vesselsof high artistic value testify to this fact. Grad acquired thefeatures of an urban settlement in Late Antiquity or in theperiod between the 4th and 6th centuries. At that time,the hill was surrounded with ramparts and towers whichguaranteed the safety of its inhabitants. Situated in thevicinity of the Antique road, the city, having a strategicpurpose as well, controlled the region until the late 6thcentury, when life outside it ceased, as the consequenceof barbaric raids from the north and plague epidemics.More than 300 years the site of Grado was not thefocus of interest of the people who, at that time, wereexperiencing the darkest period of the Middle Ages.These conditions persisted until the 11th century,when the citadel was gradually renewed, as well as thesuburbium, which survive only in fragments. The highestelevation point of the hill was the site of the towers whichguaranteed the security of both the city administrationand the citizens. The metal objects that have beendiscovered on this site, among which the largest numberbelongs to tools, weapons and coins, are silent witnessesto the history of a Byzantine town which pulsated withlife as late as until the early 14th century. Venetianmerchants were its most frequent visitors in the 13th and14th centuries, and their silver coins have been unearthedin the layers of this site. In the 14th century, the activitiesin the district of Pijanec were probably administeredand coordinated from this site, until the death of PrinceDragaš in 1395, when the Ottoman rule of five hundredyears formally began, followed by the decline duringwhich the urban settlement of Grad became a village.Kiril TrajkovskiBibiliography: А. Керамидчиев, Град, Делчево, Археолошка карта на Р.Македонија, Т. II., Скопје 1996, 125; Т. Нацев, Археолошки истражувања иконзерваторско – реставраторски работи на археолошкиот локалитет Градиште с.Град – Делчево, Зборник IX – X, Штип 2003, 31 – 46.186 archaeological sites 87

site: Golemo Gradištelocation: village of Konjuh, Skopje regionGOLEMOGRADIŠTEThe fortified city at Golemo Gradište is situatedapproximately 40 km south of Skopje. It consists of 1)an elongated elevation stretching in the direction E/W,or the acropolis, at an altitude of ca. 440 m; 2) a widesloping terrace between the north foot of the acropolisand the river Kriva Reka and 3) the narrow area betweenthe south side of the acropolis and the lower massifknown as Malo Gradište. Systematic excavations ofthe North Terrace began in 2005, the area believed tohave been the site of an urban settlement. Four trialexcavation areas were excavated within a rectangularspace 20 x 40 m in the central part of the terrace, nearthe foot of the acropolis.Trial excavations revealed short street segments, acanal and walls which belonged to several architecturalstructures. The walls are built of stone and mudmortar and some of its sections up to almost 2 mhigh survive to this day. Several phases of buildingand reconstruction have been recorded, while theunearthed arrowheads and cannonballs are indicativeof the reasons for building a series of structures andtheir destruction. The streets were paved with pebblesand their surface was made of beaten earth. With onlyone exception, the streets follow the direction NE/NW.The pottery and other finds indicate that this was theresidential quarter of the city.Due to the limited scope of the excavations, nosubstantial conclusions could be made; however, itappears that the settlement on the North Terrace wasfounded in the 5th century, probably in its second half.Life in the city continued in the 6th century. The fortresson the acropolis of Golemo Gradište was founded inthe second quarter of the 6th century and it is highlyprobable that it was part of the renewed fortification ofthe empire carried out by Justinian. The fact that the citywas situated in a mining region, as well as its positionwhich follows the line along which other fortificationsof the Roman E/W road were built, and which passedthrough the valley of the river Kriva Reka, suggest thatthis city had and important strategic function in thisregion in Late Antiquity.Carolyn SnivelyBibiliography: Radoj~i} S., 1952, Crkva u Kowuhu, Zbornik radova Vizantolo{koginstituta 1, 148-167, Beograd; Mikul~i} I., Anti~ki gradovi kod Drenova iKowuha u Makedoniji, Arheolo{ki pregled 15 (1973) 179-182, Beograd; Snively, C.2002, Golemo Gradište at Konjuh: Report on the Excavations in 2000, DumbartonOaks Papers 56, 293-302, Washington DC.188 archaeological sites 89

site: Kokinolocation: nr. KumanovoKOKINOApproximately 35 km northeast of Kumanovo, on theleft side of the asphalt road that leads from the villageof Dragomance to the village of Arbanaško, rises theimpressive neo-volcanic hill which, with its height of1,013 m dominates over its surroundings and the villageof Kokino that lies at its foot.At the very hilltop, known among the local population asTatićev Kamen, two platforms stretching in the directionwest/east and with the difference in altitude of ca. 20m are made in the andesite rocks, covering an areaca. 90 m long and ca. 50 m wide. The most strikingfeature on the lower, west platform, is a block of severalstone seats hewn into the rock and positioned in sucha manner that the person sitting in them faces the easthorizon. The upper platform is a flattened area alsohewn into the rock, covered with a relatively thin layerof humus which, during the first excavations in 2001,yielded very rich and varied archaeological material.The archaeological excavations that continued inthe years that followed dated the site to the BronzeAge in the development of the human civilization(approximately the entire 2nd millennium BC), whilemost of the finds come from the Late Bronze Age (14thto 11th centuries BC).Among the wide repertory of shapes and forms of theceramic vessels that have been unearthed, those thatare utilitarian in character, that is, vessels in which foodwas stored and cooked, prevail.An exclusive find from this site is the mould used forthe casting of a bronze amulet, a rare form of bronzependant.The earliest finds date from the Early Bronze Age (19thto 17th centuries BC) and the latest, from the periodknown as the advanced Iron Age, ca. 7th century BC.The majority of topographic features of this site pointto its perception as a holy mountain on which mountainrituals were performed, linked to the belief of theprehistoric inhabitants that the rocky mountain peakis the abode of deities and the place where they couldcommunicate with them.One of the mountain rituals for which archaeologicaltraces have been recorded on the highest point of thissite was probably linked to the fertility cult. The secondritual was performed in midsummer (today, the last dayof the month of July), when the rising Sun could be seenin the specially made marker immediately below thehighest peak elevation of the site. Since in the past themarker was probably covered, a powerful effect musthave been produced by a strong sun beam that passedabove the upper, east platform. The sun beam castslight only on one of the thrones on the lower platform,since a special cut was made in the vertical rock thatseparates the two platforms, which lets through thesun beam in this direction. Thus, in this ritual, the divineSun passed its legitimacy and authority onto the onewho sat on the throne illuminated by the sun beam inthis manner.Astronomical explorations revealed stone markers cutoff from the rocks which confirm the use of this siteas a megalithic observatory in the course of the entire2nd millennium BC. The best preserved Sun marker isthe marker in which the Sun appears on the day of thesummer solstice (21 June). The markers for the springand autumnal equinox (21 March and 23 September)and the marker for the winter solstice (22 December)partially survive.The meticulously made markers for the designationof the places indicating the rising of the full Moon onthe horizon in uncharacteristic positions prove that onthis site, astronomical observations were made on adaily basis over a period of several decades. On thebasis of these observations, a lunar calendar was madewith a cycle of 19 years, with precision that remainsastounding even today.Jovica StankovskiBibiliography: J. Stankovski, Tri megalitni spomenici vo kumanovskiot region,Zbornik “Pirajhme“, Kumanovo, 2003; J. Stankovski, Tati}ev Kamen - megalitskaopservatorija i svetili{te, Muzejski glasnik 7 - 9, Kumanovo, 2003; J. Stankovski,The peak sanctuary “Taticev Kamen“ at the village of Kokino and two of its cults,Studia in honorem Kiril Jordanov, Tracia 17, Sofia, 2007.12390 archaeological sites 91

site: Kostoperska Karpalocation: village of Mlado NagoričaneKOSTOPERSKAKARPAThis site overlooks the present-day village of MladoNagoričane, 10 km northeast of Kumanovo and theinternational road which runs towards the east and the cityof Kjustendil, Bulgaria. It also represents the remains ofthe Antique main road Scupi (Skopje) – Serdica (Sofia).The natural volcanic phenomenon known as ŽegligovskiKamen is the crucial point of the Žegligovo region, an areawell known in history. It is a basalt cone-shaped rockwhose top was used by the population as an ossuary, whichinspired the local inhabitants to term it Kostoperska Karpa.In a 500 m diameter area surrounding the rock, remnantsof a settlement from the Bronze Age have been discovered,which has been partly destroyed with the building of amodern road.The west slope of the rock was the burial site of thepopulation during the Roman period, i.e., in the 3rd and 4thcenturies AD. The graves contained personal belongings ofthe deceased which they used in everyday life.The highest isohypse of the rock was surrounded by adefensive wall that, as a whole, had the features of asmall acropolis. Inside it, archaeologists have discoveredan Early Christian church from the 6th century in whosevicinity the population buried people belonging to a certainrank.The underground structures discovered on the south sideof the rock remain the most extraordinary and uniquestructures of their kind on the Balkan Peninsula. They arecompletely built inside the hill whose geological structureconsists of tuff. They have niches and benches used forsitting or sleeping; there is also a staircase which leddeeper into the chambers built at a lower level. The aircirculated through vertical ventiducts which also servedfor gathering rainwater in the interior of this extraordinarysystem of construction and exceptional function. Thesmall entrance led to the interior of the chambers andwas closed with a massive stone slab that resemblesa millstone. In the space that has only partially beenexplored, the archaeologists have discovered potteryand glass shards, as well as bones of animals that theinhabitants had cooked. Such a reduced or hermetic modelof living is the result of the turbulent times in the ByzantineEmpire that was exposed to barbarian incursions; hence,the population sought shelter in the so–called “deadcities.” Almost identical structures, built at the same time,have been discovered in the provinces of Asia Minor, inCappadocia, in Syria, as well as on the Crimean Peninsula.The structures under the rock of Žegligovski Kamen are, atpresent, unique on the Balkan Peninsula.Bibiliography: B. Geor|ievski, Podzemniot objekt kaj Kumanovo, Lihnid 7,Ohrid 1989, 95-100.Kiril Trajkovski192 archaeological sites 93

site: Tetovsko Kale - Bal Tepelocation: TetovoTETOVSKOKALEA hill with a flat plateau separated from the slopes ofMt. Šara with the vibrant flow of the river Pena risesin the immediate vicinity of Tetovo, only 2 km from thetown centre. This plateau is know as Tetovsko Kale/Kale Fortress or Bal Tepe. It was built at the time ofAbdurahman Pasha in the period between 1822 and 1842.He was the son of the renowned Rejep Pasha, who wasappointed as the officer in charge of this pashalik by theOttoman Empire. A number of grandiose structures arevisible and still survive, such as the Great Seraglio, theSmall Seraglio, the Dining Hall, defensive structures,ramparts, tunnels, the gaol, and the church dedicated tothe Holy Mother of God, rebuilt in the 20th century on thefoundations of an earlier mediaeval structure.These structures were built over a period of twentytears. They are situated in an area that covers more than20 hectares on a plateau which overlooks the city ofTetovo. This vantage point gives the visitor an exceptionalopportunity for a full view of the Valley of Polog, the cityitself and Mt. Šara.Practically all the structures are built of green travertineand manifest the builders’ knowledge of the sphere as astructure and spherical arch building which is applied inthe entrance of the main gates, in the Great Dining Hallthat is more than 8 m high in its central part and in thecircular ventilation openings. The structures are in someplaces up to 20 m long, with solid massive walls, someof them up to 3 m thick. Some of the structures had twofloors, and the interior of most of them was decorated withsimple geometric rectangular ornaments painted on awhite surface with red and black strokes.The most impressive building is the Great Seraglio situatedon the east side of the plateau; the Small or SummerSeraglio/Palace is no less impressive: its characteristicfeature is the richly moulded stone decorative elements,especially at the entrance. Two defensive structures standon a small hillock on the south side of the plateau.The entire plateau of the Tetovo Fortress is surrounded bystone ramparts whose purpose was to provide the safetyfor the inhabitants and protection for the tranquility andwell-being of the Pasha and his train. Of special interestare the tunnels which were designed to provide a speedyand safe evacuation form several sides of the Seraglio andother buildings; this was a net of tunnels that stretchedboth in the ramparts and under them, and as far as thegaol hidden under these buildings.All these buildings are open to the general public, thevisitors and those come here either with the intention tosee this site or just happen to pass by. This was madepossible with the large-scale archaeological research andexcavations that have been carried out this year (2008),which revealed all these specific features of the structuresdescribed. This research project was supported by theGovernment of the Republic of Macedonia and carriedout by the Museum of the Tetovo Region headed by thearchaeologist Luleta Abazi-Paloši and the director SrečkoJovanovski as expert coordinator, while Pasko Kuzman,archaeologist and Director of the Cultural HeritageProtection Office coordinated the overall project.This large-scale archaeological project that was carriedout on the entire site also revealed, in addition to thestructures mentioned above, movable archaeological findsas well: ceramic pottery fragments characteristic of thisperiod, most of them glazed with a glossy green coat ofpaint, metal pieces from gate hinges and various types of1nails. Ceramic tobacco pipes have also been discovered,as well as a silver tobacco case.Today, this site is popular as a recreation site for alllovers of nature, especially since its altitude is moderate,approximately 1,000 m above sea level. It can be accessedby car via an asphalt road or by walking up a steep trackfor those who prefer walking or for mountaineers. Itabounds in varied flora and fauna; naturally, the mostimpressive are the wild chestnut and hazel trees.Irena Kolištrkoska-Nasteva2394 archaeological sites 95

GLOSSARYAcropolis (Gr. £krÒpolij)The most prominent part of a fortress; afortified city; upper town; an area protectedby rampart wallsAmbra (Arab. anbar)Ambra or amber, aromatic resin extractedfrom the glands of a whale species, usedto perfume oriental chambers; a pleasantscent placed in the rooms of Romanthermal bathsAmulet (Lat. amuletum)A pendant, amulet or object made ofvarious materials (stone, bone) believedto have supernatural powers, protectingthose who wear it from all evilAndesite/Andesite rockIn geology, volcanic rockAntechamberIn ancient Macedonian and Roman types oftombs, the chamber in monumental tombsin front of the entrance to the main burialchamberApodyterium (Lat. apodyterium)The changing room in Roman thermalbathsArch (Lat. arca: chest )In architecture, a semicirculararchitectural structure spanning a space tosupport two columnsAskos (Gr. £skÒj)An asymmetric ceramic vessel with onehandle, slanting neck and unusual formresembling a water birdAtrium (Lat. atrium)A forecourt, the front part of a temple or achurch, courtyard for visitorsBaptistery (Gr. baptist»rion)Part of the Early Christian basilica orchurch where baptism was administeredBarbotineA technique of ceramic pottery surfacedecoration in prehistoric periods (Neolithic,etc.) involving the application of asuspension in water of clay and/or othermaterials (slip) to the pot, not in an evenlayer but in the form of thick incrustationsin patches or trails, thus forming crudeornamentationBasilica (Gr. basilik»; Lat. basilica)In Greek architecture, the hall in whichthe archon held office; in Roman civilianarchitecture, a large hall with a pronouncedlongitudinal axis, customarily divided intothree or five naves of which the central oneis the highest; in sacral architecture, themost common architectural form in EarlyChristianity (5th to 6th centuries).Bukranion (Gr. boukr£nion)An animal (ox) head carved in relief; areligious symbol linked with the fertilitycult; in Greek and Roman architecture,an architectural decorative element; anornament on sarcophagi and funerarymonumentsCaldarium (Lat. caldarium)A room with a hot bath in Roman thermaeCardo Maximus (Lat. Cardo Maximus)The principal street forming an intersectionwith the Cardo Decumanus (Lat. cardodecumanus); transversal street in militarycastra or camps/towns in Roman AntiquityCastelA fortified castleCastrum (Lat. castrum)A Roman military camp surrounded withtrenches; later, fortified with rampart wallsChamber (Gr. kam£ra; Lat. camera)A vaulted room, a burial chamber room infamily tombsColonnade (Fr. colonnade)A series of columns placed at regularintervals; a hall/structure composed ofcolumnsCouncil (Lat. concilium)An assembly of church dignitaries forregulating relevant ecclesiastical mattersof doctrine; a church synodDipterium (Lat. dipterium)A room in Roman thermae where the ailingand the bathers were anointed with oils;sanatoriumsDipylon (Gr. d…pulon)Double gate. In Athens, it has one exteriorand one interior gate, and between them,a yard with lateral cemeteries and apompeion, a building used for preparingceremonial processionsDodge (Ital. doge; Lat. dux)Leader, duke; title of the heads of theRepublic of Venice and GenoaDomeA semi-spherical structural element insacral architecture which customarily risesabove the roof construction of the centralpart of the churchDromos (Gr. drÒmoj)A racetrack; a passageway (corridor) intoa tombEneolithic (Lat. aeneus:copper; Gr. l…qoj:stone)Also known as Copper Age. A transitionalperiod between the Neolithic (Early StoneAge) and the time of the discovery ofmetals in the prehistoric period; the periodbetween the Late Neolithic and EarlyBronze AgeEphebos (Gr. šfšb)A youth (16 to 18 years of age), a model ofphysical beauty and harmonyExedra (Lat.exedra)Semicircular (apsidal) form incorporated ina large architectural structureExtra muros (Lat. extra muros)Outside the wallsGlazingA technique of pottery decoration in theRoman period, Oriental in origin. In theMiddle Ages it was applied on Byzantineand Ottoman ceramic ware. It involvescoating vessels with lead, quartz oralkaline glaze decorated with variousornamentsGymnasion (Gr. gumn£sion)A facility/space for athletes’ exercise,later for epheboi as well. These buildingshad specialized halls for various sportdisciplines, courtyards, palaestrae,libraries, etc.Imbrex (Lat. imbrex)96 archaeological sites 97

A semi-cylindrical roofing tile used to covera two-ridged roofImpost (Lat. imponere: to impose)In building: block of stone used to carrythe arch and the vault; stone plastics; alsoa decorative slab at the top of a capital inthe shape of a truncated pyramidInsignia (Lat. insignia)Emblems of status, tokens of honour orsymbols of meritIsar (Tur. hisar: fortress)A hill; fortified cityKantharos (Gr. k£nqaroj)A metal or ceramic vessel on a high footwith two vertically placed (high swung)handles on each side, used for drinkingwine; an attribute of DionysusKastrophylaxThe title of the military commander of afortress in the Byzantine periodKephalos (Gr. kefaloj)The civilian commander of a fortressLagum (Lat. lagum)A vaulted structure above or under thegroundLibation (Lat. libatio)Cult ritual of pouring a liquid offering as agift to the godsMacedoniarch(ont)Social rank (office) of a Macedonian in theRoman periodManuscript (Lat. manu scriptum)A book, document, or other compositionwritten by handMartyrium (La. marturium)A church, part of church or other edificewith the grave of a Christian martyrMobiliary (Neo-Lat. mobiliare)Portable objects, furniture; churchfurniture in the altar space, the iconostasis,etc.MudbrickA mixture of mud and straw used forcoating houses in the prehistoric period.Necropolis (Gr. nekrÒj, pÒlij)City of the dead; a group of graves;cemeteryNeolithic (Gr. nšoj: new; l…qoj: stone, “New”Stone Age)A term denoting New/Early Stone Ageintroduced by John Lubbock in 1865,denoting the age of the first prehistoriccommunities which grew crops and livedin permanent settlements, an age alsocharacterized by the manufacture ofceramic ware and use of ground-stone/polished toolsOpus sectile (Lat.opus: building anddecoration technique; sectile: technique offixing mosaic peaces of stone)Technique of floor paving and walldecoration with multi-coloured mosaiclarger pieces of stoneOutbuilding (Lat. annexus)An addition, a subsidiary/lateral room; abuilding subsidiary to, but separate from, amain house or buildingPalafitte (Ital. palafitta: piles, logs)Pile-dwelling houses, houses on stilts andwooden platformsPalisadesDefensive structures made of earth andwoodParekklesionSubsidiary chamber in the altar area nextto the apsidal recessPeristyle (Gr. per…stulon; Lat. peristylum,peristylium)A columned porch surrounding a courtyardon four sides in Macedonian-Hellenisticand Roman palaces, villas and houses. Thisarchitectural style was originally appliedin public building, and later, in buildingprivate houses as wellPilaster (Ital. pilaster)A projecting rectangular column built intoor applied to the face of a wallPintadera (Sp. pintadera)A small object made of baked clay,sometimes of stone, similar to tools(stamps) used for decorating bread, withsimple geometric carvings (flutes) on thelower, often elliptical, base side; ceramicseals originate from the Neolithic culturesfrom southeast and central Europe and theMiddle East; they are believed to have beenused for applying pigments to the skin orto garmentsPiscina (Lat. piscina)In Roman thermae, a water pool. In EarlyChristian basilicas, a baptistery (baptismalfont holding a basin of water)Polychrome (Gr. polÚ, crwma)Multi-coloured; of many coloursPorta Principalis (Lat. Porta Principalis)Main gate leading to the centre of a RomancityPortico (Lat. porticus)In Roman architecture, a covered porchwith columnsPrefurnium (Lat. praefurnium)A furnace for a smaller bathPrincipia (Lat. principia)In the Roman period, the headquarters of afort, the building which accommodated thecommanding officersPsalm (Gr. yalmÒj)The term derives from the Greek ‘play on astringed instrument’; a sacred song/hymnin praise of God. There are 150 psalms inthe Old Testament, ascribed to King DavidPythos (Gr. p…qoj)In Antiquity, a large ceramic vessel, oftenwith pointed bottom, used for storinggrain and other supplies; sometimes,these vessels were used for burials. Theyoriginate from the Cretan and Mycenaeancultures, the Archaic period and can alsobe found among artifacts from the MiddleAges.Pyxida (Gr. pux…j)In the Antique period, a small (round) boxmade of baked clay, metal, boxwood orivory used to store jewellery, spices orperfumesQuadriburgium (Lat. quadriburgium)A fortified military camp square in formfrom the Roman periodRampartA wide defensive wall with towersReceptacle (Lat. recipiens)To receive, to store things; belly of aceramic vessel used as a container inwhich liquids are pouredSacrificial altarThe place where the offering is made; anobject, ceramic vessel of special shapemade for the ritual of making an offeringSkene (Gr.)/Scaenae (Lat.)In Antique theatres, subsidiary buildingbehind the stage connected with the actingplatform, used for storage of theatrecostumes.Spatula (Lat. spatula)Shallow spoons with long handles madeof bone. They appear as early as inthe Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and theNeolithic (New/Early Stone Age), as wellas in Antiquity. They are believed to havebeen used for smoothing animal hide,stirring food and for cosmetic and medicalpurposesXenodocheionA guest-house (esp. in a monastery), inn,tavern98 archaeological sites 99

ILLUSTRATIONSTumba Madžari1. Terracotta depiction of the Great Mother2. Askos, ceramic vessel3. Ceramic vessel decoratedwith S-shaped flutes4. Female figurine made of polished stone5. Anthropomorphic ceramichouse cylinder6. Head of idol, terracotta7. Head of idol, terracottaSkopje Fortress - Kale1. Exterior rampart, southwest part2. Kale, Skopje fortress, soutwest view3. Architectural remains of craftsmen’sworkshops in the southwest partof the fortress4. Depiction of a ruler, 12th century, boneSCUPI: COLONIA FLAVIA SCUPINORUM1. Remains of the Antique theatre in Scupi,aerial view2. Cardo Maximus, public bath, north part3. Northwest necropolis from the Romanperiod4. Statuete of a nude youth (Apollo?),2nd century AD5. Cardo Maximus and public bath6. Public bath, north part7. Public bath, furnarium and caldarium8. Ritual zoomorphic pitcher,late 1st century AD9. Corinthian capital, 4th centuryTauresium1. Monogram of Justinian I on pythoswreath, 6th century2. Architectural remains of a publicbuilding and housing facilities3. Chamber 2 of a public building4. Surviving brick columnette of a biphora5. Bronze coins, 5th and 6th centuries6. Jewellery and crosses, 5th to 6thcenturiesCastel above the river Pčinja1. Castel, aerial view2. Citadel ramparts3. Chamber in the acropolis4. Main gate5. Remains of a tower6. Rampart wall7. Rampart wall, type of building opus8. Ceramic tiles9. Bracelet with snake headsStobi1. Stobi, aerial view2. Synagogue basilica, northwest view3. Satyr on a pedestal, bronze, 2nd to 1stcenturies BC (Belgrade NationalMuseum)4. Satyr, bronze, 2nd to 1st centuries BC(Belgrade National Museum)5. Episcopal (Philip’s) Basilica6. Baptistery with piscina inthe Episcopal Basilica7. Theatre in Stobi8. Statue of Emperor Hadrian, marble,early 2nd century9. Statue of Herculean woman, marble,early 2nd centuryVrbjanska Čuka1. Cult sacrificial altar with five squarefacilities, baked earthStyberra1. Statue of emperor, marble, 2nd century2. Remains of an architectural structure3. Titus Flavius Orestes, bust, 2nd century4. Titus Flavius Phyloxenes, bust,2nd century5. Inscription on architrave beam, spolia6. Statue of Asclepius, 2nd centuryMarkovi Kuli1. Markovi Kuli, southeast view2. Tower, entrance sectionHeraclea Lyncestis1. Theatre mask of a tragedian witha depiction of Heracles, marble,2nd century2. Roman theatre, 2nd to 3rd centuries3. Parts of thermae, early 4th century4. Great and Small Basilicas, 5h to 6thcenturies5. Hypocaust: furnace in the thermae6. Marble decorative plastics,applied relief slabs7. Marble decorative plastics,rectangular relief slab8. Statue of Titus Flavius Orestes,2nd centuryGolem Grad1. Panoramic view of the islandof Golem Grad2. Church of St. Peter, 14th century3. Fresco painting in the Churchof St. Peter, 14th century4. Architectural remains of the Churchof St. Demetrius, 14th century5. Architectural remains of an EarlyChristian church with adjoiningstructures6. Architectural remains of the naosand the altar of an Early Christianchurch7. Late Roman cistern, later transformedinto a church, 14th century8. Gold and silver earrings and a bronzebelt plate, 4th to 6th centuries9. Silver fibulae of the Asia Minor type,3rd century BC10. Gold earring, front and back side, with adepiction of a lion, rosettes and SunLychnidos1. Gold ritual mask and glove/hand fromGorna Porta (Upper Gate) in Ohrid,5th century BC2. The Antique theater, 2nd century BC to4th century3. Remains of buildings in thesoutheastern part of the Samuil’sFortress4. Renewed church of St.Panteleimonat Palošnik (2000-2002)5. Gold pendant/labrys, Gorna Portain Ohrid, 5th century BC6. Relief cup with the depiction of the sunat the bottom, ceramic, Samuil’sFortress in Ohrid, 3rd to 2ndcenturies BC7. Dedalus, bronze, 3rd to 2nd centuries BC8. Gold earrings with negroid heads, GornaPorta in Ohrid, 3rd to 2nd centuries BC9. Heracles, bronze, Samuil’s Fortress,1st century BC10. Isis, marble, Karabegomala in Ohrid,2nd century BC11. Mosaic depiction of the Eden riverGhion, baptistery from the polyconchchurch, Plaošnik , 5th to 6th centuries12. Mosaic bath floor, Plaošnik, 1st century BC13. Mosaic depiction of the Eden riverEuphrates, baptistery from the polyconchchurch, 5th to 6th centuries14. Mosaic depiction of a lion and snakes,baptistery from the three-nave basilica,Plaošnik, 5th to 6th centuries15. Mosaic depiction of a deer, chamberadjacent to the polyconch church,Plaošnik, 5th to 6th centuriesEngelana1. Remains of the west cyclopeanfortress rampart2. Remains of the west cyclopeanfortress rampart3. Remains of the exterior toweron the west rampartBay of the Bones1. Concept for the reconstruction of theprehistoric pile-dwelling settlement2. Reconstructed pile-dwelling settlement,northeast view3. Wooden piles from the settlement on thelake bottom4. Trial excavation area on the lake bottomwith remains of wooden piles5. Diver with an archaeological find fromthe underwater site6. Part of the trial excavation area witharchaeological finds from the lake bottom7. Ceramic vessel handles excavated fromthe lake bottom (fragments)Vardarski Rid1. Terracotta figurines of goddesses, 3rd to2nd centuries BC2. Architectural remains from a complexof workshops, 2nd century BC3. Marble statues of Aphrodite,4th century BC4. Bronze figurine of Artemis,2nd century BC5. Relief cup with a depiction of theMacedonian shield, 3rd to 2nd centuries BCThe Town at Isar1. Architrave beam with an inscriptionfrom a temple of a Macedoniarch,early 4th century2. Macedonian soldier, 2nd century BCThe Fifteen Holy Martyrs ofTiberiopolis1. Remains of a mediaeval church complex,5th to 14th centuries2. Underground vaulted tomb in the centreof the church decorated with the frescopainting of the Fifteen Martyrs ofTiberiopolis, 9th century3. Fresco painting of the two of the fifteenmartyrs of Tiberiopolis in the vaultedtomb, 9th centuryAntique Baths1. Bath interior with poolCarevi Kuli1. Part of entrance to the fortress2. View of the walls adjacent to the cistern3. Remains of a towerIsar1. Main fortress tower2. Part of the fortress rampart,southeast view3. Interior of the citadel rampartBargala1. Part of the city of Bargala with theepiscopal complex2. Early Christian church (chapel) by thesouth side of the Episcopal Basilica3. Part of the public buildings4. Entrance to the public buildings5. Baptistery piscina in the EpiscopalBasilica6. Part of the hypocaust system7. Interior of the Episcopal Basilica8. Remains of an architectural structure/public building9. Thermae in Bargala10. Decorative stone elementsMorodvis1. Remains of church and episcopalcomplex2. Church altar space, 13th century3. Glass bracelet, 12th to 13th centuries4. Silver ring, 14th to 15th centuriesViničko Kale1. Terracotta icon with the depictionof a bull, 5th to 6th centuries2. Structure in the southwest partof the site3. Remains of the west rampart witha semi-circular tower4. Pythos for food storage5. Public buildings in the southeast partof the site6. Terracotta icon with the depictionof Archangel Michael, 5th to 6thcenturies7. Ceramic fragment with a depictionof a solar symbol8. Terracotta icon with the depictionof a horseman, fragmentGrad1. Panoramic view of the fortress near thevillage of GradGolemo Gradište1. Golemo Gradište, northwest panoramicviewKokino1. Ancient astronomic observatory: seatshewn in rock2. Bronze pendant, Eneolithic3. Ceramic vessel, 7th century BCKostoperska Karpa1. Kostoperska Karpa, panoramic viewTetovsko Kale – Bal Tepe1. Surviving remains of a structurein the fortress2. Remains of a rampart and towerswith earlier phases3. Remains of the entrance to the seraglio100 archaeological sites 101

262728030225ARCHAEOLOGICALSITES0104222324052021121314111007080906151617191801. Tumba Madžari Skopje02. Skopje Fortress – Kale Skopje03. Skupi village of Zlokukani, Skopje04. Tauresium - Antique settlement village of Taor, Skopje05. Castel above the river Pčinja Skopje06. Stobi Gradsko, Veles07. Vrbjanska Čuka village of Slavej, Prilep08. Styberra village of Čepigovo09. Markovi Kuli Prilep10. Heraclea Lyncestis Bitola11. Golem Grad Prespa Lake, Presp12. Lychnidos Ohrid13. Engelana St.Erasmus, nr.Ohrid14. Bay of the Bones village of Peštani, Gradište, nr. Ohrid15 Vardarski Rid Gevgelija16. The Town at Isar village of Marvinci at Valandovo17. The Fifteen Holy Martyrs of Tiberiopolis Strumica18. Antique baths village of Bansko, nr. Strumica19. Carevi Kuli Strumica20. Isar Štip21. Bargala Štip22. Morodvis village of Morodvis, Kočani region23. Viničko Kale Vinica24. Grad village of Grad, Delčevo region25. Golemo Gradište village of Konjuh26. Kokino Kumanovo27. Kostoperska Karpa Mlado Nagoričino28. Tetovsko Kale - Bal Tepe Tetovo102 archaeological sites 103

Published byMinistry of Culture of the Republic of MacedoniaCultural Heritage Protection OfficeFor the publisherPasko KuzmanEditorPasko KuzmanAuthorsDragiša Zdravkovski 12, 36Dragi Mitrevski 16, 62Lenče Jovanova 20Kiro Ristov 24,Kiril Trajkovski 28, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 80, 86, 92Zoran Georgiev 30,Liljana Kepeska 38, 42Kostadin Kepeski 38Anica Gjorgijeva 44Vera Bitrakova Grozdanova 48Pasko Kuzman 08, 52, 58, 60Cone Krstevski 66, 82Carolyn Snively 88Jovica Stankovski 90Irena Kolištrkoska-Nasteva 94TranslationRajna KoškaPhotosMiše TutkovskiGlossaryPasko KuzmanEXPLANATORYNOTEIn the English text the following letters have been used:LettersEnglish pronunciationDesign and Computer layoutArtbaiterPrinted byPro PointCopies1200CIP – Katalogizacija vo publikacijaNacionalna i univerzitetska biblioteka “Sv.KlimentOhridski” – Skopje903/904 (497.7)ARCHAEOLOGICAL sites / (editor PaskoKuzman ; translation Rajna Koška ; photos MišeTutkovski). - Skopje : Cultural heritage protectionoffice, 2009. – 93 str.: ilustr. : 22x22 sm.ČŽŠDžCh (as ch in chalk)Zh (as s in pleasure)Sh (as sh in show)- (as j in joy)© CopyrightMinistry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia,Cultural Heritage Protection Office, Skopje 2008Bibliografija kon glaviteISBN 978-608-4549-04-8a) Arheolo{ki lokaliteti – MakedonijaCOBISS.MK-ID 75626986