Проект „Никополис ад Иструм – геофизика extra muros“. Резултати от проучването през 2021 г. . (Bulgarian)

The general aim of the project is to enhance our knowledge of Nicopolis ad Istrum city plan outside of the fortification wall. At present the immediate surroundings of the Roman civitas are under meadows. Thus geophysical survey is one of the most extensive ways to investigate the extramural urban planning. The total area covered by geomagnetic survey in 2021 is 9.09 ha (101 quadrants of the square grid), while the resistivity survey was conducted over 1.11 ha. The surveyed areas are on the two banks of the Nikyupsko dere Creek, to the northwest and to the north of the Roman city. Not all of the registered anomalies are clear for interpretation due to the character of the building materials used in Antiquity, the search and extraction of spolia, and the depth of the structures. Potential pottery kilns and workshops have been registered along the creek. Extramural continuations of streets, or cardines and decumani cut off by the fortification wall (built circa 175 AD) from the initial urban planning, are visible in the geophysics results. Building foundations have also been registered. In addition to the Western aqueduct, information from previous field surveys suggests two more northwestern aqueducts that supplied the city with water. Some of the registered anomalies could be identified with one of those structures. The pilot survey in 2021 season shows that Geophysics is the most efficient method for extensive investigation of the extramural surroundings of Nicopolis ad Istrum. The surveyed areas are on the two banks of the Nikyupsko dere Creek, to the northwest and to the north of the Roman city (figs. 1–3). They are divided into Northern area (north of the creek) and Southern area (south of the creek) (figs. 4–5). Northern area There is archival information about pottery kilns situated along the Nikyupsko dere Creek from previous field surveys, but mostly from the time of construction of the modern fishpond in 1957. The Geophysics in the Northern area confirmed this information (figs. 6–7). At least four pairs of potential kilns have been found on the left bank. Some structures around them could be interpreted as workshops made of wattle and daub and with tiled roofs. This situation probably shows a periphery of a ceramic quarter. Some ceramic sherds found at the site are from the 3 rd c. AD. The enormous amount of ceramic building materials with yellowish color, used in 4th c. AD buildings within the city, could serve as indirect evidence for the continuation of the production centre at this time as well. The northern periphery of tumulus number 61 from the Northern cemetery of the city was also surveyed by the Geophysics fig. 6). A curved line at the northwestern limits of the studied area could be interpreted as ceramic water-pipe (fig. 6). It could also be a modern anomaly. A piece of ceramic pipe was found at some distance from this anomaly along the bank of the fishpond. The rest of the surveyed area is contaminated primarily with asbestos water-pipes, running northwest to southeast across the site and with modern metal items (fig. 6). Southern area Potential pottery kilns were registered also on the right bank of the creek (figs. 4, 8). There is information from earlier geophysical survey, made by P. Strange and R. Falkner, unfortunately not published. The Geophysics from 2021 showed high concentration of anomalies with possible kiln character situated north of the Roman city. One of the most interesting results are the possible extramural continuations of streets, or cardines and decumani cut off by the fortification wall (built c. 175 AD) from the initial urban planning (figs. 8–9). Building foundations have also been registered. Some of them are along the supposed extramural streets, others at a certain distance (figs. 8–9). A curved linear anomaly could be identified with one of the two known from publications northwestern aqueducts (fig. 8). The southern edge of the studied area suggests that in the following seasons other structures could be expected in this direction (fig. 8). The application of other geophysical methods and archaeological excavations could shed light on the proposed interpretation of the anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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