The excavations and study of the ancient and medieval town of Misionis near present day Targovishte, northeastern Bulgaria were started almost 50 years ago by a famous archaeologist, the late Prof. Dimitar Ovcharov and were continued by his son, Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov.

This summer, archaeologists unearthed many an invaluable artifact there. They say these finds are a real breakthrough in our knowledge of the way local people lived. According to Prof. Ovcharov the name of the town – Misionis means Moesia (or Mizia in Bulgarian). It was most likely the capital of the Eastern Roman province of the same name back in the 5 – 6 c. The finds prove that the town was inhabited by wealthy people. In recent months archaeologists have discovered bronze utensil handles with birds and a panther depicted on them, which closely resemble the stone reliefs of lions in one of the capitals of the First Bulgarian Kingdom /68 –1018/ from the end of the 9^th c. – Veliki Preslav.

The fact that the remains of a mercantile exchange as well as a great number of coins were discovered here also testifies to the town’s wealth. Jewelry made of animal bones, a silver ring, one gilded earring and two made of rock crystal, their craftsmanship are truly remarkable. The archaeologists have also  found enormous quantities of flat moulded glass, used for stained glass windows in ancient houses - these were not the houses of high-ranking officials, but of wealthy traders and craftsmen. And the very fact of the existence of glass objects here once again shows just how wealthy Misionis was. Pieces of some 80 broken glasses, concentrated in the ruins of one building is one more find that focused the attention of archaeologists. The remains of other utensils used to serve wine and food in were unearthed near them. All of these finds go to show there was an ancient restaurant or an inn on this spot. “This is a rare thing in archaeology, to come upon an inn anywhere in the Bulgarian lands, dated to 5 – 6 c.,” says Prof. Ovcharov and goes on with the story.

“We are now summing up the results of our summer activities; we are exhibiting the findings from July, August and September. It is one integral inn, and it is pretty big. The concentration of utensils and wine glasses means it was a restaurant. there is a similar inn in Pompeii in Italy. The one we found in Misionis most likely had two floors and provided beds for the night. A major Roman road traversed Misionis from East to West with the inn's entrance opening to it. It was a normal thing for such a big town to have a roadside inn. However, what is most important here is the architecture, not the objects. What is surprising is the very fact of such a prosperous town's existence on a mountain top at a time when the empire was in decline due to the Barbarian raids. There are buildings, streets, squares here – genuine art that we can only admire, even today…”

The inhabitants of ancient Misionis left their town in the 14^th century. Despite their strong resistance, the Ottomans invaders conquered and burnt the town down. The local people moved to the planes and the town was named Eski Jumaya, meaning old, ancient Friday market day in Turkish. The memory of Misionis has been transferred to the name of the latter day town of Targovishte, also meaning trade, market in Bulgarian…

English version: Zhivko Stanchev 

Photos: BTA