Complex archaeologicalsurvey of Nessebar aquatory

Abstract

In 2020 the Centre for Underwater Archaeology, supported by the Ministry of Culture, continued the archaeological survey of submerged Mesambria. The Nesebar peninsula and its aquatory were photographed with a drone. Based on aerial photographs and with additional bathymetric and terrain georeferenced measurements a photogrammetry based digital surface model (DSM) was created to a depth of -3 m. It was combined with the multibeam echosounder based DSM thus producing a DSM of the peninsula and its surrounding sea with a resolution of less than 0.25 m (for the seafloor) up to -18 m depth (fig. 1) (Prahov et al. 2020). An attempt was made for finding the so-called “Thracian” fortification wall discovered by L. Ognenova in the late 1970s. Based on the ground plans kept in her archive the location of the structure was determined. A trench was dug up to the ancient ground level at about -5.5 m (fig. 3, Trench 2). Massive stones, among them one with a rectangular shape and another with artificial groove, were discovered under a layer of mussel and sea snail shells. The structure will be searched in the following field seasons.
The 2019’s trench in front of the wall built out of stone blocks at 4.7 m depth was extended in eastern direction. The wall does not continue there (fig. 2, Trench 1). Two artificial massive breakwaters were explored on the south-eastern side of the peninsula (fig. 3). Both are made of piled stones. One is L-shaped, approximately measuring: 45 × 45 m length, 25 m width and 3 m height at depth of its base at about -5.5 m (fig. 4). Numerous spolia have been found among the stones. The second linear breakwater measures 82 m length, 8 to 15 m width and about 1.5 m height (fig. 5). Its eastern end is at -5.6 m and its western end – at about -4 m depth. Remains of mortar with crushed pottery were noticed on one of the stones. This late antique feature is terminus ante quem for the structure.

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ORCID for Pavel, Yordanov Georgiev: orcid.org/0000-0003-2744-2055

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