17 May 2010 | A whole range of glass vessels dating to the end of the third and beginning of the fourth century and a unique vessel from the Mid-Bronze Age were discovered by archaeologists at the Tsarevi Kuli site near the town of Strumica in eastern Macedonia.

In addition to the find from the Bronze Age, the most significant of the latest finds at the Strumica Fortress are the rare examples of small glass amphorae, the archaeologists told the Vecher newspaper.

According to them, these latest finds only confirm what previous discoveries have suggested – that Strumica was a significant centre during its entire existence, through which passed cultural influences from the North to the South and from the East to the West.

Regarding the glass amphorae, there are several such vessels in the Tsarevi Kuli site, but in Macedonia as a whole, such vessels were found only in the Zelino area around Skopje, archaeologist Zoran Ruyak, head of the Tsarevi Kuli excavations told the publication. They were written about in the 1970s, and since then – according to the archaeologists, no such findings have been made.

In addition to the amphorae discovered on the southeastern slope of the site where in 2008 archaeologists concluded a prehistoric settlement existed, the team also found richly decorated pots dating from the Mid-Bronze Age.

The discovered vessel dates to somewhere between 1800 and 1540 BC. “I think that with this vessel, for now unique for Macedonia, and with the other finds from that time, Tsarevi Kuli becomes one of the prehistoric centres in Macedonia,” Ruyak told the publication.

As BalkanTravellers.com reported in April, archaeologists at the Tsarevi Kuli site discovered, less than a month ago, a unique lamp from the fourth century with the image of Alexander the Great and gold jewellery from the second century BC.

The site, which has undergone excavations for the last three years, has yielded other finds as well, including: coins with the image of Philip II of Macedon, amphorae, vessels, cups, jewellery, fragments from vases, ceramics and figurines from the fourth century BC and a collection of around 80 silver Venetian coins, dating to the end of the thirteenth and the beginning of the fourteenth centuries.

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