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At the beginning of the archaeological research at the Saint Archangel site near the village of Dabnitsa, Blagoevgrad region, archaeologists from the National History Museum discovered an extremely brazen destruction of the settlement's necropolis.

The excavations are of unprecedented dimensions, made with heavy earth-moving equipment, with a length of up to 100-150 meters and a depth of up to 1.70 meters in places.

The fortified settlement in the area of ​​Sveti Archangel has been studied by a museum team since 2020. When the regular archaeological excavations began, Imanyar excavations were found all over the hill, some of them more than 30 years old, and others quite fresh.

During the work, the site was secured with video surveillance, which stopped the raids once and for all.

The necropolis of the settlement is located about 2-3 km north of the fortified hill and can be seen from there with the naked eye.

So far, a few burial facilities have been recorded, disturbed by mining intervention, but in general the site was well preserved.

Unfortunately, another act of treasure hunters has almost completely destroyed the early Christian necropolis, Bulfoto Agency reports.

Archaeologists came across a find during the exploration of a cave dwelling "Chaya" near Chepelare

After the access of the "treasure hunters" was stopped in the fortified area, they decided that they could continue to destroy cultural heritage in close proximity to and part of the history of Saint Archangel.

The area of ​​Sveti Archangel was inhabited for nearly 6,000 years - from the late Stone-Copper Age to the 13th century.

The materials discovered by the team so far show an extremely high material culture of the population.

The site is the only one in the region that has been inhabited continuously for such a long period, and its study will provide extremely valuable information about the lands of Middle Mestha.

The simultaneous study of the settlement and its necropolis will provide even greater clarity for the inhabitants who inhabited the Gotse Delchev valley.

The authorities have been notified of the raids several times by both the National History Museum and the Regional History Museum in Blagoevgrad, but no action has been taken by them so far.

In 2020, footage was shown of a medieval fortress above the village of Karanovo, Novozagorsko, which had been completely plowed up with machinery for converting forests into agricultural land, and broken archaeological finds were rolling in the furrows.

No official institution reacted even then.

treasure hunters

Dabnitsa village

Blagoevgrad