АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИ ДАННИ ЗА РИМСКО ВОЕННО ПРИСЪСТВИЕ НА „ШИШМАНОВО КАЛЕ“
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF ROMAN MILITARY PRESENCE ON “SHISHMANOVO KALE”

Summary/Abstract: The article is dedicated to the problem of roman military presence in Samokov valley during roman period. Because of lack of historical or epigraphic data for it, we are force to turn to archaeology. During excavations on “Shishmanovo Kale” late roman fortress, near present day city of Samokov, are found some objects which may linked with roman military. This small but distinctive group of finds consist a fragment of phalera, copper alloy fittings to roman military belts and horse harness, arrowheads and lead slingshots. Identical belt fittings and weapons are published from numerous roman military camps, fortresses and sites with certain presence of roman troops in first three centuries AD. These finds indicates presence of regular roman military in the place of “Shishmanovo Kale“ at least two centuries before its building in the middle of IV c. AD. Some of the fittings are more common for infantry, others are more typical for the equestrian troops. This may indicate the mixed character of the military group stationed here. Despite the lack of historical data, we suggested that detachments of cohors II Lucensium were stationed here. This is the only known by epigraphic data military unit with permanent base in this region, stationed here after 198 AD. Also cohors II Lucensium consists of infantry and equestrian detachments, and this could explain the presence of both types of fittings here.

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