Pages: 237-247

The Danubian fortress of Dorostol — Drăstăr was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian I and existed until the early 19th c. According to the written sources, the fortress had two gates and actually two gates were discovered during the archaeological excavations. The southern gate has a pair of elongated almond-shaped towers and extensive propugnaculum. Although somewhat reminiscent of the gates of Serdica (Sofia) and Ancyra (Ankara) it is without precedent. The same is true about the plan of the fortress. The eastern gate was destroyed at the end of the 7th c. AD, and a new gate was built at the beginning of the 9th century, flanked by two rectangular towers similar to the gates in the Bulgarian capitals Pliska and Preslav. The dating of the southern gate is defined around 811—816, thanks to an inscription of Khan Omurtag — benchmark for accurate dating of the gates of the other Bulgarian Khan residences in Pliska and Preslav.

Keywords: Silistra, Dorostol, Drăstăr, Justinian І, Krum, Omurtag, Byzantine Empire, Bulgarian Khanate, Crimean War, fortress gate

Information about authors:

Georgi Atanasov (Silistra, Bulgaria). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Regional History Museum. Rakovsky St., 24, Silistra, 7500, Bulgaria
E-mail: [email protected]
Nicolai Russev (Kishinev, Moldova). Doctor Habilitat of History. High Anthropological School University. Zimbrului St., 10a, Kishinev, MD-2024, Moldova
E-mail: [email protected]