Settlement networks between Iatrus and Novae at the Lower Danube (Bulgaria, Romania)

After the restart of excavations in the Late Roman and Early Byzantine fortress of Iatrus in 1992, a.o. the research focus was put on the investigation of the surrounding territory.

Between 1997 and 2001 interdisciplinary prospections were carried out in the region around the limes fortifications of Iatrus and Novae. The project included field surveys, geophysical investigations, soil and pollen analyses. A short survey at the northern bank of the Danube was part of the research programme as well.

In a fundamental scale, the project expanded our knowledge on the settlement patterns on the lower course of the Yantra river during prehistoric and historic times considering environmental factors. The research area can be regarded as a reference territory for the diachronic development of settling in the Eastern Balkans.