The excavations of the Dragoina site were done from 1st to 30th of September 2004. The main goal was defining the period of existence and the functions of the site. An immediate archaeological investigation was provoked from the illegal treasure-hunters’ digs, which have already destroyed a large part of the sanctuary.The total excavated area in 2004 was 57 sq. m in 5 trenches. Four of the trenches were situated next to the wall and one in the near center of the sanctuary.
and 50 m (in the areas close to the wall). It consists of two strata.The lower stratum is black colored, maximum 0,40 m high, directly covering the rock. It is registered in Trenches I, II and V. Here is the hearth, found in situ in Trench I. The artifacts from the stratum consist of pottery. The ceramics is largely hand made and decorated with grooves, stamps and furchenshtih incisions. The forms and the decoration of the pottery are typical for the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The only small finds here are circles formed from pottery sherds. The upper stratum is grey-brownish, between 0,60 – 1,50 m thick. It is registered in all the trenches. Lighter strips are seen in some of the profiles which are result of climatic variations that influence on the sequence of the humus layers. In this stratum are situated few structures - the wall (Trenches I, II, III and V), parts of a hearth in Trench III and the context above it of layer with concentration of metal, clay and glass finds, pottery sherds and bones. Most of the finds from the upper stratum are dated in the Hellenistic period – the end of IV – II c. BC. These are fibulae from iron and bronze, a glass bead, iron knives, clay dice, spindle whorls, etc. The pottery shards, found in this stratum, are from local hand made and wheel made ware, amphorae and imported pottery. Despite the lack of finds dated certainly in the ages between the Early Iron Age and the Hellenistic Period a hiatus between the two strata is not registered. Few sherds, typical for the Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages were found in destroyed contexts. Any structures dated in these periods were not registered and the materials could be interpreted as irregular visits of the peak during these ages.
The wall has been investigated in the northern part of the site (Trenches I, II and V). It is 2,60 m thick. Two faces are built with larger stones, filled between with rubbles and mud. The wall faces are made with different masonry and quality. The best preserved studied part of the wall is in Trenches II and V, where its length is 8,68 m and the direction is East – West (110 ° ). An entrance had probably functioned in its eastern end (plan).
Here the masonry is with a remarkably high quality – the wall faces are built of dressed stone blocks. All the other parts of the wall, which have been studied so far, are made from large irregular local stones. In contrast with them the dressed blocks are made from sandstone. The nearest location of this type of material is about 30 km to the south of Dragoina.
STRATIGRAFY AND CHRONOLOGY
The thickness of the layer with artefacts is between 0,10 m (in the central part of the site)
The maximum preserved height of the wall is 1,10 m. The lowest row is build both ways - directly over the rock or over a 0,30 m thick layer of gray-brownish soil. Some of the blocks are placed on a preliminary prepared base of rubbles.
The upper parts of the wall had been constructed of local stones – now preserved as stone piles on the surface. The artifacts found in the contexts around the wall are dated in the Early Hellenistic Period. This is the period in which the wall had been probably built.
A hearth in situ was discovered in Trench I. The hearth is made directly over the rock without any padding. Its measures are 0,28 x 0,44 м , as its periphery is not preserved. The hearth is covered by the lower stratum and is probably built and used during the Late Bronze age or the Early Iron Age.
Parts of another hearth were found in Trench III. Here it had been made over a pad of rubbles. Further above a rammer clay level was registered. (section).
Over it a layer with high concentration of artifacts was studied – fibulae, beads, knives, dice, strainers, spindle whorls, lead objects, pottery sherds, bones, small iron and bronze object. All the structures in Trench III are in the upper strata, dated in the Hellenistic Period.
02/03/2005
Few days before finalizing this website we visited the Dragoyna sanctuary and registered new digs from treasure-hunters. The damages are huge, the destroyed area is twice larger compared to the excavated one in 2004.
As the Law cannot protect the monument the only ways to save the remaining part of it are total excavations, documentation and publication. These have to be realized in the forthcoming archaeological season or we will lose the site irretrievably.
The funding by the Parvomai Municipality for 2005 will cover only limited excavations for not more than 10 working days. The available resources are extremely insufficient for larger investigation.
We search for any help in saving the sanctuary of Dragoyna!
