Port Baglar. Archaeological surveys in the water area of ​​Cape Hristos.

The book is out of print, the latest book of Prof. Ivan Hristov, PhD – PORT BAGLAR. Archaeological surveys in the water area of ​​Cape Hristos and the hinterland between the capes of Kolokita and Agalina near Sozopol. ( ISBN 978-619-90311-5-5 pdf ) Sofia 2023,1-160; ISBN: 978-619-00-1583-3 – printed edition V. Tarnovo, ed. Faber 2023.

The publication is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the National History Museum. The book is the author's next study of maritime archeology for the Western Pontus region. It affects the water area of ​​Cape Christ to the town of Sozopol and the nearby hinterland of Kavatsi Bay. The water area in question is assumed to be an important port area in close proximity to the large ancient and medieval urban center. Its importance is determined by the exceptional geographical features: a bay protected from the north and north-easterly winds, a good depth preserved as far as the coastline.

The bay remained anonymous in Antiquity, but was part of the Apollonia/Sozopol harbor system and possibly that "second" harbor mentioned by an anonymous XNUMXth-century author. In the Late Middle Ages, the waters of Cape Christ were marked on Western European maps with the name Port Baglar. The existence of a "port" (port) is also confirmed by some Western European and Russian travelers and diplomats.

However, the true significance of the port area south of Sozopol is determined by the archaeological objects found underwater. Some of them are stored in the National History Museum fund and luckily they are in the largest Bulgarian museum after two underwater expeditions were conducted in the area in 2022. It is the results of these studies that form the basis of the present exhibition.

Structurally, the book includes six parts. In addition to the results of the underwater surveys, the data obtained from geophysical surveys carried out in the water area of ​​Cape Christos in 2022 were also examined. The book also includes a review of the source material for the marine area.

In two separate chapters, the development of the port system of Apollonia/Sozopol is traced, as well as the concentration of archaeological structures of different types and chronology in the hinterland located west of Kavatsi Bay on an area of ​​about 10 square meters. Here, the connection between the monuments and maritime communications.

The information presented in the book marks the beginning of a full-fledged study of the water area of ​​Cape Christ and subsequent archaeological excavations on land. After all, in archeology everything is penultimate.