Poros Fortress

Poros Fortress is located on the Foros Peninsula, on the territory of Kraimorie, Burgas, which is 11 km from the city. The earliest archaeological finds are from the time of the Thracians, from the first millennium BC. Later, in the 2nd century, several Roman villas were built just off the west coast of the peninsula. They were with hypocaust heating, built of well-shaped stone blocks with white mortar. Archaeological excavations have been carried out at one of the villas. On the outside, it was plastered with dark red plaster, known as "Pompeian Red," similar to the buildings in the Roman city of Pompeii. The finds - silver and bronze coins, statuettes, marble details, are from the period II-IV century.

In the 6th century a large part of the territory of the peninsula was fortified with a powerful fortress wall. It was 2.9 m wide, built of stone blocks with white mortar. Archaeological excavations have uncovered 200 meters of this wall, as well as four rectangular towers. It seems that the wall was unfinished. At the same time, at the base of Cape Foros, a large three-nave single-apse basilica with a narthex was built. Its floor was covered with large ceramic tiles. In its apse the base of the pillar of the altar table was found. There was a relic chamber in it, in which a lead ampoule for ointment was found - a relic, most likely made in the city of Ephesus, in Asia Minor. The ampoule is decorated with crosses.

In the VI century on the west coast of the peninsula, in the area of the older Roman villas, many commercial warehouses - shops were built. They are very large in size, and are a sure indicator of the functioning of a large port here. Many coins, brooches, ceramic vessels, marble ornaments from this period were found.

In the XII-XIII century on the territory of the fortress there was a medieval settlement with a necropolis. A little later, this village moved 1 km west, in the town of Poda. A large solid tower measuring 9 x 9 m was built here, which controlled the movement of ships from the Burgas Bay to the Mandra Lake. This strait is known from many medieval maps with the name Poros, which in Greek literally means "river, strait".