Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

A French coin found near the Medieval fortress of Rusocastro baffles archaeologists

Photo: burgasmuseums.bg

A new priceless find has been discovered during excavations of the medieval Bulgarian town of Rusocastro. While exploring its massive fortress wall, archaeologists came across a silver coin (tornese) minted in the Kingdom of France. 

A small part of the coin is missing, making it impossible to determine which ruler minted it, the Regional History Museum in Burgas said. Archaeologists' guesses differ as to whether it is King Louis IX or King Louis X, but they are sure of one thing - that such coins are extremely rare in the Balkans.
Rusocastro fortress
The find provokes questions about the dynamics of various trade flows during the Middle Ages in the Eastern Balkans. Apparently, at that time people in the region also used French silver coins. Another explanation for the presence of this coin in Ruskocastro is that visitors or residents of the town had direct access to French silver currency.


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Photo: Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese in the USA, Canada and Australia

Metropolitan Joseph: Christmas is a double holiday for Orthodox Bulgarians in the USA, Canada and Australia

This year, the holiday of Christmas for the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese in the United States, Canada and Australia is especially exciting! Metropolitan Joseph’s long-standing prayers to have his own vicar bishop have come true. His previous..

published on 12/25/24 4:30 AM

Patriarch Daniil: Let the living faith turn our hearts into a manger to cradle the newborn Savior

His Holiness Daniil, Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia, addressed the Orthodox Christians on the eve of the bright Nativity of Christ (Christmas Eve). "Silent in prayer, gathered around the warm hearth, we await the fulfilment of what was..

published on 12/24/24 6:05 PM
Metropolitan Gregory of Vratsa

Metropolitan Gregory of Vratsa: Christ must be welcomed

In anticipation of the Nativity of Christ, the Orthodox Church opens its doors for today's divine services, heralding the fulfillment of the mystery of the Incarnation. "Let us experience the Nativity of Christ during the solemn services, so..

published on 12/24/24 10:33 AM