Parts of the Roman fortress wall of Odessos

About 40m north of the oldest discovered Early Hellenistic fortification, about 40 years ago, a part of a later (second quarter of the 4th century) fortress wall with a quarter-shaped tower of large dimensions (19m - 12m) was discovered. Inside the tower are located two massive masonry pylons, which served to support the upper floor structures. The construction technique of the monument is typical of the fortifications of the late Roman period. At its base, the wall has a stepped banquette for better structural load-bearing capacity, and the construction of the external and internal facade masonry is filled with large squares, some of which have rusticated faces and others - smooth. For a stronger connection between them, iron clamps were used, placed in cut sockets of the "swallow tail" type and filled with lead. The space between the stonework is filled with emplekton of pink mortar and pieces of pottery. The width of the wall of the tower is about 3.20 m.

The technical condition of the fortress wall is not particularly good at the moment. It is located within the boundaries of the well-known "hole" among Varna residents, which has mixed ownership and has been functioning as a paid parking lot for years. The object is not socialized. Conservation-restoration activities were carried out partially and episodically, as a result of which partial destruction was observed in its material substance. There are categorical and inadequate interventions (concreting), which have caused irreversible consequences to the material substance.

In 2017 during rescue excavations during the reconstruction of the corner house on "Voden" Street and "Knyaz Boris" Blvd., a part of another U-shaped tower along the continuation of the late Roman fortress wall was discovered. The same construction tradition is observed in it as in the rectangular tower, and the material substance is partially preserved - in the highest part up to 4 rows of the building. Part of the tower was destroyed during the construction of the building from the beginning of the 20th century. The preserved part is well restored, conserved and displayed under a transparent cover inside the ground floor of the building. The site is currently a commercial site, providing public access to the recently discovered immovable cultural property.

‍